Hale Stadium
Encyclopedia
Hale Stadium is a 10,000-seat outdoor stadium
located on the campus of Tennessee State University
in Nashville, Tennessee
. Built in 1953 and nicknamed "The Hole", the stadium hosted TSU Tigers football games until 1999, when home games were moved to what is now LP Field
, home of the Tennessee Titans
, after the facility fell into a state of disrepair. Allowing the Tigers to play their home games at the new venue was a requirement for the funding the new facility received from the State of Tennessee.
Hale Stadium hosted a second-round NCAA Division I-AA playoff game in 1982, with the Tigers defeating Eastern Illinois University
20–19 in front of a crowd of 8,000.http://www.i-aa.org/section_front.asp?arttypeid=568
During its years at Hale, TSU went undefeated ten times, won ten championships in the now-defunct Midwestern Conference and claimed the Ohio Valley Conference
championship in 1998, its final season in the stadium.
The last official football game at Hale Stadium was a 28–14 Tennessee State win over Texas Southern University
on November 21, 1998.http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/incomplete_data/game_by_game_current.php?teamid=3188&year=1998 However, the facility is still used for the annual Blue-White game held at the close of the Tigers' spring practice.
The facility was named for William J. Hale, who served as TSU's first president.
The stadium remains in use as the site of TSU's annual spring football game, as well as hosting Homecoming festivities other than the actual football game. Although alumni and local politicians have pushed for a return of on-campus games, there have been no formal plans to upgrade the stadium put forward as of 2011.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
located on the campus of Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Built in 1953 and nicknamed "The Hole", the stadium hosted TSU Tigers football games until 1999, when home games were moved to what is now LP Field
LP Field
LP Field is a football stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County....
, home of the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
, after the facility fell into a state of disrepair. Allowing the Tigers to play their home games at the new venue was a requirement for the funding the new facility received from the State of Tennessee.
Hale Stadium hosted a second-round NCAA Division I-AA playoff game in 1982, with the Tigers defeating Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a comprehensive university with a...
20–19 in front of a crowd of 8,000.http://www.i-aa.org/section_front.asp?arttypeid=568
During its years at Hale, TSU went undefeated ten times, won ten championships in the now-defunct Midwestern Conference and claimed the Ohio Valley Conference
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
championship in 1998, its final season in the stadium.
The last official football game at Hale Stadium was a 28–14 Tennessee State win over Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University is a historically black university located in Houston, Texas, United States....
on November 21, 1998.http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/incomplete_data/game_by_game_current.php?teamid=3188&year=1998 However, the facility is still used for the annual Blue-White game held at the close of the Tigers' spring practice.
The facility was named for William J. Hale, who served as TSU's first president.
The stadium remains in use as the site of TSU's annual spring football game, as well as hosting Homecoming festivities other than the actual football game. Although alumni and local politicians have pushed for a return of on-campus games, there have been no formal plans to upgrade the stadium put forward as of 2011.