Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
"Owen Field"
"The Palace On The Prairie"
The stadium with the newly finished south entrance and enclosed south side in 2017
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is located in Oklahoma
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Location in Oklahoma
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is located in the United States
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Location in the United States
Former namesOklahoma Memorial Stadium (1923–2002)
Address1185 Asp Ave.
LocationNorman, Oklahoma
Coordinates35°12′21″N 97°26′33″W / 35.20583°N 97.44250°W / 35.20583; -97.44250
OwnerUniversity of Oklahoma
OperatorUniversity of Oklahoma
Capacity80,126 (since 2019)[1][2]
Record attendance88,308 (November 11, 2017 vs. TCU)
SurfaceGrass: 1923–1969
AstroTurf: 1970–1980
Superturf: 1981–1993
Bermudagrass: 1994–present
Construction
Broke ground1922
OpenedOctober 20, 1923; 101 years ago (October 20, 1923) [5]
Renovated1980, 1997, 2003, 2016
Expanded1925, 1929, 1949, 1957, 1974, 1980, 2003, 2016
Construction cost$293,000
($5.07 million in 2023 dollars[3])
$125 million (renovations)
ArchitectLayton & Hicks[4]

HOK Sport/360 Architecture (renovations)
Structural engineerWalter P Moore (renovations)
Tenants
Oklahoma Sooners (NCAA) (1923–present)
Website
soonersports.com/memorialstadium

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, also known as Owen Field or The Palace on the Prairie, is the football stadium on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. It serves as the home of the Oklahoma Sooners football team. The official seating capacity of the stadium, following renovations before the start of the 2019 season, is 80,126, making it the 41st largest stadium in the world, the 15th largest college stadium in the United States and the ninth largest in the Southeastern Conference.[1]

The stadium is a bowl-shaped facility with its long axis oriented north/south, with both the north and south ends enclosed. The south end has only been enclosed since the 2015-2016 off-season, when it was renovated as part of a $160 million project. Visitor seating is in the south end zone and the southern sections of the east side. The student seating sections are in the east stands, surrounding the 350-member Pride of Oklahoma band which sits in section 29, between the 20- and 35-yard lines. The Sooners' bench was once located on the east side with the students, but the home bench was moved to the west side in the mid-1990s.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference 2019USAT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Duarte, Joseph (August 26, 2019). "Houston vs. Oklahoma: By the Numbers". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  3. ^ 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 February 29, 2024.
  4. ^ "Layton, Soloman Andrew". Oklahoma Historical Society. Archived from the original on July 19, 2010.
  5. ^ "Memorial Stadium". University of Oklahoma Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on October 30, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2011.