 Aerial view of the Martin Stadium from the northeast, taken in March 2024 | |
 | |
| Address | 720 NE Stadium Way Pullman, Washington United States |
|---|---|
| Location | Washington State University |
| Coordinates | 46°43′55″N117°09′36″W / 46.732°N 117.160°W /46.732; -117.160 |
| Elevation | 2,510 feet (765 m)AMSL |
| Owner | Washington State University |
| Operator | Washington State University |
| Capacity | 32,952 (2014–present)[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] |
| Surface | FieldTurf: (2000–present) Omniturf: (1990–1999) SuperTurf: (1979–1989) AstroTurf: (1972–1978) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 1, 1972 (1972-01-01)[8] |
| Opened | September 30, 1972; 53 years ago (1972-09-30) |
| Renovated | 1975, 1979, 1999, 2006, 2012 |
| Expanded | 1975: north grandstand 1979: track removed 2012: premium seating |
| Construction cost | $1 million ($7.52 million in 2024[9]) $150 million (renovation) |
| Architect | Naramore Bain Brady & Johanson[10] |
| General contractor | Halvorson–Berg[11] |
| Tenants | |
| Washington State Cougars (Pac-12,NCAA) (1972–present) Idaho Vandals (NCAA) (1999–2001) | |
| Website | |
| Martin Stadium | |
Martin Stadium is an outdoor athleticstadium in theNorthwestern United States, on the campus ofWashington State University inPullman, Washington. It is the home field of theWashington State Cougars of thePac-12 Conference.
Its full name isGesa Field at Martin Stadium due toRichland-based Gesa Credit Union signing a 10-year sponsorship deal in 2021 for the playing surface; it has usedartificial turf since its inception in1972, with infilledFieldTurf used since2000.
The stadium is named afterClarence D. Martin (1886–1955), the formergovernor (1933–41), former mayor ofCheney, and 1906 graduate of theUniversity of Washington.[12] His son, Dan (Clarence D. Martin, Jr., 1916–1976),[13] made a $250,000 donation to the project in January 1972 under the stipulation that the stadium be named after his father.[14][15][16] Additional gifts were continued by Dan's widow, Charlotte Martin; $250,000 in 1978 and $150,000 in 1979.[17][18]
Martin Stadium opened 53 years ago in1972 on September 30, with a 19-point loss toUtah, then a member of theWAC,[19][20] with 20,600 in attendance.[21] Two and a half years had passed since the south grandstand and press box of its predecessor, the woodenRogers Field, was significantly damaged by fire, a suspected case ofarson.[22] The WSU Cougars played all of their home games atJoe Albi Stadium inSpokane in1970 and1971.[23] Aside from those two years, the Cougars have played at the site of Martin Stadium since 1895.
In its first season in 1972, only the south grandstand, press box, lights, and artificial turf were new; the remaining sections from Rogers (north sideline and east end zone) were replaced later.[11][24][25] Theseating capacity in 1972 was 22,600;[6][7] the wooden north stands were demolished after the1974 season,[26][27][28] and the new concrete grandstand expanded the seating to 26,500 for 1975.[5] (1975 aerial photo)[29] The east end zone seats from Rogers were finally replaced in1999.[30][31] The stadium has an unorthodox east–west alignment; north-south is conventional (e.g. Joe Albi).
After renovations in2003, seating capacity was reduced to 35,117, and was 32,952 in2014.[1] Since the expansion ofReser Stadium atOregon State in2005, Martin Stadium fell to last in football seating capacity in the Pac-10, and is last in thePac-12. The current attendance record was set during the championship year of1997, when WSU beatStanford on Senior Day in front of 40,306 on November 15.[32][33] (They won theApple Cup atHusky Stadium inSeattle the following week to win the Pac-10, and played in theRose Bowl for the first time in67 years.)[34]
Despite its relatively small size, Martin Stadium has one of the highest ratios of seating capacity to population base; almost 1.1 seats per every citizen in the city of Pullman, and one for most inWhitman County. Following a 10–3 season and an undefeated home campaign in2003, it was ranked bySports Illustrated as one of the toughest stadiums for visiting teams incollege football.[citation needed]
On March 12, 2021, WSU announced that the Washington State Board of Regents had approved a 10-year, $11 million minimum deal with Gesa Credit Union, aRichland-based financial institution, to sponsor the playing surface at the stadium. The deal had the surface renamed toGesa Field; it did not includenaming rights to the stadium.[35][36]
Martin Stadium was among the firstcollege football stadiums to expand by removing its 440-yard (402 m) running track and lowering the playing field, in this case by sixteen feet (5 m). This modification in1979 added over 12,000 new seats, most of which were closer to the field (and the opponent's bench).[5][37][38][39] The first game following the renovation was played in mid-October,[40] a17–14 homecoming upset ofUCLA under sunny skies,[41] which was WSU's first win over the Bruins in21 years.
The Mooberry Track was constructed north of the stadium, then the site of the old Bailey baseball field, with home plate at the northwest corner. Baseball was relocated northeast, toward thegolf course, toBailey–Brayton Field. The original plan was for the track to occupy that space, but soil issues caused a revision.[42][43] The new track debuted in the spring of 1980 and hosted its first event on May 3, a decisive dual-meet win over rival Washington.[44][45]
Phases I and II commenced at the end of the 2006 football season. The project focused on improving the public areas in and around the stadium. A new concourse was built along the north stands and new concessions and restrooms were also added throughout the stadium. Improvements were also made around the stadium perimeter including the construction of a new public plaza and ticket office at the stadium's northeast corner along with a monumental sign at the east edge of the stadium along Stadium Way. The existing scoreboard behind the west stands was also upgraded.[46]
Phases III and IV were branded asThe Cougar Football Project and consisted of two major projects, and additional improvements in a smaller projects that followed.
The first project, called theSouthside Project, was an $80 million project that replaced the old press box on the south stands with a new structure that includes a new press box, club seats, loge boxes, luxury suites and a club room. Approximately 1,900 new seats were added in the premium seating area. The expansion also added 21 luxury suites (four, 24-person; nine, 18-person; and eight, 12-person), 42 loge boxes (27, four-person and 15, six-person) and approximately 1,300 club seats (1,200 outdoor and 100 indoor). The former press box did not have the amenities necessary for "first class" game productions with respect to national television and radio broadcasts as provided for in the new Pac-12 television and media contract. The Southside Project began demolition and construction in November 2011 and was completed by the first game of the2012 season.
The second project, called theWest End-Zone Project, was a $61 million project that provided a new football operations center for the Cougar football program, including new weight/locker rooms, equipment and training areas for players. In addition to meeting rooms and coaches' offices, it will also feature a WSU football heritage area and a game-day home for former letter winners. The project was approved in November 2012, and construction began that month on November 26. This project was completed for the opening of the2014 season.Additional improvements included A/V and architectural upgrades to the stadium. In response to the West End-Zone Project occupying the space where the scoreboard had been, a new video display was installed on the stadium's east end. It measures 73 by 36 feet (22 m × 11 m) and features the latest light emitting diode (LED) video technology. The video board is 112% larger than the previous board while producing a wider, more consistent viewing angle. The video display is more than double the size of the previous display with four times the resolution. It is one of the fewHD Video Displays in college football as its 1708 x 840 resolution exceeds theHD standard. The project also included the installation of an LED Ribbon Board that measures four feet (1.2 m) tall by 347 feet (106 m) wide and runs along the length of the premium seating side. A ribbon board was then added above the north stands in 2014. Both the video and ribbon boards display game statistics and information, out of town scores, along with graphics, animations, crowd prompts, and opportunities for partner-related elements. A new custom audio system, which is integrated with the video and scoring system, was also installed and engineered to provide full-range sound reproduction and deliver clear and intelligible speech at Martin Stadium.
In time for the 2014 season, the concrete wall that separated the playing field from the stands was faced with brick, and galvanized steel railings painted black to give the stadium a more traditional feel and to architecturally integrate with the exterior finish materials used on the new Cougar Football Complex.
The current playing surface is Revolution Fiber byFieldTurf, installed in the summer of2014 as part of the budget inclusion for the $61 million Football Operations Building. Rev Fiber is the latest and most realistic grass-like surface available, also used atOhio State andNotre Dame, and theNFL'sLumen Field andGillette Stadium. Rev Turf has received aFIFA 2-star rating forsoccer.
FieldTurf was first installed in2000[47] and replaced in2006,[48] preceded by thesand-filledOmniturf of1990.[49] The original playing surface at Martin Stadium in1972 wasAstroTurf, replaced by SuperTurf in1979,[50][51][52] and again in1984.[53][54] The playing surface atRogers Field was natural grass. Theelevation of the field is approximately 2,510 feet (765 m) abovesea level, which was the highest in the Pac-10, but is a distant third in the Pac-12.
Martin Stadium is one of only three in theFBS (formerly Division I-A) which uses goalposts with two support posts for all of its home games. The others areDoak Campbell Stadium atFlorida State andTiger Stadium atLSU. Single-support goalposts were torn down at Martin Stadium in1982 and1988, afterApple Cup victories.[55][56][57]
The double posts at Martin debuted with the Omniturf in 1990.[49] The distance between the uprights was narrowed for college football in1991 to 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m), matching the NFL.[58]
Washington State hosts theApple Cup rivalry game withWashington in even-numbered years. Except for1954, the Apple Cup was played atJoe Albi Stadium inSpokane from 1950 to 1980, rather than in Pullman. The Cougars went 3–12 (.200) in these fifteen Spokane Apple Cups (winning in1958,1968, and1972), while winning the previous two games played in Pullman (1948,1954).
Since1982, a Cougar victory, all WSU home games in the rivalry have been played at Martin Stadium, with the Cougars winning seven of the 19 Pullman games (.368) through2018; the most recent win was in2012, in overtime.
For2+1⁄2 seasons,1999–2001, theIdaho Vandals of nearbyMoscow borrowed Martin Stadium to use as its home field,[60][61] as Idaho transitioned fromDivision I-AA back up to I-A. At the time, the Vandals'Kibbie Dome was too small to support theNCAA's attendance requirements forDivision I-A.[62]
The attendance criteria were changed, and Idaho has used the Kibbie Dome as its football home ever since. The Vandals continued as an FBS member through the 2017 season, after which they returned to FCS play in theBig Sky Conference, which the rest of the Idaho athletic program had rejoined in 2014.
Washington State and Idaho renewed their dormant football rivalry in1998, and matched up annually in theBattle of the Palouse for a decade. The game was played at Martin Stadium in September, although the2003 game was played far from the Palouse, 300 miles (500 km) west at year-old Seahawks Stadium, now known asLumen Field, inSeattle.[63] After a ten-year renewal, the Vandal head coachRobb Akey, a former WSUdefensive coordinator, stated that he preferred the game not be played every year.[64] The regular series ceased again after2007; they met in2013 and2016, and a game scheduled for 2020 was canceled due to the pandemic.
At 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 4,1970 (the first day ofSpring break), residents heard what they described as a gunshot at thefootball stadium. By 2:00 a.m., the south grandstand and press box of the 1930s wooden venue had burned to the ground, witnessed by a thousand residents and firefighters.[22] The exact cause, or offender, was never found, though there were several suspects.
The Cougars played their entire home schedule for the1970 and1971 football seasons atJoe Albi Stadium inSpokane. The fire also displaced theIdaho Vandals, whose woodenNeale Stadium was condemned before the1969 season (and set afire byarson that November). The Vandals had used WSU's Rogers Field for its threePalouse home games in 1969 and were planning to use it again in for four home games in1970. Without another suitable stadium in the Moscow-Pullman vicinity, Idaho played its 1970 home schedule at the reduced capacity Rogers Field, returning to itsMoscow campus in October1971. The 1970 WSU-Idaho game in Spokane on September 19 was dubbed "The Displaced Bowl", and was easily won by the Cougars,44–16, their only victory of the season.[65][66]
The name "Rogers Field" continues on campus, transferred to areas used forintramural sports and football practices, west of the stadium.[59]
The public address announcer at Martin Stadium is Glenn Johnson, a professor emeritus at WSU who is also the mayor of Pullman. Johnson is known for his first-down call of "...and that's ANOTHER Cougar first down!" In recent years, the crowd has chanted "...COUGAR FIRST DOWN!" in unison along with Johnson.[citation needed]
Did Washington State Coug it when it named Martin Stadium 35 years ago? Or is everyone all right with the fact that Clarence D. Martin was a Husky? Gene Miller isn't. The '68 Wazzu grad wants to rename it Randall Johnson Stadium in honor of the 90-year-old Coug who designed the WSU logo in 1936. On the city of Cheney's Web site, Miller discovered that Martin, Washington's governor from 1932-40, graduated from the U Dub in 1906.
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