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War Memorial Stadium (Wyoming)
Encyclopedia
Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football
stadium
on the campus of the University of Wyoming
in Laramie
. It is the home field of the Wyoming Cowboys
of the Mountain West Conference
. It is the highest Division I FBS college football
stadium in the nation; the playing field sits at a lofty elevation
of 7215 feet (2199 m) above sea level. The next highest Division I FBS stadium is Falcon Stadium
at the U.S. Air Force Academy
, about 600 feet (182 m) lower in Colorado Springs
.
) in the spring and summer of 1950. The stadium, which replaced tiny Corbett Field, originally sat 20,000 in grandstands on the east & west sides of the field. In 1970
, the western upper deck, containing 5,500 seats and a new press box, was added, and in 1978 the eastern press box and northern bleachers were added, bringing capacity up to 33,500. The playing field runs mostly in the traditional north-south configuration; it is slightly skewed to the NE-SW, about 10 degrees.
In 2001
, a new video scoreboard was added, and the bleachers in the north end zone were moved to the south end zone. In 2004
, the western stands were refurbished and the press box expanded, bringing the stadium to its current capacity. In 2005
, the natural grass at War Memorial Stadium was replaced by infilled artificial turf
, similar to FieldTurf
. The new surface, known as "Desso Challenge Pro 60 Monofilament Synthetic Turf," is the first of its kind in Division I-A football. The field itself was renamed "Jonah Field" in honor of the Wyoming gas fields
owned by the primary benefactors of the turf project, the Martin and McMurry families.
Below the new north end zone scoreboard is a 62" (1.6 m) statue named "Cowboy Tough" by Chris Navarro. "Fanning a Twister", located to the north of the stadium at the main entrance to the athletic complex, is modeled after a photo of Guy Holt riding "Steamboat," the 1909 winner of "Worst Horse" at Frontier Park in Cheyenne
. In the 1920s, an equipment manager named Deane Hunton had found the picture. Thinking it embodied the spirit of the athletics program and the cowboy life, he stenciled an outline of it, which has become the familiar logo of the university (also found on state license plates and many other places around the state).
In addition to UW home games, the stadium also hosted the WHSAA State Football Championships in 2009 and 2010.
Capacity was reduced in 2004 to 32,580, in 2007 to 30,514. Before the 2010 season, the new Wildcatter Stadium Club and Suites opened and capacity was reduced to 29,181. The Wildcatter features 12 individual suites along with a stadium-club area that contains 256 indoor seats.
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...
stadium
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...
on the campus of the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
in Laramie
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
. It is the home field of the Wyoming Cowboys
Wyoming Cowboys football
The Wyoming Cowboys are a college football team that represents the University of Wyoming. They compete in the Mountain West Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I. The team has won 15 conference titles...
of the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
. It is the highest Division I FBS college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
stadium in the nation; the playing field sits at a lofty elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 7215 feet (2199 m) above sea level. The next highest Division I FBS stadium is Falcon Stadium
Falcon Stadium
Falcon Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is the home field of the Air Force Falcons of the Mountain West Conference...
at the U.S. Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
, about 600 feet (182 m) lower in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
.
History
War Memorial Stadium was built (along with the War Memorial FieldhouseWar Memorial Fieldhouse
War Memorial Fieldhouse is a 5,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Laramie, Wyoming. It opened in 1951 along with War Memorial Stadium. It was home to the University of Wyoming Cowboys basketball team from 1951 until 1982 when it was replaced by the Arena-Auditorium.Its highest attendance was 10,580...
) in the spring and summer of 1950. The stadium, which replaced tiny Corbett Field, originally sat 20,000 in grandstands on the east & west sides of the field. In 1970
1970 in sports
1970 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion – Karl Schranz, Austria** Women's overall season champion – Michèle Jacot, France-American football:...
, the western upper deck, containing 5,500 seats and a new press box, was added, and in 1978 the eastern press box and northern bleachers were added, bringing capacity up to 33,500. The playing field runs mostly in the traditional north-south configuration; it is slightly skewed to the NE-SW, about 10 degrees.
In 2001
2001 in sports
2001 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Janica Kostelić, Croatia-American football:...
, a new video scoreboard was added, and the bleachers in the north end zone were moved to the south end zone. In 2004
2004 in sports
2004 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* College football Bowl Championship Series :**January 1 – Rose Bowl – USC 28, Michigan 14...
, the western stands were refurbished and the press box expanded, bringing the stadium to its current capacity. In 2005
2005 in sports
2005 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Bode Miller ** Women's overall season champion: Anja Pärson -American football:...
, the natural grass at War Memorial Stadium was replaced by infilled artificial turf
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
, similar to FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
. The new surface, known as "Desso Challenge Pro 60 Monofilament Synthetic Turf," is the first of its kind in Division I-A football. The field itself was renamed "Jonah Field" in honor of the Wyoming gas fields
Jonah Field
Jonah Field is a large natural gas field in the Green River Basin in Sublette County, Wyoming, in the United States. The field is approximately south of Pinedale and north of Rock Springs in southwestern Wyoming, and is estimated to contain of natural gas...
owned by the primary benefactors of the turf project, the Martin and McMurry families.
Below the new north end zone scoreboard is a 62" (1.6 m) statue named "Cowboy Tough" by Chris Navarro. "Fanning a Twister", located to the north of the stadium at the main entrance to the athletic complex, is modeled after a photo of Guy Holt riding "Steamboat," the 1909 winner of "Worst Horse" at Frontier Park in Cheyenne
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
. In the 1920s, an equipment manager named Deane Hunton had found the picture. Thinking it embodied the spirit of the athletics program and the cowboy life, he stenciled an outline of it, which has become the familiar logo of the university (also found on state license plates and many other places around the state).
In addition to UW home games, the stadium also hosted the WHSAA State Football Championships in 2009 and 2010.
Capacity was reduced in 2004 to 32,580, in 2007 to 30,514. Before the 2010 season, the new Wildcatter Stadium Club and Suites opened and capacity was reduced to 29,181. The Wildcatter features 12 individual suites along with a stadium-club area that contains 256 indoor seats.