The Junior Seau Pier Amphitheatre is a public entertainment and recreation complex located at the foot of the

Oceanside Pier The Oceanside Pier, located in Oceanside, in northern San Diego County, California, is the longest wooden pier on the western United States coastline at . History The pier was first built in 1888 at what is now Wisconsin Avenue. The original pie ...

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a city on the South Coast (California), South Coast of California, located in San Diego County, California, San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is a popular ...

. Formerly known as the Oceanside Pier Amphitheater, also known as Oceanside Bandshell, the complex was renamed in 2012 posthumously in honor of football player

Junior Seau Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. (; ; January 19, 1969May 2, 2012) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the San Diego Chargers. Known for his passionate play, he was a ...

. Seau was a hometown hero to Oceanside and especially its Samoan Community.

History

The Oceanside Bandshell (the original name for the Oceanside Pier Amphitheater) was constructed in 1937 as a project of the federal

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

and significantly altered in 1950. The current structure is the third in a series of bandshells or amphitheaters at that location, the first one built in 1919 and the second in 1927. The amphitheater is a local landmark, located right on the beach. It has permanent benches for 1500 people and room for an additional 1000 folding or temporary chairs. It has been used to host large concert events, movies, awards ceremonies, and other local events for many years. It serves as the graduation venue for

Oceanside High School Oceanside High School (California) is an American public secondary school located in Oceanside, California. It is part of the Oceanside Unified School District. History and Campus Oceanside High School is one of two high schools in the Oceanside ...

and hosts other annual events such as

Juneteenth Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth", it is celebrated on the anniversary of General Order No. 3, i ...

and

Cinco de Mayo Cinco de Mayo ( in Mexico, Spanish for "Fifth of May") is a yearly celebration held on May 5, which commemorates the anniversary of Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoz ...

celebrations. It has hosted an annual

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

anti-tax rally on or around April 15th since 2010, and a salute to the military called "Operation Appreciation" every May since 2002. It has played host to a number of well-known musical acts, including

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...

and

Creedence Clearwater Revisited Creedence Clearwater Revisited is an American rock band formed in 1995 by bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, former members of Creedence Clearwater Revival, to play live versions of that band's music. Overview Much of Creeden ...

. The bandshell was featured in the film ''

Bring It On Bring It On may refer to: Books * ''Bring It On'' (book), by Pat Robertson * ''Bring It On!'' (manhwa), a romance manhwa by Baek Hye-Kyung Film and stage * ''Bring It On'' (film series), an American series of teen comedy cheerleading films capit ...

'' as a venue for a cheerleading competition.

Renaming

Junior Seau Beach Community Center Dedication

On May 16, 2012, the Oceanside City Council voted to name the amphitheatre, as well as its beach community center, in honor of

. Seau was an Oceanside native of Samoan descent. He graduated from Oceanside High School and played professional football for the hometown

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

for 13 seasons. He committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

at his home in Oceanside on May 2, 2012. Seau used to lead children through a weekly exercise routine at the amphitheater. The complex is just a few blocks from Seau's home. The Junior Seau Pier Amphitheatre and Junior Seau Beach Community Center were officially dedicated on July 7, 2012 as part of the final day of Oceanside's 2012 Samoan Cultural Celebration. The featured speaker was United States

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

Eni Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin Faleomavaega Jr. (; August 15, 1943 – February 22, 2017) was an American Samoan politician and attorney who served as the territory's lieutenant governor (1985-1989) and non-voting delegate to the United States House of Repr ...

(D-

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

References

{{Reflist, 30em Monuments and memorials in California Amphitheaters in California Oceanside, California 1919 establishments in California Event venues established in 1919