Kezar Stadium
Encyclopedia
Kezar Stadium is a stadium
located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion
in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park
in San Francisco
, California
. It is the former home of the Oakland Raiders
and the San Francisco 49ers
of the NFL
, and of the San Francisco Dragons
of MLL
. It also served as the home of the California Victory
of the USL First Division
before the club folded. It also hosts amateur and recreation sports leagues, as well as numerous San Francisco high school football
games (including the City Championship, known popularly as the "Turkey Bowl").
and Paavo Nurmi
of Finland
, who were two of the greatest runners of their day.
competitions, Kezar Stadium also hosted motorcycle racing, auto racing
, rugby
, lacrosse
, soccer, baseball
, boxing
, cricket
and football
. In September 1932 the Australian Cricket Team played a North California All star team in the Australians 56 game tour of the the US and Canada. Sir Donald Bradman, statistically the world's highest scorer in any sport with a 99 batting average, scored 66 runs in his Kezar Stadium innings.(Source:David Sentance, Cricket in America 1710-2000 McFarland Pub 2006). The stadium was also the home field of several local schools such as Santa Clara University
, University of San Francisco
, St. Mary's College of California and the now defunct San Francisco Polytechnic High School. In 1926 the Stadium also became the home of the East-West Shrine Game
.
city championship game between San Francisco Polytechnic and Lowell High School
a crowd of over 50,000 people saw the matchup between the bitter cross-town rivals. That game still holds attendance records for a high school football game in Northern California
.
Stanford University
played four of its home football games at Kezar, one in 1928 and three in 1942. In 1940, Kezar Stadium hosted the first-ever major college football double header, which featured Stanford
– and –Utah.
Kezar Stadium was also the home to two different professional football teams. The San Francisco 49ers
and the Oakland Raiders
both began their existence at the stadium. The Raiders played at Kezar during their first season and at Candlestick Park during their second season, before Frank Youell Field
was built as a temporary facility in Oakland
. The 49ers moved to a more modern and accessible stadium at Candlestick Park in 1971 after losing the 1970 NFC Championship Game to the Dallas Cowboys
, 17-10, on January 3, 1971, in their final game at Kezar. Kezar Stadium was also the home field for the San Francisco Stingrayz womans Professional Football team from 2003-2005 when the Stingrayz had to end their season short due to a bus accident which they lost a number of players due to injuries. The Stingrayz was one of the first womans tackle football teams in the Bay Area in the Independent Womans Football League.
were filmed there later in 1971. The film's fictional antagonist, the Scorpio Killer (played by Andrew Robinson), works as the caretaker at the stadium.
probably helped with the stadium's transformation to a concert venue. Noted musicians who performed at Kezar included Led Zeppelin
, The Doobie Brothers
, Jefferson Starship
, Tower of Power
, Joan Baez
, The Grateful Dead, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, Carlos Santana
, The Crunchees, Waylon Jennings
, and Neil Young
.
of 10,000. The upgrades included an eight-lane, all-weather track and a large grass athletic field suitable for soccer, football and lacrosse.
The field and track configurations remained the same. A replica of the original concrete arch bearing the name "Kezar Stadium" was built on the west side of the stadium as a tribute to the original structure. A plaque of NFL Hall of Famer Bob St. Clair
, who played a record 189 career games at Kezar Stadium, is built into the replica arch.
, Kezar Stadium once again became a home to a professional team, the San Francisco Dragons
. In October 2006, United Soccer Leagues
(USL) and Spanish Football club Deportivo Alaves
announced that the new pro soccer team, named California Victory
, played their 2007 home games at Kezar. The Victory played in the USL's First Division, one level below Major League Soccer
. However, Alaves later withdrew their support and the team folded.
In 2004 it served as the home of the San Francisco Freedom
, the city's Pro Cricket
team.
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory
, a nearby Catholic high school uses the field for their home football games. Mission High School
also uses the field for home games and the annual Battle of the Birds game between Washington High School
and Lowell High School
is also played at Kezar every year. Kezar has also been the host of several Northern California Semi-pro football championship games.
In 2010 and 2011, Stanford University held its spring football game at Kezar. For the 2012 and 2016 San Francisco Olympic bids, Kezar was designated to host field hockey had San Francisco been chosen in either year.
. It was the first Division I men's lacrosse played in Northern California. North Carolina beat Brown 13-5 in front of a crowd of more than 4500. Special certificates marking the occasion were presented to each team on behalf of the Mayor, SF Board of Supervisors, and the City and County by Director of San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department Phil Ginsburg. The 2010 event featured storied lacrosse powerhouse Johns Hopkins and Notre Dame on Saturday, October 16, 2010. Notre Dame beat Hopkins 10-7. The third installment will take place on Saturday, October 8, 2011 and will feature the University of Denver and Harvard University. As a direct result of the San Francisco Fall Lacrosse Classic, the BAYS Foundation has made over $125,000 in grants to local youth sports and educations programs for under-resourced children throughout the Bay Area.
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 adjacent to Kezar Pavilion
Kezar Pavilion
Kezar Pavilion, located adjacent to Kezar Stadium, is an indoor arena in the southeast corner of Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. The Pavilion, built in 1924, seats 4,000...
in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is the former home of the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, and of the San Francisco Dragons
San Francisco Dragons
The San Francisco Dragons were a professional field lacrosse team based in San Francisco and San Jose, California. From 2006–2008, they played in Major League Lacrosse and they ceased operations before the 2009 season due to the economic situation in the United States.-Franchise history:The San...
of MLL
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, or MLL, is a professional men's field lacrosse league that is made up of five teams in the United States and one team in Canada.- History :...
. It also served as the home of the California Victory
California Victory
The California Victory was a USL First Division professional soccer team based in San Francisco, California. It was an expansion team for the 2007 season, but ceased operation in September of that year after parent club Deportivo Alavés withdrew its support....
of the USL First Division
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
before the club folded. It also hosts amateur and recreation sports leagues, as well as numerous San Francisco high school football
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...
games (including the City Championship, known popularly as the "Turkey Bowl").
History
In 1922, the San Francisco Park Commission accepted a $100,000 gift from the estate of Mary Kezar. The gift was intended to build a memorial in honor of Kezar's mother and uncles who were pioneers in the area. After the City and County of San Francisco appropriated an additional $200,000 the stadium was built in a year. Dedication ceremonies were held on May 2, 1925, and featured a two-mile footrace between Ville RitolaVille Ritola
Vilho Eino Ritola was a Finnish athlete, specialised in the long distance events. In the 1920s, he won 8 Olympic medals...
and Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Johannes Nurmi was a Finnish runner. Born in Turku, he was known as one of the "Flying Finns," a term given to him, Hannes Kolehmainen, Ville Ritola, and others for their distinction in running...
of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, who were two of the greatest runners of their day.
1930s
The stadium had many uses in the 1930s. In addition to track and fieldTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
competitions, Kezar Stadium also hosted motorcycle racing, auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, soccer, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and football
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...
. In September 1932 the Australian Cricket Team played a North California All star team in the Australians 56 game tour of the the US and Canada. Sir Donald Bradman, statistically the world's highest scorer in any sport with a 99 batting average, scored 66 runs in his Kezar Stadium innings.(Source:David Sentance, Cricket in America 1710-2000 McFarland Pub 2006). The stadium was also the home field of several local schools such as Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
, University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
, St. Mary's College of California and the now defunct San Francisco Polytechnic High School. In 1926 the Stadium also became the home of the East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
.
American football
In the 19281928 in sports
-American football:NFL championship* Providence Steam Roller wins the National Football League titleCollege championship* College football national championship – University of Detroit Titans, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and USC Trojans...
city championship game between San Francisco Polytechnic and Lowell High School
Lowell High School (San Francisco)
Lowell High School is a public magnet school in San Francisco, California. The school opened in 1856 as the Union Grammar School and attained its current name in 1896. Lowell moved to its current location in the Merced Manor neighborhood in 1962....
a crowd of over 50,000 people saw the matchup between the bitter cross-town rivals. That game still holds attendance records for a high school football game in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
.
Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
played four of its home football games at Kezar, one in 1928 and three in 1942. In 1940, Kezar Stadium hosted the first-ever major college football double header, which featured Stanford
1940 Stanford Indians football team
The 1940 Stanford Indians football team, nicknamed the "Wow Boys", represented Stanford University in National Collegiate Athletic Association intercollegiate competition during the 1940 season. First-year head coach Clark Shaughnessy inherited a team that finished with a 1–7–1 record the previous...
– and –Utah.
Kezar Stadium was also the home to two different professional football teams. The San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
both began their existence at the stadium. The Raiders played at Kezar during their first season and at Candlestick Park during their second season, before Frank Youell Field
Frank Youell Field
Frank Youell Field was a football stadium that stood in Oakland, California. It was the home of the Oakland Raiders from 1962 to 1965.The stadium, which was essentially a temporary home until the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was completed, sat 22,000 and cost $400,000 to build. The facility was...
was built as a temporary facility in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. The 49ers moved to a more modern and accessible stadium at Candlestick Park in 1971 after losing the 1970 NFC Championship Game to the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, 17-10, on January 3, 1971, in their final game at Kezar. Kezar Stadium was also the home field for the San Francisco Stingrayz womans Professional Football team from 2003-2005 when the Stingrayz had to end their season short due to a bus accident which they lost a number of players due to injuries. The Stingrayz was one of the first womans tackle football teams in the Bay Area in the Independent Womans Football League.
Dirty Harry
Several scenes from the film Dirty HarryDirty Harry
Dirty Harry is a 1971 American crime thriller produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan....
were filmed there later in 1971. The film's fictional antagonist, the Scorpio Killer (played by Andrew Robinson), works as the caretaker at the stadium.
Concerts
With the loss of professional football in the 1970s the stadium became an outdoor concert venue with many well known acts of its time performing there. Its proximity to the Haight-Ashbury DistrictHaight-Ashbury, San Francisco, California
Haight-Ashbury is a district of San Francisco, California, named for the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets. It is also called The Haight and The Upper Haight.-Location:...
probably helped with the stadium's transformation to a concert venue. Noted musicians who performed at Kezar included Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
, Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The group is a spin-off from the iconic 1960s psychedelic/folk group Jefferson Airplane. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name...
, Tower of Power
Tower of Power
Tower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...
, Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, The Grateful Dead, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, The Crunchees, Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, and Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
.
Demolition and reconstruction
Beginning in June 1989, Kezar Stadium was demolished and rebuilt with a much smaller 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...
of 10,000. The upgrades included an eight-lane, all-weather track and a large grass athletic field suitable for soccer, football and lacrosse.
The field and track configurations remained the same. A replica of the original concrete arch bearing the name "Kezar Stadium" was built on the west side of the stadium as a tribute to the original structure. A plaque of NFL Hall of Famer Bob St. Clair
Bob St. Clair
Robert Bruce St. Clair, nicknamed "The Geek" is a former San Francisco American football player known for fine play and eating raw beef. Because of his eccentricities, his teammates nicknamed him "The Geek".St...
, who played a record 189 career games at Kezar Stadium, is built into the replica arch.
Soccer and other sports
With the 2006 West Coast expansion of Major League LacrosseMajor League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, or MLL, is a professional men's field lacrosse league that is made up of five teams in the United States and one team in Canada.- History :...
, Kezar Stadium once again became a home to a professional team, the San Francisco Dragons
San Francisco Dragons
The San Francisco Dragons were a professional field lacrosse team based in San Francisco and San Jose, California. From 2006–2008, they played in Major League Lacrosse and they ceased operations before the 2009 season due to the economic situation in the United States.-Franchise history:The San...
. In October 2006, United Soccer Leagues
United Soccer Leagues
The United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
(USL) and Spanish Football club Deportivo Alaves
Deportivo Alavés
Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D., usually abbreviated to Alavés, is a Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country. Founded in 1921, it plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at the 19,500-seater Estadio Mendizorrotza....
announced that the new pro soccer team, named California Victory
California Victory
The California Victory was a USL First Division professional soccer team based in San Francisco, California. It was an expansion team for the 2007 season, but ceased operation in September of that year after parent club Deportivo Alavés withdrew its support....
, played their 2007 home games at Kezar. The Victory played in the USL's First Division, one level below Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
. However, Alaves later withdrew their support and the team folded.
In 2004 it served as the home of the San Francisco Freedom
San Francisco Freedom
The San Francisco Freedom was a professional cricket team that played for the United States Pro Cricket league. It was one of eight founding teams in the league in 2004. This was the only year that the team played as the league was disbanded following the season...
, the city's Pro Cricket
Pro Cricket
Pro Cricket was a professional cricket league in the United States. It was operated by American Pro Cricket LLC , a private company independent of the ICC and the USACA. Kalpesh Patel served as Pro Cricket's chairman and commissioner....
team.
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, commonly known as SH, SHC, or SHCP is a Catholic school located in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Founded in 1852, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory is the oldest Catholic secondary school in San Francisco...
, a nearby Catholic high school uses the field for their home football games. Mission High School
Mission High School
Mission High School may refer to:* Mission High School , a public high school in the San Francisco Unified School District San Francisco, California...
also uses the field for home games and the annual Battle of the Birds game between Washington High School
Washington High School
Washington High School may refer to:*George Washington High School , in San Francisco, California*Washington High School , in Phoenix, Arizona*Washington High School in Fremont, California...
and Lowell High School
Lowell High School
Lowell High School may refer to:*Lowell High School *Lowell High School *Lowell High School *Lowell High School *Lowell High School...
is also played at Kezar every year. Kezar has also been the host of several Northern California Semi-pro football championship games.
In 2010 and 2011, Stanford University held its spring football game at Kezar. For the 2012 and 2016 San Francisco Olympic bids, Kezar was designated to host field hockey had San Francisco been chosen in either year.
Women's soccer
In recent years, the stadium has also served as home to Premier Division teams of Golden Gate Women's Soccer League (GGWSL).College lacrosse
Kezar is also the home to the annual San Francisco Fall Lacrosse Classic, an NCAA Division I fall ball game started in 2009 to benefit the Bay Area Youth Sports Foundation. The first event was between Brown and North CarolinaNorth Carolina Tar Heels men's lacrosse
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's lacrosse team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse...
. It was the first Division I men's lacrosse played in Northern California. North Carolina beat Brown 13-5 in front of a crowd of more than 4500. Special certificates marking the occasion were presented to each team on behalf of the Mayor, SF Board of Supervisors, and the City and County by Director of San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department Phil Ginsburg. The 2010 event featured storied lacrosse powerhouse Johns Hopkins and Notre Dame on Saturday, October 16, 2010. Notre Dame beat Hopkins 10-7. The third installment will take place on Saturday, October 8, 2011 and will feature the University of Denver and Harvard University. As a direct result of the San Francisco Fall Lacrosse Classic, the BAYS Foundation has made over $125,000 in grants to local youth sports and educations programs for under-resourced children throughout the Bay Area.