Oklahoma Memorial Stadium – stadium description

Although the first game at this site was played as early as 1923, the first stand did not appear until two years later. A large structure for 16,000 spectators was erected on the west side of the field, and in 1929 it was joined by its “twin” on the east. In this form, the venue lasted for 20 years, from the beginning carrying the name Memorial Stadium (initially to commemorate the victims of World War I, later of every subsequent war involving the United States).

The golden age in the stadium’s development came in the early 1950s, when the Sooners won seven national championships within a quarter-century. In 1950 the north end was enclosed, and in 1959 the south stand was added (bringing capacity to over 61,000).

Interestingly, the south end lacked corner sections for a long time, because building them would have required removing at least one of the practice fields and/or part of the training center adjacent to the stand. As a result, the only option was to build upward, and in 1975 an upper tier was added to the west stand.

After that, the stadium remained unchanged for years, and it must be said that it had significant shortcomings. It is enough to note that artificial lighting was not installed until 1997 (!), and until 2003 the entire east stand lacked proper access paths, causing clouds of dust to rise during games.

Finally, in 2003 the largest modernization to date was completed. On one side, the entire stadium received new seating, restrooms, and other amenities. On the other, the east stand gained an upper structure with 27 suites. As a result, capacity surpassed the 80,000 mark.

The naming issue is interesting. If all components commonly used were to be included, the venue would have to be called the Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at Owen Field. The Gaylord family helped finance the 2003 works, earning a place in the name. Meanwhile, Owen Field is the separate name given to the playing surface, in honor of coach Bennie Owen, who in 1923 personally raised funds for the construction of the facility.

Another major modernization took place between 2015 and 2017, when the southern corners were finally built out and the bowl was fully enclosed. Since then, the stands have formed a unified, continuous structure surrounding the entire field.

A reconstruction of the west stand is planned for 2028–2029. The project is expected to cost as much as $450 million and will be the largest investment in the more than century-long history of the stadium.