Husky Stadium

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For the home field of Northern Illinois University, see Huskie Stadium.

Husky Stadium is the University of Washington's football and track and field venue in Seattle, USA, located between Montlake Boulevard N.E. and Union Bay just north of the Montlake Cut. Its U-shaped design was specifically oriented to minimize glare from the sun in the athletes' eyes. The open end overlooks scenic Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains.

Husky Stadium was originally built in 1920, with a seating capacity of 30,000, but has gone through four remodels (two major, two minor) to expand the seating capacity. In 1936, 10,000 seats were added around the rim. In 1950, a layer of 15,000 covered seats was added to the south side--the new structure also made some of the lower seats covered. In 1968, a few thousand more seats were added along the rim. In 1987, 13,000 covered seats were added on the north side--again, this structure also made some of the lower seats covered. This made the total capacity 72,500, making it the largest stadium, amateur or professional, in the Pacific Northwest. The 1987 construction project made headlines when the first version of the grandstand collapsed (There was no design error of the North Stands Addition. Investigators found that several critical guy wires--cables which kept the structure from twisting--were removed in error). However, construction was completed before the beginning of the 1987 football season.

Because of its size and design and the vociferous nature of Huskies fans, the stadium is considered one of the loudest in North America, often making it difficult for opposing teams to hear their quarterback's signals. "It’s a sea of purple on Saturdays, and the volume gets cranked up loudly for a place that is an open-air venue. During a 1992 night vs. Nebraska, ESPN measured the crowd noise at 135 decibels." [link]

It was used in the 1990 Goodwill Games, and served as the temporary home of the Seattle Seahawks in 1994, 2000, and 2001.

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Preceded by:
Kingdome
1976–1999 Home of the
Seattle Seahawks
2000–2001 Followed by:
Qwest Field
2002–Present

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