Skelly Stadium
Encyclopedia
Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium (often shortened to Chapman Stadium) is a football
stadium
located on the campus of the University of Tulsa
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
. It is primarily the home of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team. The stadium currently seats 30,000.
, the founder of Skelly Oil
. Tulsa defeated Arkansas
26–6 at the opening game on October 4, 1930.
In 1947 the north stands were added and the stadium was renamed Skelly Stadium. In 1965, the track was removed, the field was lowered, the west stands were expanded and the south stands were added, bringing the total capacity to 40,385 seats. In February 2005, the north stands were demolished to make way for the new Case Athletic Complex, reducing the seating capacity
to 35,542. In 2007–2008, the stadium was renovated, reducing capacity to 30,000
The stadium, located on historic U.S. Route 66
, hosted the Oklahoma Outlaws of the USFL in 1984. Skelly was once the principal home field for two American football legends – future NFL Hall-of-Famer (and later U.S. Congressman) Steve Largent
when he played for the University of Tulsa and Doug Williams
of the Oklahoma Outlaws, who later was a Super Bowl MVP
for the Washington Redskins
. The stadium was also home to the Tulsa Roughnecks
of the North American Soccer League
in the 1970s and 1980s and the short-lived Tulsa Mustangs of the AFA
.
The stadium's attendance record was established on September 26, 1987, when 47,350 fans watched Tulsa lose to Oklahoma
, 65–0.
On April 26, 2007 it was reported that, with a renovation project underway, the stadium was renamed as Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium after the primary benefactor of the renovation.
The stadium is also used for Union Public Schools
versus Jenks Public Schools
football games.
dropped to approximately 30,000, which made Chapman Stadium the smallest stadium in Conference USA
.
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...
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...
located on the campus of the University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. It is primarily the home of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team. The stadium currently seats 30,000.
History
Skelly Field (as it was originally known) was built in 1930 as a 14,500-seat stadium. It was named for its primary benefactor, William SkellyWilliam Skelly
William Grove Skelly , often known as Bill or William G. Skelly, was an entrepreneur who made a fortune in the oil business. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, he moved to Kansas in 1916, then to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1919, where he founded Skelly Oil Company. By 1923, his company was one of the strongest...
, the founder of Skelly Oil
Skelly Oil
Skelly Oil Company was a medium sized "major" oil company founded in 1919 by William Grove Skelly, Chesley Coleman Herndon and Frederick A. Pielsticker in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Previously, about 1915, Mr. Skelly had formed Skelly Sanky Oil Company in Duncan, Oklahoma. Mr...
. Tulsa defeated Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
26–6 at the opening game on October 4, 1930.
In 1947 the north stands were added and the stadium was renamed Skelly Stadium. In 1965, the track was removed, the field was lowered, the west stands were expanded and the south stands were added, bringing the total capacity to 40,385 seats. In February 2005, the north stands were demolished to make way for the new Case Athletic Complex, reducing the 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...
to 35,542. In 2007–2008, the stadium was renovated, reducing capacity to 30,000
The stadium, located on historic U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
, hosted the Oklahoma Outlaws of the USFL in 1984. Skelly was once the principal home field for two American football legends – future NFL Hall-of-Famer (and later U.S. Congressman) Steve Largent
Steve Largent
Steven Michael "Steve" Largent is a retired American football player, enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a former U.S. Congressman, having served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Oklahoma from 1994 until 2002...
when he played for the University of Tulsa and Doug Williams
Doug Williams (football player)
Douglas Lee "Doug" Williams is a former American football quarterback and head football coach of the Grambling State University Tigers...
of the Oklahoma Outlaws, who later was a Super Bowl MVP
Super Bowl MVP
The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...
for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. The stadium was also home to the Tulsa Roughnecks
Tulsa Roughnecks
-NASL:The Tulsa Roughnecks were a North American Soccer League team from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They played at Skelly Stadium on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Roughnecks were a regular in the NASL playoffs, and won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1983, defeating the Toronto Blizzard at B.C. Place...
of the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
in the 1970s and 1980s and the short-lived Tulsa Mustangs of the AFA
American Football Association (1977)
The American Football Association was a professional American football league that operated from 1979 to 1982. It was concentrated in the southern United States and served as an interregnum in the second tier of professional football between the World Football League, which folded in 1975, and the...
.
The stadium's attendance record was established on September 26, 1987, when 47,350 fans watched Tulsa lose to Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, 65–0.
On April 26, 2007 it was reported that, with a renovation project underway, the stadium was renamed as Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium after the primary benefactor of the renovation.
The stadium is also used for Union Public Schools
Union Public Schools
Union Public Schools is a public school district located in southeast Tulsa, and northwest Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The school district is the eleventh largest in Oklahoma. Union is notable among school districts in the area because Union does not encompass a particular city...
versus Jenks Public Schools
Jenks public schools
Jenks Public Schools is a K-12 public school system located in Jenks, Oklahoma.Kirby Lehman is the superintendent of the district, which had 9,982 students in October 2008. Jenks and large parts of south and west Tulsa, Oklahoma are part of the Jenks school district, covering .The school district...
football games.
Renovation
The stadium was renovated following the end of the 2007 football season. The project included new seating, a new pressbox, club and loge seating, and a new scoreboard. With the removal of the upper section of the west stands, seating capacitySeating 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...
dropped to approximately 30,000, which made Chapman Stadium the smallest stadium in Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
.