Construction of Memorial Stadium
was funded through public contributions, as memorial to
Californians who lost their lives in World War I.
Designed after Rome's Colosseum, Memorial Stadium opened in time for the 1923 Big Game against
Stanford. Original capacity of the stadium was 72,000,
the capacity has fluctuated over the years. The stadium is currently undergoing major renovations. The $321 million cost of renovations is being paid for through private donations. Capacity of Memorial Stadium is expected to be 63,000 when it reopens for the 2012 Cal Bears football season.
Memorial Stadium is one of the
most picturesque stadiums in the country. Saturday
Shrines named Memorial Stadium as one to the 40 Best
stadiums in college football, "Memorial Stadium is a college
football jewel located in an area known as Strawberry
Canyon". Memorial Stadium was also recognized a few
times in the "101 things that make a stadium special"
section:
#11 Cheap Seats:
Best place to see a game for free.
#42 Loud and Clear:
Heard in the stands at Cal: "Go Bears".
#45 Letter Perfect:
"C" at Cal. Beacons of pride, and all tempting
to the paint brush vandals.
#99 It's in the
Cards: It's a visually stunning sight to behold:
the Cal card stunts.
Fans can
enjoy an incredible view of the San Francisco Bay upper rows
of the east side of the stadium. The most scenic view
of the San Francisco Bay and Memorial Stadium is the one
from Tightwad Hill. Sitting atop Tightwad Hill is the
California Victory Cannon. The canon is fired before
each home game after each Golden Bear score. In 1991
the Golden Bears defeated the Pacific 86-24, scoring 12
touchdowns. The fans had to simulate the cannon firing
for the final two Golden Bear touchdowns because they had
run out of ammunition.
The playing surface of Memorial
Stadium has had a few face lifts over the years. Astro
Turf was installed in 1981 which allowed the football team
to use Memorial Stadium for practice. Practicing in
the stadium was good in that it is in close proximity to the
locker room and meeting facilities. The downsized of
the turf is that the painted lines and numbers on the field
had a similar feel to course sand paper. The Astro
Turf was removed in 1995 and replaced with a grass playing
surface. During that time the football team practiced
on Wiitter Rugby Field. The current Momentum Turf was
installed in 2003, allowing the football team to return to
Memorial Stadium for practices.
Cal students have prime seats
for Golden Bear home games. The student section sits
on the 50 yards directly behind the home sideline.
Over the year students have participated in card stunts. The
first card stunt (known then as "bleacher stunt") occurred
during the 1910 Big Game. USC Trojans student may have
their male cheerleaders who carry their megaphones and wear
their bright white sweaters, Cal on the other has their Mic
Men (and women). The Mic Men traded the preppy
sweaters and megaphones for a blue and gold tie and use the
modern day convenience of a microphone to lead the Cal
Student Section.
Visiting fans enjoy a view of
the game that is unparalleled for such a large facility.
Sitting in the southeast corner of the stadium, the visiting
section provides a much better view of the action than the
Los Angeles Coliseum, Rose Bowl, Sun Devil Stadium, and
Husky Stadium. The view is on par with the much
smaller Autzen Stadium. Golden Bear fans are very
hospitable to visiting fans...as long as they are not
wearing red. Fans who arrive to the stadium wearing
any red article of clothing will kindle be asked to "take
off that red shirt"
Adding to the excitement of
Memorial is the Hayward Fault which runs directly under the
stadium. A seismic study conducted in 1998 gave
Memorial Stadium a poor rating which meaning that the
stadium represents an appreciable life hazard in an
earthquake. The University of California has begun the
process of retrofiting the stadium and upgrade the
facilities.
The Student-Athlete High Performance Center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012. The state
of the art strength and conditioning and sports medicine
center will serve 13 of the 27 intercollegiate sports.
It will also include a study center and meeting space. Click here if you would like to help fund the
Student-Athlete High Performance Center.
Gameday experience at Memorial
Stadium is very excited. A major component to the good atmosphere is the
Cal Band. Prior to the game fans hear loud blast
coming from the field and see the Cal Band pour out the
north tunnel as the "Pride of California" plays
"Big C" and "Hail to California".
GO BEARS! |
