Memorial Stadium (Bakersfield)
Encyclopedia
Memorial Stadium is a double-decked concrete and steel stadium
in northeast Bakersfield, California
, near the Panorama Bluffs. It features a fast Bermuda
grass football field with a high-centered crown and an all-weather track. Located at the corner of University Avenue and Mount Vernon Avenue on the campus of Bakersfield College
(BC), it is primarily used for American football
, and is the home field of the B.C. Renegades. The stadium holds roughly 20,000 people and was built in 1955. It is named to honor the war dead of World War I and World War II. A plaque at the finish line commemorates its dedication.
, to a dedicated campus in Northeast Bakersfield
. Memorial Stadium would be the first structure to be completed at the new site. In fact, during the first semester students were served lunches out of the concession stands because the cafeteria was still under construction.
For its first 40 years, Memorial Stadium enjoyed huge success based on its attendance of Bakersfield College football games. Lasting into the early 1990s, it was unusual for a B.C. football game not to have 12,000 fans or more in the stands. Games have been televised live and on tape-delay
in the past. The stadium was the home to the first ever junior college
bowl game
, and California's formerly most prestigious junior college bowl game, the Kern County Shrine Club Potato Bowl. The Potato Bowl, established in 1948, was a fund raiser for the Shriners
Hospital for Burned and Crippled Children in Los Angeles
. The Potato Bowl no longer exists due to unfair fees demanded by the State Junior College Commission on Athletics (COA) to be a part of the reformed state JC playoff system. The Potato Bowl hence was replaced by the Golden Empire Bowl, which is part of the California J.C. Football State Playoffs, and is supported and sponsored by local businesses.
Memorial Stadium has had numerous football games exceed attendances of 20,000. The largest ever crowd was 23,000 for a high school football game between Bakersfield High School
and Bishop Amat Memorial High School
in 1994. Memorial Stadium features a state-of-the art all weather track that was updated in 1989. It hosts high school and junior college track events. The track was once the training track for the Soviet Union track teams when they visited the United States. It also was the track on which Jim Ryun established a world-record in the one-mile run in 1967.
Memorial Stadium occasionally hosts high school games. Until the early 1990s, it was the Friday night home field of both Highland High School
and East Bakersfield High School on alternating weekends. Changes by B.C.'s college president in the mid-1990s led both schools to finally install lights on their own fields after decades of renting Memorial Stadium and other fields. Presently, Memorial Stadium is used for high school football games only when it is deemed that an existing high school field is too small to handle the anticipated large crowds; this generally occurs only during playoff
s.
, is enclosed with a horseshoe
-shaped open end that faces to the southwest and offers views of downtown Bakersfield and the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley. Consequently, this offers an ideal setting for track events as there is a minimal amount of wind on the floor of the stadium that interferes with events and the acceptance of records as the prevailing northwesterly winds blow over the nearby bluffs and over the track and field surface. Winds very seldom affect games or track events. The upper decks are built of steel-reinforced concrete and sit opposite each other, overlooking their respective sidelines. On top of each upper deck are four light standards with 28 lights on each standard that provide field lighting. The lights were last replaced and upgraded in the late 1980s and offer a brilliantly lit playing surface. The visiting (eastern) upper deck features an enclosed, partitioned press box with rooms for each team's coaching staff, radio broadcasts, and media.
Teams dress in the nearby Dr. Romain Clerou Field House, located up the hill from the field next to the gym and swimming pool complex. The field house contains B.C.'s practice and game locker room and offers an adjacent locker room for a visiting team with showers. Teams often opt to use the larger men's locker room in the gym when visiting.
Adjacent to Memorial Stadium's playing surface, just beyond the open end, is a 100 yard long (91 m) practice field where the football team holds its practices. The practice field has also hosted football clinics, Bakersfield Blitz
football practices, Native American
pow-wow
s, and carnivals.
.
The very first football game at Memorial Stadium between Boise Junior College and Bakersfield College in 1955 was broadcast nationwide on the Mutual Broadcasting System
's radio network. Boise Junior College would later become Boise State University.
When the Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s, Memorial Stadium was considered for, and finally turned down for, the L.A. Raiders pre-season training facility.
McDonald's used Memorial Stadium and the Bakersfield College swimming pool as a backdrop for its Olympic television advertising campaign for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The top row of seats on Memorial Stadium's upper decks are higher above the playing surface than the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum's highest row is above the Coliseum's playing surface.
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...
in northeast Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
, near the Panorama Bluffs. It features a fast Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
grass football field with a high-centered crown and an all-weather track. Located at the corner of University Avenue and Mount Vernon Avenue on the campus of Bakersfield College
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield College is a public community college located in Bakersfield, California, USA. Bakersfield College has an official Twitter account at @bcrenegades and an official...
(BC), it is primarily used for American 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...
, and is the home field of the B.C. Renegades. The stadium holds roughly 20,000 people and was built in 1955. It is named to honor the war dead of World War I and World War II. A plaque at the finish line commemorates its dedication.
History
In 1955, Bakersfield College would move from it's original location at Bakersfield High SchoolBakersfield High School
]Bakersfield High School is a high school located in Bakersfield, California, USA.Institutional names and dates of operation:*Kern County High School 1893-1915*Kern County Union High School 1915-1945*Bakersfield High School 1945–present...
, to a dedicated campus in Northeast Bakersfield
Northeast Bakersfield
Northeast Bakersfield is the northeast region of Bakersfield, California. Starting south and traveling clockwise, it is roughly bounded by East Brundage Ld, Mt. Vernon Ave, Columbus Ave, Union Ave, and the Kern River. Other boundaries are the city limits.-Overview:Growth in the northeast started...
. Memorial Stadium would be the first structure to be completed at the new site. In fact, during the first semester students were served lunches out of the concession stands because the cafeteria was still under construction.
For its first 40 years, Memorial Stadium enjoyed huge success based on its attendance of Bakersfield College football games. Lasting into the early 1990s, it was unusual for a B.C. football game not to have 12,000 fans or more in the stands. Games have been televised live and on tape-delay
Broadcast delay
In radio and television, broadcast delay refers to the practice of intentionally delaying broadcast of live material. A short delay is often used to prevent profanity, bloopers, violence, or other undesirable material from making it to air, including more mundane problems such as technical...
in the past. The stadium was the home to the first ever junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
, and California's formerly most prestigious junior college bowl game, the Kern County Shrine Club Potato Bowl. The Potato Bowl, established in 1948, was a fund raiser for the Shriners
Shriners
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States...
Hospital for Burned and Crippled Children in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The Potato Bowl no longer exists due to unfair fees demanded by the State Junior College Commission on Athletics (COA) to be a part of the reformed state JC playoff system. The Potato Bowl hence was replaced by the Golden Empire Bowl, which is part of the California J.C. Football State Playoffs, and is supported and sponsored by local businesses.
Memorial Stadium has had numerous football games exceed attendances of 20,000. The largest ever crowd was 23,000 for a high school football game between Bakersfield High School
Bakersfield High School
]Bakersfield High School is a high school located in Bakersfield, California, USA.Institutional names and dates of operation:*Kern County High School 1893-1915*Kern County Union High School 1915-1945*Bakersfield High School 1945–present...
and Bishop Amat Memorial High School
Bishop Amat Memorial High School
Bishop Amat Memorial High School is a co-ed Catholic high school serving the San Gabriel Valley in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and was founded in 1957. The campus is located in La Puente, California, approximately 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles County...
in 1994. Memorial Stadium features a state-of-the art all weather track that was updated in 1989. It hosts high school and junior college track events. The track was once the training track for the Soviet Union track teams when they visited the United States. It also was the track on which Jim Ryun established a world-record in the one-mile run in 1967.
Memorial Stadium occasionally hosts high school games. Until the early 1990s, it was the Friday night home field of both Highland High School
Highland High School (Bakersfield, California)
Highland provides technology-based instruction across the curriculum. Highland just completed its sixth year of a full six year term of accreditation and will be visited this year. Advanced Placement and Honors classes are offered for juniors and seniors in English, calculus, statistics, math...
and East Bakersfield High School on alternating weekends. Changes by B.C.'s college president in the mid-1990s led both schools to finally install lights on their own fields after decades of renting Memorial Stadium and other fields. Presently, Memorial Stadium is used for high school football games only when it is deemed that an existing high school field is too small to handle the anticipated large crowds; this generally occurs only during playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
s.
Facilities
The stadium structure was retrofitted and overhauled in the early 1990s. All seats are reserved and are either aluminum benches with backs, or bucket style seats with arm rests. The lower half of the stadium, which was built into a pre-existing ravineRavine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
, is enclosed with a horseshoe
Horseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
-shaped open end that faces to the southwest and offers views of downtown Bakersfield and the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley. Consequently, this offers an ideal setting for track events as there is a minimal amount of wind on the floor of the stadium that interferes with events and the acceptance of records as the prevailing northwesterly winds blow over the nearby bluffs and over the track and field surface. Winds very seldom affect games or track events. The upper decks are built of steel-reinforced concrete and sit opposite each other, overlooking their respective sidelines. On top of each upper deck are four light standards with 28 lights on each standard that provide field lighting. The lights were last replaced and upgraded in the late 1980s and offer a brilliantly lit playing surface. The visiting (eastern) upper deck features an enclosed, partitioned press box with rooms for each team's coaching staff, radio broadcasts, and media.
Teams dress in the nearby Dr. Romain Clerou Field House, located up the hill from the field next to the gym and swimming pool complex. The field house contains B.C.'s practice and game locker room and offers an adjacent locker room for a visiting team with showers. Teams often opt to use the larger men's locker room in the gym when visiting.
Adjacent to Memorial Stadium's playing surface, just beyond the open end, is a 100 yard long (91 m) practice field where the football team holds its practices. The practice field has also hosted football clinics, Bakersfield Blitz
Bakersfield Blitz
The Bakersfield Blitz were a professional arena football team based in Bakersfield, California. They are a 2004 expansion member of the af2 and play their home games at Rabobank Arena....
football practices, Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
pow-wow
Pow-wow
A pow-wow is a gathering of North America's Native people. The word derives from the Narragansett word powwaw, meaning "spiritual leader". A modern pow-wow is a specific type of event where both Native American and non-Native American people meet to dance, sing, socialize, and honor American...
s, and carnivals.
Trivia
Memorial Stadium was the site of a world record time in the mile on June 23, 1967. The record time of 3:51.10 was set by American Jim RyunJim Ryun
James Ronald Ryun is an American former track athlete and politician, who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 to 2007, representing the 2nd District in Kansas. In the 2006 election, Ryun was defeated by Democratic challenger Nancy Boyda...
.
The very first football game at Memorial Stadium between Boise Junior College and Bakersfield College in 1955 was broadcast nationwide on the Mutual Broadcasting System
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
's radio network. Boise Junior College would later become Boise State University.
When the Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s, Memorial Stadium was considered for, and finally turned down for, the L.A. Raiders pre-season training facility.
McDonald's used Memorial Stadium and the Bakersfield College swimming pool as a backdrop for its Olympic television advertising campaign for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The top row of seats on Memorial Stadium's upper decks are higher above the playing surface than the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum's highest row is above the Coliseum's playing surface.
External links
- An aerial photo of the stadium, taken during the 1990 Potato Bowl.