Full name New Beaver Field Closed 1959 Capacity 30,000 | Operator Penn State University Opened 1909 | |
Location University Park, Pennsylvania Owner Pennsylvania State University Similar Joe Paterno statue, Archbold Stadium, Worden Field, Old Main, Beaver Stadium | ||
New Beaver Field was a stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. It hosted the Penn State University Nittany Lions football team until they moved to Beaver Stadium in 1960 which today holds over 100,000 fans. It was built to replace the original Beaver Field (1892-1908), which had a capacity of 500 and stood between present-day Osmond and Frear Laboratories. The stadium held 30,000 people at its peak and was opened in 1909 with a 31-0 win over Grove City. New Beaver Field was built to the northeast of Rec Hall on the present sites of the Nittany Lion Inn and the Nittany Parking Deck. It was originally built entirely of wood, but was reinforced with steel in 1936. In addition to football, the stadium had a track as well as baseball, lacrosse, and soccer fields. The stadium is named after James A. Beaver, who was a governor of Pennsylvania and a member of the school's board of trustees.