Reser Stadium is an outdoor athletic
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
in the
northwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
United States, on the campus of
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...
in
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis ( ) is a city and the county seat of Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2020 United ...
. It is the home of the
Oregon State Beavers
The Oregon State Beavers are the athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ( Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for c ...
of the
Pac-12 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
, and opened in 1953 as Parker Stadium. It was renamed in
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
.
As renovations take place to build a new southwest grandstand, the current
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
has been reduced to 26,407. The
FieldTurf playing field runs northwest to southeast, at an approximate
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...
of above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
,
with the press box above the grandstand on the southwest sideline.
History and use
From 1910 to
1953
Events
January
* January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
* January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo.
* January 14
** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...
, the Beavers played their home games at
Bell Field
Bell Field, originally known as College Field (1893–1909), was an outdoor athletic stadium in the northwest United States, on the campus of Oregon State College (now University) in Corvallis, Oregon. It was the home venue of Oregon State Beavers ...
(now the site of the Dixon Recreation Center), and also played as many as four games a year at Multnomah Stadium (now
Providence Park
Providence Park (formerly Jeld-Wen Field; PGE Park; Civic Stadium; originally Multnomah Stadium; and from 1893 until the stadium was built, Multnomah Field) is an outdoor soccer venue located in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. ...
) in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
.
[ In 1948, Oregon State president August L. Strand, ]athletic director
An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...
Spec Keene
Roy Servais "Spec" Keene (July 1, 1894 – August 24, 1977) was an American football, baseball, and basketball coach at Willamette University and an athletic director at Oregon State University.
Playing career
Keene graduated from Oregon State U ...
, and Portland businessman Charles T. Parker (1885–1977) met to plan a replacement for Bell Field. Parker, a 1907 alumnus,[ kicked off the stadium fundraising campaign in 1949 and made significant contributions of his own.] In 1952, construction of the stadium began; for Parker's efforts and contributions, the stadium was named in his honor. The first game was played on Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
, November 14, 1953, and the Beavers defeated Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
7–0.[ At the time, it seated 28,000.
]
Parker was renovated in 1958, 1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
, and 1967, reaching a capacity of approximately 40,500 seats, but the architect's full intent never came to fruition. The roof over the main southwest grandstand was approved in 1988, and with the completion of the original Valley Football Center behind the northwest end zone, capacity was reduced to 35,362 in 1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
; the roof and new press box were completed in 1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
.
The stadium was renamed in June 1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
to honor Al and Pat Reser, owners of Reser's Fine Foods
Reser's Fine Foods, Inc., an American corporation based in Beaverton, Oregon, manufactures and distributes fresh and refrigerated prepared foods. Over 1,000 products are available in the 50 U.S. states, Canada, Guam, Mexico, and areas of the Far E ...
.[ The couple both graduated from Oregon State in 1960,] and are major donors to the university and Beavers athletics, though Al died at the age of 74 in 2010. The Parker name is still honored at Parker Plaza,[ located between Reser and ]Gill Coliseum
Gill Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the northwest United States, located on the campus of Oregon State University in Opened the arena has a seating capacity of 9,604 and is home to the Oregon State Beavers' basketball, wrestling, ...
, the site of many pregame activities.
The stadium is located on the southwest corner of the Oregon State campus at the intersection of SW 26th Street and SW Western Boulevard in Corvallis. In addition to football, intramural
Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, or a set geographic region. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' meaning " ...
and club sports also use the facility occasionally.
Reser Stadium alternates with Autzen Stadium at the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
in hosting the annual rivalry game with the Ducks. Since 1954, the games in even-numbered years have been played in Corvallis, odd-numbered in Eugene.
Playing surface
Through the 1968 season, the stadium's playing surface was natural grass. AstroTurf
AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Since the early 2000s, AstroTurf has m ...
was installed in 1969, and replaced in 1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
and 1977. The brand was switched to All-Pro artificial turf in 1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, which was in place for 15 seasons,[ replaced in ]1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
with AstroTurf 12/2000. Infilled FieldTurf debuted in 2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, and was replaced prior to the 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
season.[
]
Expansion and upgrades
Through the 2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
season, the official capacity of the stadium stood at 35,362. In 2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
the ''Raising Reser'' campaign was initiated, which resulted in an increase of seating capacity to 43,300 for the 2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
season by way of constructing a new grandstand along the northeast sideline, with plans to eventually reach 55,000 seats through three phases of renovation.[
"Phase Two" of the ''Raising Reser'' project was completed between the ]2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
and 2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
football seasons; it enclosed the horseshoe in the southeast end zone with continuous seating in the corners. This addition raised total seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
to 45,674 and included the ProStar Digital VideoPlus Display screen.[
During the planned Phase Three, the upper level will extend through the southwest grandstand.
The north end zone is also home to the Valley Football Center, which houses a large weight room, offices and meeting facilities, reserved primarily for coaches and administrators within the football program. In December 2014, ''Victory Through Valley'', an expansion to the stadium and Valley Football Center was announced as part of $42 million in upgrades. The renovations were scheduled to begin in Fall 2015 and were completed by the beginning of the 2016 football season. ''Victory Through Valley'' upgrades included a new auditorium, coaches offices, team room, locker room, rehab facilities, and hall of fame. The new additions and upgrades have helped with recruiting, competitiveness, and functionality.
On February 4, 2021, renovations for the outdated 16,956-seat southwest grandstand were revealed to the public. Construction began on December 1st, 2021, and will be completed in time for the 2023 football season. Although the renovation will lower Reser Stadium's total capacity to between 34,000 and 39,000, the new grandstand will be larger in size than its predecessor. The grandstand is taller than the old southwest side, allowing seats to be much closer to the field. This design feature will result in a much louder Reser Stadium, despite the reduced capacity. The design of the top deck allows for future seating expansions. The renovation will also bring the completion of a full concourse to Reser Stadium, allowing fans to walk the entirety around the field uninterrupted. A planned walkway called "Beaver Street," which will feature unique concessions as well as other amenities, will be the heart of this concourse. Other things included in this renovation project include, replacing the current, crowded, small and old pressbox on the west side grandstand, increase in restrooms and concession areas, repurposing underutilized east side club seating, creating more loge boxes, premium spaces and suites, an improvement to the scoreboard, relocating the visitor's locker room (It currently resides in the basement of adjacent Gill Coliseum) and creating spaces via a public/private partnership that will allow for year-round use of the stadium. And not exactly a part of Reser Stadium, but still on the property, they will be building a Wellness Care Facility on the Southeast side of the stadium, for students, faculty, staff, and community members. And on the new west side grandstand they will be building a Student Welcome Center.
]
Notable Features
Large Oversized Chainsaw
There is an oversized chainsaw standing in the Reser’s Terrace section. “For us, the chainsaw is an in-venue piece, that goes down well in front of a home crowd at Reser Stadium,” said Sara Elcano, senior associate athletic director of external operations.
Retired Numbers
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
winner Terry Baker's number 11 is currently the only retired number hanging on the Valley Football Center overlooking the Reser Terrace section in the north end zone. And, although not a retired number Oregon State has "AL" displayed opposite Terry Baker's number "11" for long time donor/philanthropist/contributor Al Reser.
IronMan Statue
A large statue in the southwest end zone corner of the stadium was placed in 2003 to commemorate the 1933 'Iron Men' Team.
On Oct. 21, 1933, using only 11 players the full 60 minutes, Oregon State College held two-time defending national champion and No. 1-ranked USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
to a scoreless tie, thus ending the nation's longest winning streak at 25. It is believed this is the only time in NCAA history that a defending national champion and No. 1-ranked school was toppled from the ranks by a team using only 11 men the entire game.
The sculpture was donated by William "Bill" Tomsheck: The last surviving Ironman member and long-time Corvallis, OR
Corvallis ( ) is a city and the county seat of Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2020 United ...
resident.
"Beaver Fans 1" Sculpture
Visitors to Reser Stadium are welcomed with two very impressive and eye-catching bronze sculptures of real-life fans celebrating the Oregon State Beavers football team as they enter the east sideline entrance. They literally pop out of the brick towers they are mounted to and the scene is of a celebratory nature, with various people of yelling or smiling, men and women, most likely for a Beaver touchdown. "Beaver Fans 1" is the first of two commissioned pieces, this sculpture was constructed in 2006, by artist and Professor of Art, Emeritus Tom Morandi created as part of a competition he applied for and won for Oregon's One Percent for Art Program. One percent of the cost of new state buildings in Oregon is required to be used towards the purchase of art.
Electric Field Sculpture
Electric Field is a large metal football sculpture that is defined by linear metal and ornamented by lighted Xs and triangles that sits at an angle atop a brushed metal base in the plaza of Reser Stadium. Dennis Oppenheim completed the Sculpture in 2006, and described his piece, Electric Field, by "using the universally beautiful geometry of the football to contain the dynamic of the game by showing many different strategic movements experienced during a game. These field actions are represented by symbols of the players in the form of geometric shapes and lines of light which connect them."
Attendance records
Non-athletic uses
Apart from use from the Athletic Department, Reser Stadium is occasionally also used for various non-athletic events, particularly events such as commencement, held every June. This has allowed the stadium to hold notable speakers such as astronaut John Glenn.
Gallery
See also
* List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums
This is a list of stadiums that currently serve as the home venue for Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams. These include most of the largest stadiums in the United States.
Conference affiliations reflect those in the current 2022 ...
References
External links
Reser Stadium – Oregon State Beavers
World Stadiums.com
– photos – Reser Stadium
06 OSU vs Oregon Highlights at Reser Stadium on mreplay.com
Oregon State University Libraries: Parker Stadium photos
{{Oregon college football venues
Buildings and structures in Corvallis, Oregon
Oregon State Beavers football venues
American football venues in Oregon
Tourist attractions in Benton County, Oregon
1953 establishments in Oregon
Sports venues completed in 1953