Rogers Field (Washington State)
Encyclopedia
46°43′54"N 117°9′44"W
Rogers Field was an outdoor athletic stadium
on the campus of Washington State University
in Pullman, Washington
. It was the home venue of the WSU Cougars
football
and track
teams until severely damaged by a fire in April 1970. Demolished in early 1971, Rogers Field was replaced by the concrete Martin Stadium
, which was built on the same site and opened in 1972
.
and named "Soldier Field", it hosted its first football game in 1895, when WSU defeated its Palouse
neighbor Idaho
10-4. In 1902, the stadium was renamed for Governor John R. Rogers
, who died in office the previous December. The final structure was completely rebuilt in 1936.
The 23,500-seat wooden stadium had a horseshoe
-shaped grandstand, open on the west end, with a 440-yard (402 m) running track. The press box sat at the top of the south sideline's grandstand, and the playing field was natural grass, at an elevation
of 2530 feet (771.1 m) above sea level. The field was unlit, but plans were in place to install both lights and AstroTurf
for the 1970
season.
During what came to be its final WSU season in 1969
, Rogers Field was also the home for the neighboring Idaho Vandals
. Idaho's Neale Stadium
, also wooden, had been condemned during the summer of 1969 due to soil erosion and was to be rebuilt with concrete
grandstands, ready in 1970 (or 1971). Idaho played its limited Palouse
home schedule in 1969 (3 games) at Rogers Field, and due to delays in their project had planned on playing there again in 1970 (4 games). During the ten-game schedules of the late 1960s, the WSU football team split its usual allotment of four home games equally between Spokane
and Pullman (2 games each).
. A definitive cause of the blaze was not determined, but was widely believed to have been arson
. A track & field meet with Oregon State
had been held at the stadium earlier in the day. Idaho's idle (and condemned) Neale Stadium
had burned less than five months earlier in November 1969, also a suspected arson which burned its south grandstand and press box.
Because of the reduced capacity of Rogers Field, the WSU Cougars
played all of their home football games at Joe Albi Stadium
in Spokane
in 1970, which had been recently outfitted with AstroTurf
. Requiring less seating capacity, Idaho
opted to stay put and played its home games at the partially destroyed stadium in Pullman in 1970.
The game between the teams, the so-called "Displaced Bowl", was easily won by WSU on September 19 in Spokane. It ended a ten game losing streak for Jim Sweeney's
Cougars, dating back to the 1969 season opener. The victory over the Vandals was the only one for WSU in 1970, who would remain winless until the third game of the 1971 season. With the new stadium in Pullman under construction in 1971, the Cougars played their full home schedule in Spokane.
Poor weather in the spring of 1971
caused delays in the construction of Idaho's new stadium, and the Vandals played "home" games at Bronco Stadium
in Boise
and at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane in September. After a three-year absence, the Idaho Vandals returned to campus in Moscow
on October 9 at their new "Idaho Stadium", originally an outdoor venue. The debut game was a Vandal victory over Idaho State
; the stadium was enclosed four years later in 1975 and renamed the Kibbie Dome
.
, the new concrete football stadium in Pullman
, was originally built to a modest seating capacity of 22,600, with a running track, lights, and an AstroTurf
playing field. It was ready on September 30, 1972
, and the Cougars responded with a disappointing loss to the Utah Utes
of the WAC
with 20,600 in attendance. Following the 1978
season, the running track was removed and the field level was lowered 16 feet (4.9 m), allowing a seating capacity
expansion with thirteen new rows of seats. The revamped Martin Stadium
debuted in mid-October 1979
, with an inspired victory over the UCLA Bruins
.
The last Apple Cup
in Spokane
was played in 1980
, but the Cougars continued to play several home games in Spokane through the 1983
season. The WSU academic calendar was changed from a delayed semester to the traditional semester schedule in 1984
. With classes starting four weeks earlier in late August, WSU students were now on campus for the entire football season, and the Spokane games were eliminated.
The name "Rogers Field" continues on campus, transferred to an area used for soccer practices and intramurals, adjacent to the west end of Martin Stadium.
Rogers Field was an outdoor athletic stadium
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...
on the campus of Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
in Pullman, Washington
Pullman, Washington
Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census and 29,799 according to the 2010 census...
. It was the home venue of the WSU Cougars
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
teams until severely damaged by a fire in April 1970. Demolished in early 1971, Rogers Field was replaced by the concrete Martin Stadium
Martin Stadium
Martin Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pullman, Washington, United States, on the campus of Washington State University. It is the home field of the Washington State Cougars of the Pacific-12 Conference, and is the smallest football stadium in the conference...
, which was built on the same site and opened in 1972
1972 college football season
The 1972 college football season saw the USC Trojans, coached by John McKay, go undefeated and win the national championship as the unanimous choice of the fifty AP panelists...
.
History
Originally built in 1892 for track and fieldTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
and named "Soldier Field", it hosted its first football game in 1895, when WSU defeated its Palouse
Palouse
The Palouse is a region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of southeastern Washington, north central Idaho and, in some definitions, extending south into northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primarily producing wheat and legumes...
neighbor Idaho
Idaho Vandals football
The Idaho Vandals are a college football team that represents the University of Idaho. The Vandals currently compete in the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I...
10-4. In 1902, the stadium was renamed for Governor John R. Rogers
John Rankin Rogers
John Rankin Rogers was the third Governor of the state of Washington. Elected as a member of the People's Party before switching his affiliation to the Democratic Party, Rogers was elected to two consecutive terms in 1896 and 1900, but died before completing his fifth year in office.-Early...
, who died in office the previous December. The final structure was completely rebuilt in 1936.
The 23,500-seat wooden stadium had a horseshoe
Horseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
-shaped grandstand, open on the west end, with a 440-yard (402 m) running track. The press box sat at the top of the south sideline's grandstand, and the playing field was natural grass, at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 2530 feet (771.1 m) above sea level. The field was unlit, but plans were in place to install both lights and AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
for the 1970
1970 college football season
The 1970 college football season was marked by tragedy, due to two airplane crashes. On October 2, one of the planes carrying the Wichita State football team crashed on the way to a game against Utah State, killing 31 people on board, including 14 players...
season.
During what came to be its final WSU season in 1969
1969 college football season
The 1969 college football season was celebrated as the 100th anniversary of college football. During the 20th Century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A"...
, Rogers Field was also the home for the neighboring Idaho Vandals
Idaho Vandals football
The Idaho Vandals are a college football team that represents the University of Idaho. The Vandals currently compete in the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I...
. Idaho's Neale Stadium
Neale Stadium
Neale Stadium was an outdoor athletic stadium in Moscow, Idaho, on the west end of the campus of the University of Idaho. Opened in 1937 for college football , it was used for over three decades, through the 1968 season...
, also wooden, had been condemned during the summer of 1969 due to soil erosion and was to be rebuilt with concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
grandstands, ready in 1970 (or 1971). Idaho played its limited Palouse
Palouse
The Palouse is a region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of southeastern Washington, north central Idaho and, in some definitions, extending south into northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primarily producing wheat and legumes...
home schedule in 1969 (3 games) at Rogers Field, and due to delays in their project had planned on playing there again in 1970 (4 games). During the ten-game schedules of the late 1960s, the WSU football team split its usual allotment of four home games equally between Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
and Pullman (2 games each).
Fire
A suspicious fire significantly damaged the south grandstand and press box of Rogers Field late on Saturday, April 4, 1970, the first day of spring breakSpring break
Spring break – also known as March break, Study week or Reading week in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada – is a recess in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United...
. A definitive cause of the blaze was not determined, but was widely believed to have been arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
. A track & field meet with Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers
The Oregon State Beavers is a name shared by all sports teams at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers are part of the Pacific-12 Conference . Oregon State's mascot is Benny the Beaver...
had been held at the stadium earlier in the day. Idaho's idle (and condemned) Neale Stadium
Neale Stadium
Neale Stadium was an outdoor athletic stadium in Moscow, Idaho, on the west end of the campus of the University of Idaho. Opened in 1937 for college football , it was used for over three decades, through the 1968 season...
had burned less than five months earlier in November 1969, also a suspected arson which burned its south grandstand and press box.
Because of the reduced capacity of Rogers Field, the WSU Cougars
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
played all of their home football games at Joe Albi Stadium
Joe Albi Stadium
Joe Albi Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Spokane, Washington. Primarily used for football, it is located in the northwest part of the city, just east of the Spokane River. It opened in 1950 as "Memorial Stadium," with a natural grass field, cinder running track, and a seating capacity of...
in Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
in 1970, which had been recently outfitted with AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
. Requiring less seating capacity, Idaho
Idaho Vandals football
The Idaho Vandals are a college football team that represents the University of Idaho. The Vandals currently compete in the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I...
opted to stay put and played its home games at the partially destroyed stadium in Pullman in 1970.
The game between the teams, the so-called "Displaced Bowl", was easily won by WSU on September 19 in Spokane. It ended a ten game losing streak for Jim Sweeney's
Jim Sweeney (coach)
Jim Sweeney is a former American football coach. He served as the head coach at Montana State University , Washington State University , and California State University, Fresno . Sweeney's 143 wins as the head coach at Fresno State are the most in the history of the program...
Cougars, dating back to the 1969 season opener. The victory over the Vandals was the only one for WSU in 1970, who would remain winless until the third game of the 1971 season. With the new stadium in Pullman under construction in 1971, the Cougars played their full home schedule in Spokane.
Poor weather in the spring of 1971
1971 Idaho Vandals football team
The 1971 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1971 college football season. The Vandals, led by second-year head coach Don Robbins, were members of the Big Sky Conference and played three of their five home games at the new Idaho Stadium, an outdoor facility on...
caused delays in the construction of Idaho's new stadium, and the Vandals played "home" games at Bronco Stadium
Bronco Stadium
Bronco Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Boise, Idaho, the home field of the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference. Since 1997, it has hosted the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Bronco Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Boise, Idaho, the home field of the Boise State Broncos...
in Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
and at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane in September. After a three-year absence, the Idaho Vandals returned to campus in Moscow
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
on October 9 at their new "Idaho Stadium", originally an outdoor venue. The debut game was a Vandal victory over Idaho State
Idaho State Bengals football
The Idaho State Bengals football program represents Idaho State University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision . As of the end of the 2010 season they have an all-time record of 449–463–20...
; the stadium was enclosed four years later in 1975 and renamed the Kibbie Dome
Kibbie Dome
The William H. Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center is a multi-purpose indoor athletic stadium in Moscow, Idaho, on the campus of the University of Idaho...
.
Martin Stadium
Martin StadiumMartin Stadium
Martin Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pullman, Washington, United States, on the campus of Washington State University. It is the home field of the Washington State Cougars of the Pacific-12 Conference, and is the smallest football stadium in the conference...
, the new concrete football stadium in Pullman
Pullman, Washington
Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census and 29,799 according to the 2010 census...
, was originally built to a modest seating capacity of 22,600, with a running track, lights, and an AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
playing field. It was ready on September 30, 1972
1972 college football season
The 1972 college football season saw the USC Trojans, coached by John McKay, go undefeated and win the national championship as the unanimous choice of the fifty AP panelists...
, and the Cougars responded with a disappointing loss to the Utah Utes
Utah Utes football
The Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
of the WAC
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
with 20,600 in attendance. Following the 1978
1978 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first season of Division I-A football; Division I-A was created in 1978 from the splitting of Division I for football only. The season came down to a rare #1 vs. #2 post-season meeting as #1 Penn State and #2 Alabama met in the New Year's Day Sugar...
season, the running track was removed and the field level was lowered 16 feet (4.9 m), allowing a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
expansion with thirteen new rows of seats. The revamped Martin Stadium
Martin Stadium
Martin Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pullman, Washington, United States, on the campus of Washington State University. It is the home field of the Washington State Cougars of the Pacific-12 Conference, and is the smallest football stadium in the conference...
debuted in mid-October 1979
1979 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season saw the Alabama Crimson Tide bring home a national title with a perfect 12-0 season. The title was Alabama's 11th claimed, though the number is disputed. It was their 6th Associated Press awarded title....
, with an inspired victory over the UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
.
The last Apple Cup
Apple Cup
The Apple Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of an American college football rivalry game played annually by the teams of the two largest universities in the U.S. state of Washington: the University of Washington Huskies and the Washington State University Cougars...
in Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
was played in 1980
1980 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Georgia take its first national title since World War II.The Georgia Bulldogs starred freshman running back Herschel Walker, who made his NCAA debut against Tennessee. Down 15-2 at halftime, Georgia sent in Walker, the third string running back at the...
, but the Cougars continued to play several home games in Spokane through the 1983
1983 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the University of Miami winning their first national championship over perennial power Nebraska in the Orange Bowl....
season. The WSU academic calendar was changed from a delayed semester to the traditional semester schedule in 1984
1984 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Brigham Young University winning their first national championship by beating an unranked Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl...
. With classes starting four weeks earlier in late August, WSU students were now on campus for the entire football season, and the Spokane games were eliminated.
The name "Rogers Field" continues on campus, transferred to an area used for soccer practices and intramurals, adjacent to the west end of Martin Stadium.
External links
- Washington State.scout.com - a history of Rogers Field
- WSU Cougars.com - WSU football stadium history
- Aerial photo (& topographic map) - WSU campus from USGS via Microsoft Research Maps