Operator University of Montana Capacity 25,203 Owner University of Montana | Broke ground September 1985 Opened 18 October 1986 | |
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Location Campus Drive
Missoula, Montana, U.S. Surface FieldTurf - (2016-present)
SprinTurf - (2001-2016)
Natural grass - (1986-2000) Construction cost $3.2 million
($6.99 million in 2016 dollars) Architect Fox, Ballas & Barrow
Rossman, Schneider & Gadvery Address 32 Campus Dr, Missoula, MT 59812, USA Record attendance 26,352 - (November 22, 2014) Similar Mount Sentinel, Dahlberg Arena, Bobcat Stadium, Montana Snowbowl, Montana Museum of Art & Cult | ||
Washington–Grizzly Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Missoula, Montana, located on the campus of the University of Montana. Opened in 1986, it is home to the Montana Grizzlies college football team, a dominant program of the Big Sky Conference and consistently a top team in Division I FCS, formerly known as Division I-AA. The infilled SprinTurf playing field is 20 feet (6 m) below ground level at an elevation of 3,190 feet (970 m) above sea level and runs in the traditional north–south orientation. The press box is above the west sideline and lights were added for the 2012 football season. It is the largest all-purpose stadium in the state of Montana.
Contents
History
The stadium is named after construction magnate Dennis Washington, a Montanan who donated $1 million to finance the stadium's construction in 1985. The stadium opened on October 18, 1986, and the Griz have racked up an impressive home record of 142-20 (.877).
Capacity and expansions
The current seating capacity is 25,217 and the stadium has been expanded three times, most recently in 2008 with an upper deck expansion of 2,000 seats on the east side.
The original capacity in 1986 was 12,500 permanent seats on the sidelines with open grass seating behind the end zones, an approximate capacity of 15,000, weather-permitting. Permanent seating for the end zones was installed in 1995, which brought the seating to 18,845. Corner seating in the north end zone opened in 2003 and the most recent expansion in 2008 to the east grandstand brought the capacity to 25,217.
A new attendance record was set on August 25, 2015 when ESPN and 4-Time defending National Champion North Dakota State opened the 2015 FCS season drawing 26,472 people, breaking the old record of 26,352 set in 2014 against Montana State.
Field surface
Infilled SprinTurf was installed in 2001, and replaced in 2008. For its first fifteen seasons, the playing surface was natural grass. With the addition of the artificial turf in 2001, the playing surface was renamed "John Hoyt Field." After 15 seasons of "SprinTurf", The playing surface in WGS was replaced with multi-color "FieldTurf" in the summer of 2016. After Grizzly Field (Softball) installed "FieldTurf" in their new stadium, "FieldTurf" pitched the University with a new football field and within a month, it was approved by the Board of Regents and installed.
GrizVision
The video screen GrizVision, was installed in 2002 in the south end zone; at 26 by 36 feet (8 m × 11 m), it is one of the largest screens in an FCS football stadium. In 2016 GrizVision was upgraded to a much larger screen.
Previous venues
Before Washington–Grizzly Stadium, the Grizzlies played off-campus at "new" Dornblaser Field from 1968-86. Prior to 1968, Montana played on-campus at "old" Dornblaser Field from 1920-67 (both named for Paul Dornblaser, football captain in 1912, killed in World War I). Prior to 1920, Montana played its home games at a field in downtown Missoula, near the former Missoulian newspaper building.