Waldo Stadium
Encyclopedia : W : WA : WAL : Waldo Stadium
Waldo Stadium is a stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Western Michigan University Broncos. It opened in 1939 at a cost of $250,000 and holds 30,100 people. That cost for Waldo Stadium also included the construction of Hyames Field, directly west of the football field.
In 2003, the stadium took on a new look with the completion of the 25 million dollar Donald J. Seelye Center. Also known as the "J", the Seelye Center rises 8 stories and houses in indoor practice field, weight and fitness rooms, and staff offices. It is located on the edge of the east endzone, allowing the Seeyle club suites to get a view of the game. In a nice twist of fate, the Seelye Center incorporated the existing Oakland Gymnasium into the structure, allowing for a very modern entrance on one side, and a retro style on the other.
The location of Waldo Stadium has been home for Western football since 1914. A field, without a stadium or modern seating, existed through 1938, until the construction and completion of the stadium in 1939. It originally included an 8-lane track, which has since moved to Kanley Track across the street. Financing came through private donations, and those who donated were awarded tickets to the inaugural game against Western Kentucky University. Over the years, WMU continued adding seating to the stadium, and a renovation in 1989 pushed the capacity over 30,000. Focal renovations have included the Bill Brown Alumni Center and the John Gill pressbox, added to the main seating on the north and south sidelines.
A state-of-the-art scoreboard and video screen was also installed in 2003. Located at the west endzoe, it was made possible through a donation from Coca-Cola.
External Links
- [Official Site of Waldo Stadium at WMUBroncos.com (Include Photo Gallery)]
- [Sattelite View of Waldo Stadium and Hyames Field, Courtsey of Microsoft TerraServer]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.