Location City Park, New Orleans Broke ground 1937 Opened 1937 Owner City Park | Operator New Orleans City Park Capacity 26,500 Phone +1 504-483-9363 Renovated 2006 | |
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Former names City Park Stadium (1937-1956) Surface GameDay Grass from AstroTurf Address 5400 Stadium Dr, New Orleans, LA 70124, USA Similar City Park, Pan American Stadium, Shrine on Airline, Yulman Stadium, Lakefront Arena | ||
Tad Gormley Stadium (originally City Park Stadium) is a 26,500 seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium, located in City Park, in New Orleans, Louisiana, named for Frank "Tad" Gormley.
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The stadium is home to the University of New Orleans Privateers men's and women's track teams. It is also frequently used for Louisiana High School Athletic Association football games, soccer games and track meets. The stadium features GameDay Grass MT from AstroTurf, a 400-meter all-weather track, three locker rooms, a press box seating 110, and press suite seating for 40.
Time lapse at tad gormley stadium
History
Tad Gormley Stadium was built in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. It has been used for football, track & field, and soccer. It played host to the 1992 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials for the 1992 Summer Olympic games held in Barcelona, Spain. The Tulane Green Wave football team played four homecoming games and one non-conference game at the stadium in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2008. This was to provide more tailgating opportunities for fans than at their former regular home stadium, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (previously known as the Louisiana Superdome). The University of New Orleans Privateers' club football team played in the stadium from 1965-1968 and again from 2008-2011. The stadium was also home to the New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) team from 1958-1959, after the closing of Pelican Stadium in 1957. The New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers of the USL A-League played in the stadium from 1996-1997.
In its early years, the stadium would host high school games in front of sellout crowds with standing-room only crowds surrounding the playing field. The record for attendance was set in 1940 when 34,345 spectators attended a game between Jesuit High School of New Orleans and Holy Cross High School, also of New Orleans. The stadium has also hosted Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) state championship football games. The last championship game held in the stadium was on December 10, 1971 when Brother Martin High School of New Orleans defeated neighborhood rival St. Augustine High School 23-0 in front of 25,000.
On March 28, 1982 the stadium hosted a World Cup tune-up match for the Honduras National Team against the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League. The match ended in a 1–1 draw.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina flooded the stadium, along with parts of New Orleans. It remained structurally sound, but required major repairs to the electrical and plumbing systems along with the playing field. In 2006, running back Reggie Bush was drafted by the New Orleans Saints. He donated over $80,000 to repair the playing field. In acknowledgement of his generosity, Tad Gormley Stadium's playing field was renamed Reggie Bush Field. The first event held at the newly renovated stadium was an LHSAA high school prep-football game on September 21, 2006 pitting Brother Martin High School versus L.W. Higgins High School.
The stadium hosted another international friendly match on February 4, 2012 between Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire Soccer Club and Honduran soccer club Real C.D. España.
Tad Gormley stadium has also hosted concerts by many famous artists, including The Beatles, Pearl Jam, Journey, and Rage Against the Machine, among others.