Shotwell Stadium
Encyclopedia
Shotwell Stadium is a stadium
in Abilene
, Texas
. It was built in 1959, using Rice Stadium as a model. It was initially named the Public Schools Stadium. The first game played in the Stadium was in the fall of 1959. Shortly after the first season, the stadium was renamed Shotwell Stadium, after the late P.E. “Pete” Shotwell
, a longtime football coach at Abilene High School
.
and soccer. It is also the home field of Abilene Christian University
. The stadium has a seating capacity
of 15,000 people. In addition to ACU, Shotwell Stadium is also the home field of Abilene High School
and Cooper High School football games. The Abilene High/Cooper High rivalry game is played here every year and always fills the stadium.
Shotwell has been the "informal" designated site for UIL's six-man football
championships (as the majority of six-man schools are in West Texas) and in 2010 was designated as the formal site for the titles.
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...
in Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It was built in 1959, using Rice Stadium as a model. It was initially named the Public Schools Stadium. The first game played in the Stadium was in the fall of 1959. Shortly after the first season, the stadium was renamed Shotwell Stadium, after the late P.E. “Pete” Shotwell
P. E. Shotwell
P. E. "Pete" Shotwell was an American football coach.Shotwell was a 1916 graduate of Texas State University. He began coaching at Cisco High School in 1916 and later moved to Abilene High School...
, a longtime football coach at Abilene High School
Abilene High School (Abilene, Texas)
Abilene High School is a public high school located in Abilene, Texas and is part of the Abilene Independent School District. Abilene High School is the name given to three different schools in the past 150 years. The first Abilene High was an old warehouse. Not long after that, the school was...
.
Uses
It is primarily used for American footballAmerican 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 soccer. It is also the home field of Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...
. The stadium has 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...
of 15,000 people. In addition to ACU, Shotwell Stadium is also the home field of Abilene High School
Abilene High School (Abilene, Texas)
Abilene High School is a public high school located in Abilene, Texas and is part of the Abilene Independent School District. Abilene High School is the name given to three different schools in the past 150 years. The first Abilene High was an old warehouse. Not long after that, the school was...
and Cooper High School football games. The Abilene High/Cooper High rivalry game is played here every year and always fills the stadium.
Shotwell has been the "informal" designated site for UIL's six-man football
Six-man football
Six-man football is a variant of American football that is played with six players per team, instead of 11.-History:6-man football was developed in 1934 by Chester High School coach Stephen Epler as an alternative means for small high schools to field a football team during the Great Depression...
championships (as the majority of six-man schools are in West Texas) and in 2010 was designated as the formal site for the titles.