Texas Memorial Stadium Profile

Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium (formerly War Memorial Stadium, Memorial Stadium, andTexas Memorial Stadium), located in Austin, Texas, has been home to the University of Texas Longhorns football team since 1924. The stadium has delivered a great home field advantage with the team\\\'s home record through the 2011 season being 348-98-10 (77.8%). The current official stadium seating capacity of 100,119makes the stadium the largest football-only venue by seating capacity in the state of Texas, the largest in theBig 12 Conference, the sixth largest stadium in the NCAA and the United States, and the ninth largest non-racing stadium in the world.

While DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium has the largest seating capacity in the state of Texas. The NFL\\\'s Dallas Cowboys\\\' new stadium, Cowboys Stadium, has an overall capacity of approximately 111,000 when combining a seating capacity of 80,000 plus outdoor party plazas capable of accommodating up to 31,000 standing fans.

The DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium attendance record of 101,624 spectators was set on September 3, 2011, when Texas defeated Rice University, 34-9.

The stadium has been expanded several times since its original opening. The University\\\'s most recent project, a $27 million expansion and renovation project to the south end zone facilities, was completed in August 2009. For the 2009 season, 4,525 permanent bleacher seats were constructed, which allowed the stadium to become the first football stadium in Texas capable of seating in excess of 100,000 persons and brought the stadium to its current seating capacity.

Memorial Dedication

In 1923, former UT athletics director L. Theo Bellmont (the west side of the stadium is named in his honor), along with thirty student leaders, presented the idea of building a concrete stadium to replace the wooden bleachers of Clark Field to the Board of Regents. Heralded as \"the largest sports facility of its kind in the Southwest\" upon its completion in 1924, the first unit of the stadium consisted of the east and west stands with a seating capacity of 27,000. It was designed as a dual-purpose facility with a 440-yard (400 m) track surrounding the football field. The stadium was financed through donations from both students and alumni. The estimated cost of the structure was $275,000.

The student body dedicated the stadium in honor of the 198,520 Texans — 5,280 of whom lost their lives — who fought in World War I. A statue, representing the figure of democracy, was later placed atop the north end zone seats of the stadium. In World War II, the University lost many former players, including former coachJack Chevigny. The Athletics Council rededicated the newly enlarged stadium on September 18, 1948 prior to the Texas-LSU game, honoring the men and women who had died in the war. On November 12, 1977, a small granite monument was unveiled and placed at the base of the statue, during the TCU-Texas game. The ceremony rededicated Texas Memorial Stadium to the memory of all alumni in all American wars.

The University of Texas honored legendary football coach Darrell K Royal, who never served, but did lead Texas to three national championships and eleven Southwest Conference titles, by officially naming the stadium after him in 1996. Additionally, the University established the Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Veterans Committee, composed of alumni who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam or the Gulf Wars. The committee is charged to forever dedicate the stadium in the memory of, and in honor of, UT students and alumni who gave their lives for their country. Each year, one home football game is designated as Veterans Recognition Day, commemorating the memorial aspect of the stadium and to honor the memory of war soldiers.

2007–2008 Expansion Projects

In 2006, regents approved a US$149.9 million expansion plan (later increased to $179 million; includes the $15 million 2006 renovations) to include a new memorial plaza and new north end zone structure that was scheduled for completion in August 2008. The new outdoor plaza at the northwest corner is a memorial to veterans, with (the original 1924) bronze tablet honoring Texas World War I deaths, a monument, landscaping, and new stadium entry gates between two 115-foot (35 m) towers, like those in the east grandstand. The expansion also consisted of replacing the north end zone structure with a multi-level complex that includes additional seats with an upper deck, club space, suites, athletic offices, academic-advising areas and a basement with gym space. Demolition of the old north end zone began on December 8, 2006. This was necessary to move the north end seating closer to the field. Extremely unpredictable weather patterns, which included historic amounts of rainfall for much of the year and sleet and snow in January and April, delayed construction several times. However, construction crews worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and much of the new lower deck was ready in time for the first game of the 2007 season. The south end bleacher seating was expanded for the 2007 season to seat approximately 6,400 fans.

An upper deck was added to the north end zone in time for the 2008 season and the temporary south end seating was reduced back to 4,000 since the north end zone expansion was complete. The south end zone also became the new seating location of the Longhorn Band beginning in 2008. Overall, the stadium\\\'s official seating capacity increased from 85,123 to 94,113. With a current capacity of 100,119, this is the only 100k+ capacity stadium in the U.S. that is not a fully enclosed bowl, with room for continued large expansion in the south end zone area.

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