Kelly/Shorts Stadium

Kelly/Shorts Stadium
	Kelly/Shorts Stadium, 2012
	Kelly/Shorts Stadium Location in MichiganShow map of MichiganShow map of the United StatesShow all
Former names	Perry Shorts Stadium (1972–1982)
Location	2300 East Campus Drive; Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
Coordinates	43°34′39″N 84°46′15″W / 43.57750°N 84.77083°WCoordinates: 43°34′39″N 84°46′15″W / 43.57750°N 84.77083°W
Owner	Central Michigan University
Operator	Central Michigan University
Capacity	30,255 (2007–present); 30,199 (1998–2006); 20,000 (1972–1997)
Record attendance	35,127 (v. Michigan State University September 8, 2012)
Surface	FieldTurf (2004–present); Astroturf (1972–2003)
Construction
Broke ground	September, 1971
Opened	November 4, 1972
Expanded	1998
Construction cost	$2.2 million; ($13.6 million in 2020 dollars)
Architect	Hobbs+Black
Tenants
	Central Michigan Chippewas football (NCAA) (1972–present)

Kelly/Shorts Stadium is an American football stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It serves as the home field for the Central Michigan University Chippewas. The stadium opened in 1972 and holds 30,255^[2] spectators, making it the largest on-campus stadium in the Mid-American Conference. It is located on the southeast part of campus, along with most of the other athletic facilities.^[3]^[4]

History[]

The stadium was originally named Perry Shorts Stadium in honor of R. Perry Shorts, a Saginaw banker who was a 1900 graduate and a generous donor. The stadium, which originally seated approximately 20,000 spectators, was dedicated on November 4, 1972, when the Chippewas defeated Illinois State University, 28–21, before a Homecoming crowd of nearly 17,000.^[5] In June 1983, the CMU Board of Trustees voted to rename the facility Kelly/Shorts Stadium in honor of Kenneth "Bill" Kelly, who coached the Chippewa football team to a 91–58–2 record from 1951 to 1966.

Renovations[]

A $28 million expansion project following the 1997 season added 10,000 seats to the stadium, increasing its capacity to 30,199. A two-tiered press box, locker room, and nine guest suites also were included in the expansion project. The original artificial turf, the first to be used in the state of Michigan, has been replaced three times, most recently in 2016 when it was changed from Astroturf to FieldTurf. Permanent lights were installed before the 2006 season, making it the last stadium in the Mid-American Conference to do so.^[6]

Features[]

CMU's locker room, training room and equipment room are located in the stadium's north end zone, and the locker room is connected to the Indoor Athletic Complex (IAC) via a tunnel. The IAC houses the Dick Enberg Academic Center, coaches' offices, weight room, meeting rooms, CMU's Hall of Champions and indoor practice field with a wall-to-wall FieldTurf surface.

Events[]

The stadium has also been used as a site for other events, including high school football playoff games, concerts, and graduation ceremonies.

Night Game vs. Western Michigan, October 1, 2016.

Press box from the West

References[]

^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
^ Football Facilities, retrieved October 22, 2015
^ Kelly/Shorts Stadium, archived from the original on June 15, 2013, retrieved September 3, 2013
^ Kelly/Shorts Stadium, archived from the original on September 8, 2013, retrieved September 3, 2013
^ Great Games in CMU History, archived from the original on March 14, 2012, retrieved January 22, 2011
^ Kelly/Shorts Stadium to Receive Lights, archived from the original on November 20, 2008, retrieved September 3, 2013

External links[]

CMU Football Facilities

[inflation-US-1] 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.

[2] Football Facilities, retrieved October 22, 2015

[3] Kelly/Shorts Stadium, archived from the original on June 15, 2013, retrieved September 3, 2013

[4] Kelly/Shorts Stadium, archived from the original on September 8, 2013, retrieved September 3, 2013

[5] Great Games in CMU History, archived from the original on March 14, 2012, retrieved January 22, 2011

[6] Kelly/Shorts Stadium to Receive Lights, archived from the original on November 20, 2008, retrieved September 3, 2013

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v t Central Michigan Chippewas football
Venues	Kelly/Shorts Stadium (1972–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Michigan MAC Trophy Eastern Michigan Western Michigan
Culture & lore	One Second of Laterals
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
	1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
National championship seasons in bold

v t Football stadiums of the Mid-American Conference
East Division	InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field (Akron) Doyt Perry Stadium (Bowling Green) University at Buffalo Stadium (Buffalo) Dix Stadium (Kent State) Yager Stadium (Miami) Peden Stadium (Ohio)
West Division	Scheumann Stadium (Ball State) Kelly/Shorts Stadium (Central Michigan) Rynearson Stadium (Eastern Michigan) Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium (Northern Illinois) Glass Bowl (Toledo) Waldo Stadium (Western Michigan)
Championship	Ford Field

v t Central Michigan University
Located in: Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Academics	Colleges Business Administration Communication and Fine Arts Education and Human Services Science and Engineering Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences Graduate Studies Medicine
Athletics	Baseball Football Men's basketball Women's basketball Chippewas Kelly/Shorts Stadium McGuirk Arena Theunissen Stadium Michigan MAC Trophy Mid-American Conference CMU–WMU Rivalry Trophy
Campus	Brooks Astronomical Observatory Clarke Historical Library Charles V. Park Library
People	People Charles McKenny Charles V. Park William Beaty Boyd Michael Rao
Student life	Central Michigan Life WCMU-FM WCMU-TV WMHW-FM WUCX-FM White Pine Music Michigan Historical Review
Founded: 1892