Gerald J. Ford Stadium

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Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Gerald J Ford Stadium.jpg
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Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Location in Texas
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Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Location in the United States
Location5801 Bush Avenue
Dallas, TX 75205
Coordinates 32°50′11.92″N96°47′2.38″W / 32.8366444°N 96.7839944°W / 32.8366444; -96.7839944
Owner Southern Methodist University
Operator Southern Methodist University
Capacity 32,000 [1]
Surface FieldTurf
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 10, 1999 [2]
OpenedSeptember 2, 2000
Construction cost $42 million [2]
($74.3 million in 2023 dollars [3] )
Architect Ellerbe Becket
General contractor Huber, Hunt & Nichols
Tenants
SMU Mustangs (NCAA) (2000–present)
Armed Forces Bowl (NCAA) (2010–2011)
First Responder Bowl (NCAA) (2019–present)

Gerald J. Ford Stadium is a stadium in Dallas, Texas. [1] The stadium is owned by Southern Methodist University (SMU) and is used primarily for games played by the SMU Mustangs football team.

Contents

About Gerald J. Ford Stadium

The stadium is named after Gerald J. Ford, a billionaire banker who provided most of the funding for its construction. [4]

Outside the northeast corner of the stadium is Doak Walker Plaza, honoring the former Heisman Trophy winner and SMU's greatest football star. The plaza includes a life-sized replica of the Doak Walker Award trophy, awarded annually to the nation's top college football running back. The northwest corner is connected to the Loyd All-Sports Center, which contains locker, training, and office space for SMU Athletics. [5]

History

The building stands on the site of the former Ownby Stadium, the school's previous on-campus football stadium. Ownby was demolished starting in late October 1998 in order to clear the land designated for the new stadium. Ford Stadium opened on September 2, 2000, with a football game against the University of Kansas. [6]

On September 24, 2022, the regular season attendance record was set at Gerald J. Ford Stadium when 35,481 people watched the TCU Horned Frogs face off against the SMU Mustangs in the Battle for the Iron Skillet. The overall attendance record is set at 36,742 for the 2010 Armed Forces Bowl between SMU and the Army Black Knights. [7]

Future expansion

The north-south oriented stadium is bowl-shaped, with stands on three sides (west, east, and north). The stadium is expandable to 45,000 seats by enclosing the horseshoe on the south end. [6]

Renovations

In 2012, SMU Mustang Athletics announced the construction of additional luxury suites, as well as the upgrading of infrastructure to the Paul B. Loyd, Jr. All-Sports Center to allow access to designated outdoor seating areas in the stadium. Construction was completed prior to the start of the 2013 season. [8]

On July 26, 2016, SMU officials announced plans for an upcoming facilities project that will include a new indoor performance center for the Mustangs football team, as well as an outdoor natural grass football practice field. The additions are part of the initial phase of SMU's $150 million comprehensive facilities upgrade. [9]

On December 2, 2022, SMU broke ground on the Garry Weber Endzone Complex, a new, $100 million dollar state-of-the-art facility for the school's football team. The complex, named after Garry Weber, an accomplished entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist and former SMU football player, will include a new weight room, training facilities, meeting rooms, and offices for the football program. The complex is expected to be completed in time for the start of 2024 football season. [10]

Attendance records

RankAttendanceDateGame Result
136,742December 30, 2010SMU 14, Army 16
235,569September 24, 2022SMU 34, TCU 42
335,481September 24, 2010SMU 24, 4 TCU 41
434,820September 20, 2014SMU 6, 6 Texas A&M 58
534,790August 30, 2013SMU 23, Texas Tech 41
634,749September 5, 2009SMU 31, Stephen F. Austin 23
733,458September 11, 2004SMU 13, Texas Tech 27
832,267September 2, 2000SMU 31, Kansas 17
932,074September 4, 2015SMU 21, 4 Baylor 56
1032,016September 15, 2012SMU 3, Texas A&M 48
1132,000October 22, 2016SMU 38, 11 Houston 16
1232,000September 7, 2002SMU 14, Texas Tech 24
1330,987September 23, 2016SMU 3, TCU 33
1430,923September 20, 2008SMU 7, TCU 48
1529,538September 3, 2005SMU 23, Baylor 28
1629,528November 9, 201923 SMU 59, East Carolina 51
1729,121September 11, 2021SMU 35, North Texas 12
1828,436September 29, 2012SMU 16, 15 TCU 24
1928,142October 5, 201924 SMU 43, Tulsa 373OT
2027,106September 20, 2003SMU 6, Oklahoma State 56

See also

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The 2012 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of Conference USA in the West Division. June Jones led the Mustangs in his fifth season. The Mustangs played home games in University Park, Texas at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. This was SMU's last year as a member of Conference USA as they will join the Big East Conference in 2013. They finished the season 7–6, 5–3 in C-USA play to finish in second place in the West Division. They were invited to the Hawaii Bowl where they defeated Fresno State.

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The 2018 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mustangs played their home games at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas and competed in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference. They were led by first-year coach Sonny Dykes. They finished the season 5–7, 4–4 in American Athletic play to finish in fourth place in the West Division.

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The 2019 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mustangs were led by second-year head coach Sonny Dykes and played their home games at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas, a separate city within the city limits of Dallas. They competed as members of the West Division of the American Athletic Conference.

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The 2020 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mustangs were led by third-year coach Sonny Dykes and played their home games at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas, a separate city within the city limits of Dallas, competed as members of the American Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 SMU Mustangs football team</span> American college football season

The 2022 SMU Mustangs football team represented Southern Methodist University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mustangs played their home games at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas, a separate city within the city limits of Dallas, and competed in the American Athletic Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Rhett Lashlee.

References

  1. 1 2 "Facilities". SMU Athletics.
  2. 1 2 "Gerald J. Ford Stadium". football.ballparks.com.
  3. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Gerald J. Ford - Profile". Forbes.com. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Loyd All-Sports Center". SMUMustangs.com. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Gerald J. Ford Stadium". SMUMustangs.com. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  7. ↑ "College football establishes new attendance records for the bowl and regular seasons". MilitaryBowl.org. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Gerald J. Ford Stadium Premium Seating and Mini-Suites". SMU.edu. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  9. ↑ "SMU Athletics reveals future facilities projects". SMU.edu. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Expanding SMU's Gerald J. Ford Stadium". SMU.edu. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
Preceded by Host of the College Cup
2002		Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of the Women's College Cup
2001		Succeeded by
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