 Aerial view from the northwest in 2009; Kidd Field at upper left | |
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| Address | 2701 Sun Bowl Drive |
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| Location | University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 31°46′23″N106°30′29″W / 31.773°N 106.508°W /31.773; -106.508 |
| Elevation | 3,910 feet (1,190 m) |
| Owner | University of Texas at El Paso |
| Operator | University of Texas at El Paso |
| Capacity | 30,000 (1963–1981) 52,000 (1982–2000) 51,500 (2001–present)[1] |
| Surface | Natural grass (1963–1973) AstroTurf (1974–2000) AstroPlay (2001–2014) FieldTurf (2015–present) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 1, 1961; 64 years ago (1961-08-01)[2] |
| Opened | September 21, 1963; 62 years ago (1963-09-21) |
| Renovated | 2006, 2018 |
| Expanded | 1982 |
| Construction cost | $275,000 (approximate, original) |
| Architect | Garland & Hilles Carroll & Daeuble |
| General contractor | Ponsford Brothers |
| Tenants | |
| UTEP Miners (NCAA) (1963–present) Sun Bowl (NCAA) (1963–present) El Paso Patriots (USL PDL) (1989–2001) Texas vs. Nation Game (NCAA) (2007–2010) El Paso ISD (selected games) | |
TheSun Bowl is an outdoorfootballstadium in theSouthwestern United States, on the campus of theUniversity of Texas at El Paso. It is home to theUTEP Miners ofConference USA, and the late Decembercollege footballbowl game, theSun Bowl. The stadium opened in 1963 and has a nominalseating capacity of 51,500, although UTEP currently lists the capacity as 46,670.[3]
The stadium, named for the game it hosts, was opened 62 years ago in1963 with aTexas Western win overNorth Texas State on September 21. The opening play was a 54-yard touchdown run by Larry Durham of the Miners.[4]
The land on which the stadium sits was originally donated by the university toEl Paso County, who built the stadium for the school and theSun Bowl game. Both had previously usedKidd Field, the currenttrack and field venue, which seats 15,000. The city had realized that the game could not expand its audience or the list of teams that it could invite without a bigger stadium, so the Sun Bowl was built in a natural bowl adjacent to the west. It originally sat 30,000, with only the sideline grandstands. The playing field runs nearly north–south (tilted about10° NW–SE) at anelevation of 3,910 feet (1,190 m) abovesea level.
The current press box was added in1969, and the stadium reached the capacity of 52,000 in1982 with the addition of the north end zone stands and the expansion of the east stands. (The south end zone is still vacant, with the ground of the bowl covered with the school's logos.)
The school retook control of the land and stadium in2001, when hundreds of seats were removed as part of a re–configuration of the seating bowl to accommodatesoccer, which lowered capacity to its current figure of 51,500.[1]
The school's Athletics Director,Jim Senter, announced on April 13, 2018 plans to renovate the Sun Bowl stadium. The $15 million project would include luxury boxes installed in a new press facility, renovation of the concourses and premium seating added on the west side of the stadium. The renovations were completed in time for the 2021 season.
The college football bowl game began in January1936 and moved to the new stadium in December1963. All games have been played in El Paso.
On February 2, 2007, the stadium hosted the inauguralTexas vs. The Nation all-star college football game; the Nation defeated Texas24–20.[5]
Since the 1990s, the Sun Bowl has hosted several concerts such asThe Rolling Stones,U2,Pink Floyd,Ricky Martin,NSYNC,One Direction (a sellout),Guns 'n' Roses, and a co-headlining performance byMötley Crüe,Def Leppard, andAlice Cooper. Notably, the Mexican pop groupRBD kicked off theirSoy Rebelde Tour at the stadium, marking their first live show in nearly 15 years. British rock bandColdplay performed at Sun Bowl on June 13 and 14, 2025 as part of theirMusic of the Spheres World Tour, and become the first act to hold two concerts at the stadium during a single tour, and became the first act to sell out the Sun Bowl in advance of a performance.[6]
On February 17, 2016, the stadium hosted festivities and a simulcast of the Mass held byPope Francis during the pontiff's visit toCiudad Juárez, Mexico, several miles away across theRio Grande.[7]
For a short time before moving toDudley Field, theEl Paso Patriots soccer team in the Premier Development League (now known asUSL League Two) made its home at the Sun Bowl. The Patriots played their final seasons atPatriot Stadium.
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| Events and tenants | ||
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| Preceded by | Home of theSun Bowl 1963–present | Succeeded by Current |
| Preceded by | Home of theUTEP Miners 1963–present | Succeeded by Current |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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