Silver Bowl | |
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 Aerial view in 2014 | |
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  Sam Boyd Stadium Location in the United States  Sam Boyd Stadium Location in Nevada | |
| Former names | Sam Boyd Silver Bowl (1984–1994) Las Vegas Silver Bowl (1978–1984) Las Vegas Stadium (1971–1978) |
|---|---|
| Address | 7000 East Russell Road |
| Location | Whitney, Nevada, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 36°05′10″N 115°01′01″W / 36.086°N 115.017°W |
| Owner | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| Operator | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| Capacity | 36,800[1] (expandable to 40,000) 32,000 (1978–1998) 15,000 (1971–1977) |
| Surface | Sprinturf (2015–present)[2] Natural grass (Rugby 7s) (2010–2015) DURAPlay (2003–2015) Natural grass (1999–2002) AstroTurf (1971–1998) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1970 |
| Opened | October 23, 1971[3] |
| Renovated | 1999, 2015 |
| Expanded | 1978, 1999 |
| Closed | December 19, 2020 |
| Construction cost | $3.5 million (2015 renovations: $1.2 million) |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket (renovations) |
| Tenants | |
| UNLV Rebels (NCAA) (1971–2019) Las Vegas Quicksilvers (NASL) (1977) Las Vegas Seagulls (ASL) (1979) Las Vegas Bowl (NCAA) (1992–2019) Las Vegas Posse (CFL) (1994) Las Vegas Outlaws (XFL) (2001) Las Vegas Locomotives (UFL) (2009–2012) USA Sevens (WR7S) (2010–2019) | |
Sam Boyd Stadium (formerly the Las Vegas Silver Bowl) is a closed football stadium in the Western United States, located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas Valley. It honors Sam Boyd (1910–1993), a major figure in the hotel and casino industry in Las Vegas.[4] The stadium consisted of an uncovered horseshoe-shaped single-decked bowl, with temporary seating occasionally erected in the open north end zone. The artificial turf field had a conventional north–south orientation, at an elevation of 1,600 feet (490 m) above sea level.
It was the home field of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Rebels for 49 seasons, from 1971 through 2019; they moved to the new Allegiant Stadium in 2020. The annual Las Vegas Bowl took place at Sam Boyd in December from 1992 through 2019, and also moved to Allegiant. Sam Boyd was also used for high school football championship games and at times regular-season high school games for Bishop Gorman High School.
A long time stop on the AMA Supercross Championship beginning in 1990, the final race of the season was located at the stadium every year. It also hosted the first 19 editions of the annual Monster Jam World Finals until 2018.
From 2010 to 2019, it hosted the USA Sevens leg of the annual World Rugby Sevens Series in the sevens version of rugby union.[5]
Several teams called the stadium home over the years, including the Las Vegas Quicksilvers of the North American Soccer League, the Las Vegas Posse of the Canadian Football League, the Las Vegas Outlaws of the original XFL and the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League.
- ^ Brewer, Ray (July 24, 2015). "Upgrades to Sam Boyd Stadium Include New Turf, Widened Field". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ^ "Sam Boyd Stadium gets $1.2M face-lift". Fox 5 Vegas. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ^ "Sam Boyd Stadium". UNLV Rebels. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
- ^ "Six gambling businesses named to Forbes' list of 400". Southeast Missourian. (Cape Girardeau). October 10, 1994. p. 8B. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ^ "USA Sevens Signs Letter Of Intent to Bring Tournament to New Venue in 2010" (Press release). USA Sevens, LLC. July 13, 2009. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2009.