Mike A. Myers Stadium
Encyclopedia
Mike A. Myers Stadium is the home of The University of Texas
Longhorn
track and field
and soccer
teams and also home to the USATF
Elite Running Circuit Austin Track Club. The 20,000 seat stadium hosts the historic Texas Relays
annually in April, as well as the University Interscholastic League
track and field state championship in May.
In 1996, plans were made to construct the stadium in response to the need to expand Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
and convert it to a football-specific facility, the desire to move track and field events to a venue that was more fan and athlete friendly, and the need to construct an appropriate on-campus facility to house the varsity soccer program begun in 1994. Construction began in 1997, and the stadium was opened in March 1999, just in time to host the Texas Relays. The stadium is named for Mike Myers, a residential community developer who lives in Dallas
, who is also a graduate of UT's law
and business school
s, in recognition of his $3 million donation to finance construction. The opening of the stadium now meant that track and field events could take place in the same venue; previously, field events had been conducted at nearby Clark Field out of concern for the condition of the football stadium's turf.
The stadium hosted the 2002 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
, the 2004 NCAA Men's
and Women's
Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and the 2003 Big 12 Conference
Outdoor Championship.
The stadium track is a nine lane European oval, with straightaways of 82 meters and curves of 118 meters in length, which creates a longer, smoother curve than the typical 100 m-by-100 m configuration. This smoother curve has given the track a reputation as one of the fastest tracks in the United States, if not the world. The field events area consists of several throwing circles, dual jump lanes, and two high jump
aprons. The facility also houses a 21200 square feet (1,969.5 m²) field house consisting of a press box
, locker rooms for the UT track and soccer teams, visitors' and officials locker rooms, a specialized training room, and a lounge for track and soccer athletes and coaches. There is a scoreboard
at each end of the stadium, and full lighting allows events to be conducted at night. On the west side of the stadium stands a 1,200 space parking garage.
ESPN's
College Gameday was on hand at Myers Stadium on October 22, 2005 to preview and discuss the football game versus the Texas Tech Red Raiders
and again on September 9, 2006 against the Ohio State Buckeyes
. The Gameday set was situated to take advantage of the dramatic views of downtown
Austin and the UT Tower from the stadium.
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
Longhorn
Texas Longhorn Athletics
Texas Longhorns athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin. These teams are referred to as the Texas Longhorns , taking their name from the Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and are now the...
track and field
Track 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...
and soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
teams and also home to the USATF
USA Track and Field
USA Track & Field is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking...
Elite Running Circuit Austin Track Club. The 20,000 seat stadium hosts the historic Texas Relays
Texas Relays
The Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays are an annual track and field competition held at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. The University of Texas serves as host for the event, held on either the first or second weekend of April....
annually in April, as well as the University Interscholastic League
University Interscholastic League
The University Interscholastic League is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the American state of Texas....
track and field state championship in May.
In 1996, plans were made to construct the stadium in response to the need to expand Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
-Major Expansions and Renovations:*1926 - "Horseshoe" built on the north end for US$125,000 raising capacity to 40,500*1948 - Two L-shaped sections added to the east and west stands, raising seating capacity to 60,130. General contractor for this work was Farnsworth & Chambers Inc...
and convert it to a football-specific facility, the desire to move track and field events to a venue that was more fan and athlete friendly, and the need to construct an appropriate on-campus facility to house the varsity soccer program begun in 1994. Construction began in 1997, and the stadium was opened in March 1999, just in time to host the Texas Relays. The stadium is named for Mike Myers, a residential community developer who lives in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, who is also a graduate of UT's law
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
and business school
Business school
A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...
s, in recognition of his $3 million donation to finance construction. The opening of the stadium now meant that track and field events could take place in the same venue; previously, field events had been conducted at nearby Clark Field out of concern for the condition of the football stadium's turf.
The stadium hosted the 2002 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
, the 2004 NCAA Men's
NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship is an annual collegiate outdoor track and field competition for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It has three divisions: Division I, II, and III. Athlete's individual performances earn points for their institution and...
and Women's
NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA team champions for Women's Outdoor Track and Field-By school:-See also:*AIAW Intercollegiate Women's Outdoor Track and Field Champions*NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship...
Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and the 2003 Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
Outdoor Championship.
The stadium track is a nine lane European oval, with straightaways of 82 meters and curves of 118 meters in length, which creates a longer, smoother curve than the typical 100 m-by-100 m configuration. This smoother curve has given the track a reputation as one of the fastest tracks in the United States, if not the world. The field events area consists of several throwing circles, dual jump lanes, and two high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
aprons. The facility also houses a 21200 square feet (1,969.5 m²) field house consisting of a press box
Press box
The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box. In general, newspaper writers sit in this box and write about the on-field event as it unfolds...
, locker rooms for the UT track and soccer teams, visitors' and officials locker rooms, a specialized training room, and a lounge for track and soccer athletes and coaches. There is a scoreboard
Scoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game or match. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used a mechanical clock and numeral cards to...
at each end of the stadium, and full lighting allows events to be conducted at night. On the west side of the stadium stands a 1,200 space parking garage.
ESPN's
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
College Gameday was on hand at Myers Stadium on October 22, 2005 to preview and discuss the football game versus the Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University . The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university's athletic program fields teams in 15 varsity sports and 30 club sports...
and again on September 9, 2006 against the Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
. The Gameday set was situated to take advantage of the dramatic views of downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Austin and the UT Tower from the stadium.