Camp Randall Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Camp Randall Stadium | |
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| "The Camp" | |
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| Location | 1440 Monroe Street Madison, WI 53711-2051 |
| Broke ground | 1917 |
| Opened | November 3, 1917 |
| Owner | University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Operator | University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Surface | Natural grass (1917-67), artificial turf (1968-2002), FieldTurf (2003-present) |
| Tenants | Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA) (1917-Present) |
| Capacity | 80,321 |
Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. It is the current home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team, and is located on the west side of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. It currently seats 80,321 [1] and is widely known as one of the premier American football venues in collegiate athletics. It is the oldest and fourth largest stadium in the Big Ten Conference.
Originally, the stadium consisted of a horseshoe opening to the south, with a running track around the field. The stadium was renovated at various points to raise the size of the horseshoe by nearly doubling the number of rows around the stadium in stages, placing south stands in front of the Wisconsin Field House (built in 1930), the removal of the track and addition of nearly 11,000 seats in 1958, the addition of the upper deck in 1966, and finally the 2005 addition of boxes along the eastern rim of the stadium.
The stadium received its name because it lies on the grounds of Camp Randall, a former Union Army base during the American Civil War that was eventually absorbed by the Wisconsin campus. The camp was named after Governor Alexander Randall, who was also a United States Postmaster General.
The field was originally natural grass, and was one of the first in the United States to convert to artificial turf, in 1968. A new AstroTurf field was installed in 1990. An artificial grass field, FieldTurf, was installed for the 2003 season.
The stadium also houses athletic offices of the university. In 2002, a large-scale reconstruction project commenced, which added luxury boxes, a five-story office building, separate football program offices, and expanded seating. In addition, concessions, restrooms and other infrastructure items were upgraded, the walkway around the field was removed, and new scoreboards were installed. The construction was completed prior to the start of the 2005 season. The football team continued to play at the stadium throughout the construction.
The numbers of Wisconsin's two Heisman Trophy winners, Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne, are displayed on the upper deck façade. Both of their numbers (35 and 33, respectively) are retired; The retired numbers of Elroy Hirsch (40), Dave Schreiner (80), Allan Schafer (83), and Pat Richter (88) were added during the 2006 football season. [2]
At Barry Alvarez's final game as head coach in 2005, plans were announced to place a statue of him in the Stadium's Kellner Plaza. The bronze statue was unveiled on 13 October 2006. On 17 November, it was joined by a similar statue of former UW athlete and athletic director Pat Richter. [3]
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[edit] "The Camp Randall Crush"
On October 30, 1993, the Wisconsin Badgers football team upset the Michigan Wolverines 13-10. As the final gun sounded, students began to charge the field to celebrate, but were blocked by the guardrails surrounding the field. The crowd in the back, not fully aware of what was going on at the front, continued to move forward, now being aided by gravity. As a result, those up front got caught and were pressed against the rails, and then were trampled as the throng spilled onto the field. 73 students were injured, six of them critically. Several Badgers football players assisted with removing the injured from the tangle. Per Mar Security (stadium security) and the University of Wisconsin were later found liable for this situation.[citation needed]
As a result, design changes were made in the stadium which increased the size and strength of the fences.
[edit] Off the Field Traditions
The Badger Football events at Camp Randall Stadium are more than a Game: There are numerous traditions that were founded here and have become staples to Badger fans around the world.
The Fifth Quarter
In 1969, The Badgers had lost 24 straight games, and Michael Leckrone took over the Wisconsin Marching Band. Working with Athletic director, Elroy Hirsch, Leckrone and the Band created a fan event that would take place after the game, the "Fifth Quarter".
Normally played during the Fifth Quarter are songs such as "On Wisconsin", "You've Said It All" (also known as the "Bud" song, referring to its beginning as the tune from a Budweiser commercial), "Space Badgers", "Dance Little Bird" (The Chicken Dance), "Beer Barrel Polka", "Tequila", "Hey Baby", and much more. Thousands of spectators remain in the stands for fifteen minutes after the game in order to enjoy the performance.
At the end of the Fifth Quarter, the band lines up once more to play Varsity, as the spectators sing. The band then exits the field to the north entrance to perform a little more and sing "It's Hard to Be Humble", after which the band marches to the Humanities building, where they are dismissed.
The Fifth Quarter was officially named in 1978, and its traditions have been passed down through the last three decades. About 10 years ago, according to Leckrone, any freshman who didn't know the rituals before they entered the university, were indoctrinated with them at a special orientation run by Leckrone before the first game. Now almost everyone learns quickly from their friends who grew up with the Badgers.
Badger stadium has taken the traditional Wave to a whole new level. This goes beyond standing up and raising your hands in the air.
The procedure at Badgers games generally follows a pattern (led by the student section) of sending the wave around clockwise twice, then once in slow-motion, then once at double the original speed, then once around counter-clockwise, and finally, splitting it into two counter-rotational waves.
"Jump Around": History & Contreversy
Another tradition at UW Football games is the "Jump Around" where fans dance to the House of Pain song of the same name. This takes place between the third and fourth quarter. It also shakes the stadium.
The "Jump Around" Tradition Started on Saturday, October 10, 1998, at the Badger's Homecoming game against the Purdue Boilermakers[1] After no offensive points in the 3rd quarter, and en route to their second 6-0 start of the modern football era, one of the Badger's Marketing agents, who was in charge of sound, piped the song through the loudspeakers. [2] It riled up fans and players and has become a tradition of the last decade.
However on Sept 6, 2003, (the Badger's first Home game of the season) with construction of the Skyboxes surrounding the stadium, UW officials decided to cancel the "Jump Around" tradition that had been a staple for 5 years. Stadium Security and the Local Police Department had been informed of this decision, but no notification was given to the students. [3] As the 4th Quarter began and the students realized there had been no "Jump Around", the precursor to a Riot began stirring. The student section began jumping anyway, the music was there in their heads. Then the entire section sat down in protest, a majority directed their middle finger at the sound booth, and a chant of "F-CK the Sound guy" began. Chanting and booing continued through the majority of the 4th quarter. Luckily, with 6 minutes 29 seconds to go in the game, Lee Evans scored on a 99 yard play and lead the Badgers to a victory, effectively stopping a riot that surely would have ensued.[4]
When news surfaced on Monday, Sept 8th that this event was not a technical or human malfuction, but rather a decision by Campus Officials, the Students rose up in protest. Petitions circulated and students pushed back against administration. Structural Engineers confirmed that the stadium would suffer no structural issues by the vibrations created by the jumping. Two days later, Chancellor John D. Wiley announced that the "Jump Around" Tradition would resume.[5]
At homecoming this fall, 2008, the "Jump Around" tradition will celebrate its 10th year.
[edit] Other uses
Drum Corps International has used the stadium as the site for its world championships in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1999, 2002, and 2006.
The stadium is also used by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association for its state football championships. For several seasons, the Green Bay Packers played one exhibition game per year at Camp Randall, which has a larger seating capacity than the Packer's home stadium, Lambeau Field.
Camp Randall has also hosted a number of major concerts, including: Pink Floyd (May 20, 1988 and July 3, 1994), Genesis (June 9, 1992), U2 (September 13, 1992 and June 25, 1997), and The Rolling Stones (August 26, 1994 and October 6, 1997).
[edit] The Camp Randall Complex
The Camp Randall athletic complex also includes three other facilities.
The Field House was home to the UW basketball teams until January of 1998, when they moved into the Kohl Center. It is still home to Wisconsin's wrestling and women's volleyball teams.
The Dave McClain Athletic Facility, an indoor football practice facility, was built to honor the late Badgers football coach, Dave McClain. In addition to the indoor practice field, it also houses locker rooms for football, men's and women's track, and softball. Strength and conditioning, sports medicine and academic services also have facilities in the building.
The Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center ("The Shell") features a 200 meter indoor track surrounding several facilities for intramural sports. The indoor track facilities are used by the UW track teams during their indoor seasons. The Shell also houses a practice ice sheet and the locker room for the women's ice hockey team.
[edit] References
- Camp Randall on UWBadgers.com
- Camp Randall on Ballparks.com
- The Fieldhouse on UWBadgers.com
- McClain Facility on UWBadgers.com
- "The Shell" on UWBadgers.com
| Preceded by wooden stadium on present site |
Host of the Wisconsin Badgers 1917 – present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by Grant Field Cotton Bowl Citrus Bowl Ralph Wilson Stadium Gillette Stadium |
Host of the Drum Corps International World Championships 1985 – 1987 1992 1999 2002 2006 |
Succeeded by Arrowhead Stadium Veterans Memorial Stadium Byrd Stadium Citrus Bowl Rose Bowl Stadium |
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