Washington-Grizzly Stadium
Encyclopedia
Washington-Grizzly Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium
in Missoula, Montana
, located on the campus of the University of Montana. 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 (6.1 m) below ground level; it runs in the traditional north-south configuration and sits at an elevation
of 3190 feet (972.3 m) above sea level. The press box is above the west sideline. In October 2011, it was announced that the stadium would add light in time for the 2012 football season that would, in addition to making night games a possibility, make the stadium more multidementional with the ability to host more campus rec sports, high school games or championships, and concerts.
, 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 (.876).
is 25,203. The stadium has been expanded three times since opening in 1986
, 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 over 19,000. 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 over 25,000.
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.
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 Missoula, Montana
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
, located on the campus of the University of Montana. It is home to the Montana Grizzlies
Montana Grizzlies football
The Montana Grizzlies football program represents the University of Montana in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football. The Grizzlies have competed in the Big Sky Conference, where it is a founding member, since 1963...
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...
team, a dominant program of the Big Sky Conference
Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...
and consistently a top team in Division I FCS, formerly known as Division I-AA. The infilled SprinTurf playing field is 20 feet (6.1 m) below ground level; it runs in the traditional north-south configuration and sits at an 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 3190 feet (972.3 m) above sea level. The press box is above the west sideline. In October 2011, it was announced that the stadium would add light in time for the 2012 football season that would, in addition to making night games a possibility, make the stadium more multidementional with the ability to host more campus rec sports, high school games or championships, and concerts.
History
The stadium is named after construction magnate Dennis WashingtonDennis Washington
Dennis R. Washington is a Montana-based industrialist and philanthropist who owns, or co-owns controlling interest in, a large consortium of privately held companies collectively known as the Washington Companies and, in Canada, another collection of companies known as the Washington Marine Group...
, 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 (.876).
Capacity and expansions
The stadium's current 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...
is 25,203. The stadium has been expanded three times since opening in 1986
1986 in sports
1986 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup –** Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg** Women's overall season champion: Maria Walliser, Switzerland-American football:...
, 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 over 19,000. 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 over 25,000.
Field surface
Infilled SprinTurf was installed in 2001, and replaced in 2008. For its first fifteen seasons the playing surface was natural grass.GrizVision
The video screen GrizVision, was installed in 2002 in the south end zone; at 26×36' (8×11 m), it is one of the largest screens in an FCS football stadium.Previous venues
Before Washington-Grizzly Stadium, the Grizzlies played off-campus at "new" Dornblaser FieldDornblaser Field
Dornblaser Field is the name of two stadiums in Missoula, Montana, former home fields of the Montana Grizzlies football teams. The first ivy-covered stone venue opened in 1912 on campus at the base of Mount Sentinel; it hosted the Griz until an off-campus stadium opened in 1968, a "temporary"...
from 1968
1968 in sports
1968 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup:** Men's overall champion: Jean-Claude Killy, France** Women's overall champion: Nancy Greene, Canada-American football:...
-86
1986 in sports
1986 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup –** Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg** Women's overall season champion: Maria Walliser, Switzerland-American football:...
. 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
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
). Prior to 1920, Montana played its home games at a field in downtown Missoula, near the former Missoulian newspaper building.
WA-Griz Largest Crowds
| Attendance | Result | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26,066 | Montana 17, Eastern Washington Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University is an American public, coeducational university located in Cheney, Washington.Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided into four colleges: Arts and Letters; Business and Public Administration; Science, Health and Engineering; and Social & Behavioral... 14 |
Sept. 17, 2011 |
| 2 | 26,019 | Montana 16, Montana State 21 | Nov. 20, 2010 |
| 3 | 25,965 | Montana 28, Sacramento State 25 | Sept. 25, 2010 |
| 4 | 25,919 | Montana 55, Northern Colorado 28 | Oct. 01, 2011 |
| 5 | 25,855 | Montana 37, Cal Poly SLO California Polytechnic State University California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system.... 23 |
Sept. 10, 2011 |
| 6 | 25,811 | Montana 31, Weber State Weber State University Weber State University is a public university located in the city of Ogden in Weber County, Utah, USA. It was founded in 1889 and is a coeducational, publicly supported university offering professional, liberal arts and technical certificates, as well as associate, bachelor's and master's degrees... 10 |
Oct. 31, 2009 |
| 7 | 25,751 | Montana 41, Eastern Washington Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University is an American public, coeducational university located in Cheney, Washington.Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided into four colleges: Arts and Letters; Business and Public Administration; Science, Health and Engineering; and Social & Behavioral... 34 |
Oct. 17, 2009 |
| 8 | 25,744 | Montana 30, Portland State Portland State Vikings Portland State Vikings is the nickname of the NCAA-affiliated, intercollegiate athletic teams representing Portland State University of Portland, Oregon... 24 |
Oct. 15, 2011 |
| 9 | 25,726 | Montana 49, Portland State Portland State Vikings Portland State Vikings is the nickname of the NCAA-affiliated, intercollegiate athletic teams representing Portland State University of Portland, Oregon... 17 |
Sept. 19, 2009 |
| 10 | 25,698 | Montana 38, Western State 0 | Sept. 5, 2009 |
| 11 | 25,694 | Montana 35, Cal Poly SLO California Polytechnic State University California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system.... 23 |
Oct. 10, 2009 |
| 12 | 25,663 | Montana 73, Western State 2 | Sept. 4, 2010 |
| 13 | 25,629 | Montana 35, Montana State Montana State Bobcats football The Montana State Bobcats football program competes in the Big Sky Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision for Montana State University. The program began in 1897 and has won three national championships... 3 |
Nov. 22, 2008 |
| 14 | 25,568 | Montana 47, Idaho State Idaho State University Idaho State University is a public university located in Pocatello, Idaho. It has outreach programs in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Boise, and Twin Falls.... 28 |
Oct. 9, 2010 |
| 15 | 25,486 | Montana 43, Sacramento State 7 | Oct. 18, 2008 |
| 16 | 25,401 | Montana 45, Weber State Weber State University Weber State University is a public university located in the city of Ogden in Weber County, Utah, USA. It was founded in 1889 and is a coeducational, publicly supported university offering professional, liberal arts and technical certificates, as well as associate, bachelor's and master's degrees... 10 |
Oct. 29, 2011 |
| 17 | 25,326 | Montana 38, Central Washington Central Washington University Central Washington University, often abbreviated CWU, is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington in the United States.This location was selected by the state legislature as a consolation prize after Ellensburg lost its bid to be state capital... 35 |
Sept. 27, 2008 |
| 18 | 25,323 | Montana 24, Northern Arizona Northern Arizona University Northern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of... 21 |
Oct. 23, 2010 |
| 19 | 25,231 | Montana 38, Northern Colorado 10 | Sept. 14, 2009 |
| 20 | 25,209 | Montana 29, UC Davis UC Davis Aggies The UC Davis Aggies compete in NCAA Division I sports in the Big West Conference. For football, the Aggies compete in Division I FCS , and are members of the Great West Conference, granting UC Davis the distinction of being one of only three UC campuses to field a football team... 24 |
Sept. 20, 2008 |
| ** Playoff | |||
Home Field Advantage
| Year | Win | Loss |
|---|---|---|
| Year | W | L |
| 1986 | 2 | 1 |
| 1987 | 3 | 2 |
| 1988 | 6 | 0 |
| 1989^ | 8 | 0 |
| 1990 | 4 | 2 |
| 1991 | 4 | 1 |
| 1992 | 5 | 1 |
| 1993^ | 6 | 1 |
| 1994^ | 9 | 0 |
| 1995^ | 9 | 0 |
| 1996^ | 9 | 0 |
| 1997 | 5 | 1 |
| 1998 | 5 | 1 |
| 1999^ | 5 | 2 |
| 2000^ | 8 | 1 |
| 2001^ | 9 | 0 |
| 2002^ | 7 | 1 |
| 2003^ | 6 | 2 |
| 2004^ | 10 | 0 |
| 2005^ | 5 | 2 |
| 2006^ | 8 | 1 |
| 2007^ | 7 | 1 |
| 2008 2008 Montana Grizzlies football team The 2008 Montana Grizzlies football team represented the University of Montana in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football during the 2008 season... ^ |
9 | 0 |
| 2009^ | 9 | 0 |
| 2010 2010 Montana Grizzlies football team The 2010 Montana Grizzlies football team represented the University of Montana – Missoula in the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Grizzlies, charter members of the Big Sky Conference, were led by first-year head coach Robin Pflugrad and played their home games on campus at... |
5 | 1 |
| 2011 2011 Montana Grizzlies football team The 2011 Montana Grizzlies football team represents the University of Montana – Missoula in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Grizzlies will be led by second year head coach Robin Pflugrad and will play their home games at Washington–Grizzly Stadium... |
6 | 0 |
| Total | 169-21 (.889) | |
| ^Includes FCS Playoff Game(s) | ||
Concerts
- June 20, 1998 — Pearl JamPearl JamPearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
kicked off their North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n tour at a sold out Washington-Grizzly stadium. - October 4, 2006 — The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
played their first-ever concert in the state of Montana to a sold-out audience exceeding 22,000 on a Wednesday night during their A Bigger Bang TourA Bigger Bang TourA Bigger Bang Tour was a worldwide concert tour by The Rolling Stones which took place between August 2005 and August 2007, in support of their album A Bigger Bang...
.
External links
- Montana Grizzlies.com - about Washington-Grizzly Stadium
- eGriz.com - Message board for University of Montana Fans.
- World Stadiums.com - Washington-Grizzly Stadium