Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium is a stadium in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. It is the home field for the men's and women's soccer, track and field, and

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

teams of the University of the Incarnate Word. The stadium currently seats 6,000 people. It is named after

Tom Benson Thomas Milton Benson (July 12, 1927 – March 15, 2018) was an American businessman, philanthropist and sports franchise owner. He was the owner of several automobile dealerships before buying the New Orleans Saints of the National Football Leagu ...

and his wife Gayle. Record stadium attendance of 6,498 was recorded in a game vs Houston Baptist on November 17, 2016.

History

Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium officially opened on campus on September 1, 2008. A special grand opening ceremony was held when the Bensons, along with more than 2,000 Cardinals fans and athletes declared the facility ready for action. Benson and his family long have been ardent supporters of Incarnate Word and provided the necessary funds to start up the University's football program. A San Antonian himself, Benson was the owner of professional football's

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

until his passing in 2018.

Renovations

Benson Stadium now has permanent seating for 6,000 spectators after the 2010 addition of the north bleachers. Atop the original south seating areas are six suites while the north side stands have two press boxes for media and game operations, including a permanent home for KUIW Internet Radio and UIWTV. In May 2018, the original Hellas Matrix artificial playing surface was replaced with FieldTurf's Classic HD surface.

Features

An eight-lane, Sport Track 300 surface track surrounds the field and is an all-weather surface in nature. Accompanying the track are also three jumping pits. Located behind the west endzone is the stadium's Daktronics scoreboard which has a by video screen where Cardinals fans get the latest information about their team as well as a viewing of the game itself. Adjoining the football field is the Benson Fieldhouse. A facility housing a weight room, athletic training facility, locker rooms, team meeting areas and coaches offices.

Attendance records

References

College football venues College soccer venues in the United States College track and field venues in the United States Incarnate Word Cardinals football Incarnate Word Cardinals men's soccer Sports venues in San Antonio American football venues in Texas Athletics (track and field) venues in Texas 2008 establishments in Texas Sports venues completed in 2008 {{Texas-sports-venue-stub

History

Renovations

Features

Attendance records

See also

References