Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium
Skelly Stadium | |
H. A. Chapman Stadium Location in Oklahoma | |
Former names | Skelly Field (1930–1947) Skelly Stadium (1947–2007) |
---|---|
Location | 3112 East 8th Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma |
Coordinates | 36°8′55″N 95°56′38″W / 36.14861°N 95.94389°WCoordinates: 36°8′55″N 95°56′38″W / 36.14861°N 95.94389°W |
Owner | University of Tulsa |
Operator | University of Tulsa |
Capacity | 30,000 (2008–present) 35,542 (2005–2007) 40,385 (1965–2004) 19,500 (1947–1964) 14,500 (1930–1946) |
Surface | Grass (1930–1971) Tartan Turf (1972–1981) Astroturf (1982–1990) Stadia Turf (1991–1999) FieldTurf (2000–present) |
Construction | |
Broke ground | May 11, 1930 |
Opened | October 4, 1930 |
Construction cost | $275,000 (all in tax money) (approximate, original) ($4.26 million in 2020 dollars[1]) |
Architect | Smith & Senter[2] |
Tenants | |
Tulsa Golden Hurricane (NCAA) (1930–present) Tulsa Roughnecks (NASL) (1978–1984) Oklahoma Outlaws (USFL) (1984) Tulsa Tornados (USL) (1985) |
Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium is an outdoor football stadium located on the campus of the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Commonly known as H. A. Chapman Stadium, it is the home field for the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane of the American Athletic Conference. The venue opened in 1930 and currently seats around 30,000 fans for football, since renovation completed in 2008.[3][4]
History[]
Skelly Field (as it was originally known) was built in 1930 as a 14,500-seat stadium. It was named for its primary benefactor, William Skelly, the founder of Skelly Oil. Tulsa defeated Arkansas 26–6 at the opening game on October 4, 1930.[5]
In 1947, the north stands were added and the stadium was renamed Skelly Stadium. In 1965, the track was removed, the field was lowered, the west stands were expanded and the south stands were added, bringing the total capacity to 40,385 seats. In February 2005, the north stands were demolished to make way for the new Case Athletic Complex, reducing the seating capacity to 35,542.[5] In 2007–2008, the stadium was renovated, reducing capacity to 30,000 [6]
The stadium, located on historic U.S. Route 66, hosted the Oklahoma Outlaws of the USFL in 1984. Skelly was once the principal home field for two American football legends – future NFL Hall-of-Famer (and later U.S. Congressman) Steve Largent when he played for the University of Tulsa and Doug Williams of the Oklahoma Outlaws, who later was a Super Bowl MVP for the Washington Redskins. The stadium was also home to the Tulsa Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League 1978–1984 and the short-lived Tulsa Mustangs of the AFA.
The stadium's attendance record was established on September 26, 1987, when 47,350 fans watched Tulsa lose to Oklahoma, 65–0.[5]
On April 26, 2007, it was reported that, with a renovation project underway, the stadium was renamed as Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium after the primary benefactor of the renovation.[7]
The stadium is also used for the Jenks–Union football rivalry games.
Atttendance records[]
The highest attended game in stadium history was 47,350 on September 26, 1987, against No. 1 — ranked Oklahoma.[8][9]
Top Ten Single Game Attendance[]
Rank | Attendance | Date | Winning team | Losing team | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 47,350 | 26 September 1987 | No. 1 Oklahoma | 65 | Tulsa | 0 |
2 | 41,235 | 13 September 1986 | Tulsa | 27 | Oklahoma State | 23 |
3 | 40,785 | 9 September 1989 | Tulsa | 20 | Oklahoma State | 10 |
4 | 40,385 | 18 September 1993 | Oklahoma State | 16 | Tulsa | 10 |
20 September 1997 | Missouri | 42 | Tulsa | 21 | ||
12 September 1998 | Tulsa | 35 | Oklahoma State | 20 | ||
9 September 2000 | Oklahoma State | 36 | Tulsa | 26 | ||
30 August 2002 | No. 1 Oklahoma | 37 | Tulsa | 0 | ||
9 | 40,248 | 17 November 1990 | Tulsa | 20 | Montana State | 2 |
10 | 40,235 | 29 September 1984 | No. 10 Oklahoma State | 31 | Tulsa | 7 |
Largest season attendance average[]
The highest attendance average in a season was 31,236 in 1991 with 7 games.[8]
Rank | Season | Average | Games |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1991 | 31,236 | 7 |
2 | 1965 | 28,899 | 4 |
3 | 1982 | 28,355 | 5 |
4 | 1989 | 25,388 | 5 |
5 | 1993 | 25,077 | 5 |
6 | 1992 | 24,883 | 6 |
7 | 1996 | 24,814 | 5 |
8 | 1995 | 24,538 | 6 |
9 | 1987 | 24,074 | 4 |
10 | 1990 | 23,917 | 5 |
Wins[]
Tulsa's Victories at Skelly Field[]
Win | Date | Opponent | Score | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
First win | October 4, 1930 | Arkansas | 26–6 | 30,000 |
25th win | October 27, 1934 | Kansas State | 21–0 | 12,000 |
50th win | October 18, 1941 | Saint Louis | 33–7 | |
75th win | November 22, 1945 | Arkansas | 45–12 | |
100th win | November 10, 1951 | Kansas State | 42–26 | |
125th win | November 15, 1958 | Texas Tech | 9–7 | |
150th win | October 23, 1965 | Cincinnati | 49–8 | |
175th win | September 29, 1973 | Cincinnati | 16–13 | |
200th win | November 3, 1979 | Wichita State | 28–26 | |
225th win | October 20, 1984 | Wichita State | 55–20 | |
250th win | November 16, 1991 | Louisville | 40–0 | |
275th win | September 20, 2003 | Arkansas State | 54–7 | |
290th win | November 26, 2006 | Tulane | 38–3 | |
300th win | October 24, 2008 | UCF | 49–19 |
Renovation[]
The stadium was renovated following the end of the 2007 football season. The project included new seating, a new pressbox, club and loge seating, and a new scoreboard. With the removal of the upper section of the west stands, seating capacity dropped to approximately 30,000, which made Chapman Stadium the smallest stadium in Conference USA.
See also[]
- List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums
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.
- ^ "Leon Bishop Senter, FAIA (1889–1965)". Tulsa Architecture. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "SKELLY FIELD at H.A. CHAPMAN STADIUM".
- ^ "Flip this house".
- ^ a b c "Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium". Retrieved October 21, 2007.
- ^ "TU Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium". Retrieved August 14, 2009.
- ^ Eric Bailey (April 26, 2007). "TU's stadium changes titles, but Skelly name not forgotten". Tulsa World.
- ^ a b "Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium and Case Athletic Complex".
- ^ "Do you remember the old Skelly Stadium?".
External links[]
- College football venues
- Tulsa Golden Hurricane football
- Tulsa Roughnecks sports facilities
- United States Football League venues
- Sports venues in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- American football venues in Oklahoma
- Sports venues completed in 1930
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) stadiums
- 1930 establishments in Oklahoma
- Soccer venues in Oklahoma