 The stadium from the South end zone, December 2011 | |
  Independence Stadium Location in Louisiana Show map of Louisiana Independence Stadium Location in the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Former names | State Fair Stadium (1924–1981) |
|---|---|
| Address | 3301 Pershing Boulevard |
| Location | Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 32°28′32″N93°47′31″W / 32.47556°N 93.79194°W /32.47556; -93.79194 |
| Owner | City of Shreveport |
| Capacity | 50,000 |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1924 |
| Renovated | 1930, 1934, 1950, 1973, late 1990s, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2014 |
| Architect | Samuel G. Weiner |
| Tenants | |
| Red River State Fair Classic (NCAA) (1924–89, 1999, 2001–2003, 2010–13, 2015–16) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (1928–2012; alternate) Shreveport Steamer (WFL) (1974–75) Northwestern State Demons (NCAA) (1975) Independence Bowl (NCAA) (1976–present) Shreveport Steamer (AFA) (1978–81) Shreveport Americans (AFA) (1982–83) Shreveport Pirates (CFL) (1994–95) Shreveport Knights (RFL) (1999) Shreveport Rafters FC (NPSL) (2018) | |
Independence Stadium is an outdoorfootballstadium inShreveport, Louisiana. Formerly known asState Fair Stadium andFairgrounds Stadium, the municipally owned stadium is the site of the annualIndependence Bowl post-seasoncollege football game, first held in1976 as theBicentennial Bowl. It was also the home venue of theShreveport Steamer of the short-livedWorld Football League from 1974 to 1975 and theShreveport Pirates of theCanadian Football League from 1994 to 1995.
The stadium is also host to numerous high school football games and soccer matches, since many schools in Shreveport lack an on-campus facility. Independence Stadium also hosted theLHSAA state football championship games in 2005 after theLouisiana Superdome suffered heavy damage fromHurricane Katrina. The stadium also hosts concerts and other events.
The stadium first opened in 1924, and hosted the annualArkansas–LSU football rivalry as a neutral site that year. The game featured a silver football trophy as part of the dedication ceremonies for the new stadium.[2] It would host the game again several times until 1936.
From 1978 to 1983, Independence Stadium was home to the city's two teams in theAmerican Football Association, the Shreveport Steamer (with naming rights purchased from the defunct WFL team) and the Shreveport Americans. It hosted the AFA's first championship game, 1978's American Bowl I, which the Steamer won 17–14 over the San Antonio Charros.[3]
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In 2001, Independence Stadium hosted the inaugural year of the annual Port City Classic—an NCAA college football competition featuringSouthern University ofBaton Rouge—in an effort to revive the oldState Fair Classic game. Theclassic spun-off separately from the fair the following year and became an early September game.[4] Eventually it also hosted a contest betweenLouisiana Tech University ofRuston andGrambling State University ofGrambling.
Independence Stadium was considered as a possible playing site for theNew Orleans Saints during the 2005NFL season due toHurricane Katrina, but Shreveport eventually lost out to theAlamodome inSan Antonio, Texas, andLouisiana State University'sTiger Stadium inBaton Rouge. However, Independence Stadium eventually was chosen to host the Saints' first preseason home game for the 2006 season while theLouisiana Superdome prepared for its grand re-opening.FieldTurf was installed as the stadium's playing surface in 2010. It had been natural grass before that from the opening of the stadium.
In 2010, a TexasUniversity Interscholastic League playoff game was played featuringMesquite Horn high school and the technical host Longview. Longview won, 28–14. The first time Texas teams met in Louisiana for a playoff game was in 2006 whenTexas High School from Texarkana topped Dallas Highland Park with quarterbackRyan Mallett. That game also was hosted at Independence Stadium.
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