Laramie, Wyoming War Memorial Stadium

War Memorial Stadium

Looking west in August 2015
Laramie Location in the United States Show map of the United States Laramie Location in Wyoming Show map of Wyoming
Full name	Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium
Former names	War Memorial Stadium
Address	E Grand Ave & N 22nd St
Location	University of Wyoming Laramie, Wyoming, U.S.
Coordinates	41°18′43″N 105°34′05″W / 41.312°N 105.568°W / 41.312; -105.568
Elevation	7,220 feet (2,200 m) AMSL
Owner	University of Wyoming
Operator	University of Wyoming
Capacity	30,181
Record attendance	34,745 (vs. Colorado State, 1997)
Surface	FieldTurf (2013–present) Desso turf (2005–2012) Natural grass (1950–2004)
Construction
Broke ground	August 15, 1949 (grounds) March 1, 1950 (building)
Opened	September 16, 1950; 73 years ago (1950-09-16)
Renovated	2004, 2010
Expanded	1970, 1977
Construction cost	$1.53 million ($19.4 million in 2024) (combined with Fieldhouse) $50 million+ (2009-2010 upgrades)
Architect	Porter & Bradley
General contractor	The Spiegelberg Lumber and Building Company
Tenants
Wyoming Cowboys (NCAA) (1950–present)

The home field of the Wyoming Cowboys of the Mountain West Conference in NCAA Division I FBS, it is the largest stadium in the state, and its only college football venue. The field is named after a natural gas field at the Green River Basin in Sublette County.

At an elevation of 7,220 feet (2,200 m) above sea level, War Memorial is the highest FBS stadium, followed by the U.S. Air Force Academy's Falcon Stadium at 6,621 feet (2,018 m), near Colorado Springs. Between them, at 6,880 feet (2,097 m), is the Walkup Skydome of FCS Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

Along with the War Memorial Fieldhouse, War Memorial Stadium was built 74 years ago in the spring and summer of 1950. The stadium replaced Corbett Field, a small field opened in 1922 and located southeast of Half Acre Gym on land now occupied by the Business School and the student union parking lot.

It originally sat 20,000 in grandstands on the east and west sides of the field. In 1970, the western upper deck, containing 5,500 seats and a new press box, was added; the eastern press box and northern bleachers were added in 1978, bringing capacity up to 33,500. The playing field runs mostly in the traditional north–south configuration; it is slightly skewed to the northeast and southwest about 10°.

Below the new north end zone scoreboard is a 5 ft 2 in (1.6 m) statue Cowboy Tough by Chris Navarro. Fanning a Twister, located to the north of the stadium at the main entrance to the athletic complex, is modeled after a photo of Guy Holt riding Steamboat, the 1909 winner of "Worst Horse" at Frontier Park in Cheyenne. In the 1920s, an equipment manager named Deane Hunton found the picture. Thinking it embodied the spirit of the athletics program and the cowboy life, he stenciled an outline of the photograph, which became the iconic logo of the university (also found on Wyoming license plates since 1936 and many other places around the state).

Renovations

 

In 2001, a new video scoreboard was added and the bleachers in the north end zone were moved to the south end zone. In 2004, the western stands were refurbished and the press box expanded. In 2005, the natural grass at War Memorial Stadium was replaced by infilled artificial turf, similar to FieldTurf. The new surface, known as "Desso Challenge Pro 60 Monofilament Synthetic Turf," was the first of its kind in Division I-A (now FBS) football. It was replaced in 2013 by FieldTurf with enhanced graphics.

The field itself was renamed "Jonah Field" in honor of the Wyoming gas fields owned by the primary benefactors of the turf project, the Martin and McMurry families.

Capacity was reduced in 2004 to 32,580 and in 2007 to 30,514. Before the 2010 season, the new Wildcatter Stadium Club and Suites opened and capacity was further reduced to 30,181. The Wildcatter features 12 individual suites along with a stadium-club area that contains 256 indoor seats.

In addition to UW home games, the stadium also hosts the annual movie in the stadium for new students, the freshman pep rally, and the high school football state championships.

• List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums

• Official website