Johnson Hagood Stadium

Johnson Hagood Stadium
Location 68 Hagood Avenue
Charleston, South Carolina 29403
Owner The Citadel
Operator The Citadel
Capacity 22,342 (1949–1959)
22,500 (1960–1996)
21,000 (1997–2003)
12,500 (2004–2005)
21,000 (2006–present)
Surface Natural Grass
Construction
Broke ground 1946
Opened October 16, 1948[1]
Construction cost $600,000[2]
($5.92 million in 2016 dollars[3])
$42 million (2005 renovation)
Architect Halsey & Cummings[2]
Heery International Inc. (2005 renovation)
Tenants
The Citadel Bulldogs football

Johnson Hagood Stadium, is a 21,000-seat football stadium, the home field of The Citadel Bulldogs, in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. The stadium is named in honor of Brigadier General Johnson Hagood, CSA, class of 1847, who commanded Confederate forces in Charleston during the Civil War and later served as Comptroller and Governor of South Carolina.

History

Original stadium

When the condition of the existing College Park Stadium (located in the northeast corner of Hampton Park) became so poor as to be unservicable,[4] the city of Charleston chose to construct a new sports stadium. The new stadium was opened October 15, 1927, with a football game between The Citadel and Oglethorpe.[5] The original stadium seated 10,000 fans and was oriented east-west, perpendicular to the current layout.

The original Johnson Hagood Stadium was built by the City of Charleston and opened in 1927, just to the southeast of the campus.

Current stadium

The current Johnson Hagood Stadium was designed by the architectural firm of Halsey & Cummings.[2] It opened with seating for 22,343 on October 16, 1948, with a game between The Citadel and Davidson. The formal dedication of the new $600,000 stadium took place at The Citadel-Clemson football game held on December 4, 1948, before a then-record crowd of approximately 16,000.[6] The Citadel suggested buying the stadium from the city in 1962; it wanted it for its sports program, and the city considered it a "white elephant."[7] It was eventually purchased by The Citadel from the city of Charleston in 1963.

The venue hosted the 1983 and 1984 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship games (now known as the Football Championship Subdivision).

The historic facility gained national attention during summer 1999 when prior crewmen from the H. L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy battleship, were unearthed from underneath the stadium. The location of the stadium had once been a mariners' graveyard. In 1948, when the stadium was being built, a miscommunication led to the gravestones' being moved, but not the bodies. In 1993, the bodies of 13 sailors were discovered under the parking lot. After the discovery of the sunken H. L. Hunley (the confederate submarine) in 1995, there was renewed interest in the remains of its first crew (who had died in an unsuccessful 1863 run). Archaeologists were given permission to conduct more thorough searches as part of the renovations of the stadium, and four of the five sailors' bodies were located under the home stands. The remains were reinterred at Magnolia Cemetery.[8]

In 2001, The Citadel opened the Altman Athletic Center located in the South end zone. The facility features home and visitor locker rooms, officials’ room and a spacious entertainment area for members of The Citadel Brigadier Foundation.[1]

The west façade of Johnson Hagood Stadium was greatly expanded during the 2005 renovations.

In 2005 stadium underwent a major renovation to update the facility by adding an improved media center, luxury skyboxes, and other features.[9] In September 2004, the Board of Visitors (its governing body) approved plans to build a new stadium on nearby Stoney Field (on Fishburne Street, adjacent to the Riley Ballpark), but there were concerns about funding the $47 million project and also about engineering issues associated with building on marshy land. In February 2005, The Citadel opted to make changes to the existing facility instead.[10]

In 2008 the West Side Tower opened. The Bulldogs celebrated the re-opening of the West Stands for the 2006 season. The completed project features luxury suites, club seats, a state-of-the-art press box and all the expected amenities of a modern-day facility.[1]

The field was named Sansom Field in 2008, commemorating the loyalty and generosity of the distinguished and active alumnus, William B. Sansom, ‘64.[1]

In 2016, The Citadel determined that lead paint needed remediation on the east (visitor's) side of the stadium. The work resulted in the entire east side being closed for the first game of the 2016 season and some sections being opened for subsequent games. The capacity was thus 10,500 for the first game and about 15,000 for later games.[11][12][13] The Board of Visitors decided to fully renovate the east side of the stadium, announcing that decision on December 2, 2016.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "How Johnson Hagood Stadium Came To Be". citadelsports.com. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Nielsen, Jr., J.V. (March 2, 1953). "Rust Endangers Stadium". Charleston News & Courier. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  3. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  4. ↑ City of Charleston Year Book 1927
  5. ↑ "Citadel Plays Brillant and Heady Football". Charleston News & Courier. October 16, 1927. p. 10. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  6. ↑ William R. Lyman, Jr. (December 5, 1948). "16,000 Spectators Attend Stadium Dedication Contest". Charleston News & Courier. p. 1A. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  7. ↑ "City Warm Toward Offer Of $200,000 For Stadium". News & Courier. January 30, 1962. pp. A–9. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  8. ↑ "A Grave Discovery". The Post & Courier. August 1, 1999. p. A9. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  9. ↑ Stadium history
  10. ↑ "Citadel to renovate football stadium". The Island Packet. February 7, 2005. p. 2B. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  11. ↑ Jeff Hartsell (August 29, 2016). "Citadel considers tearing down visitors' side at Johnson Hagood Stadium". Post and Courier. Charleston, SC. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  12. ↑ Jeff Hartsell (September 9, 2016). "Citadel football returns to (half of) Johnson Hagood Stadium". Post and Courier. Charleston, SC. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  13. ↑ Jeff Hartsell (October 11, 2016). "Citadel home at last, with nation's best 4 road wins". Post and Courier. Charleston, SC. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  14. ↑ Jeff Hartsell (October 11, 2016). "Citadel Notes: Stadium's east side to be renovated; Georgia Tech on 2019 schedule". Post and Courier. Charleston, SC.
Preceded by
Memorial Stadium
(Wichita Falls, TX)		 Host of the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship Game
1983–1984 		Succeeded by
Tacoma Dome

Coordinates: 32°47′37″N 79°57′21″W / 32.793709°N 79.955882°W / 32.793709; -79.955882

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.