Mustang Memorial Field, formerly known as Mustang Stadium and then Alex G. Spanos Stadium, is an 11,075-seat
multi-purpose stadium
A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...
located on the campus of
California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or Cal Poly) is a public university in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, - Cites the location of the university and shows that the university ...
(Cal Poly) in
San Luis Obispo, California
; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...
. It is the home field of the
Cal Poly Mustangs
The Cal Poly Mustangs are the athletic teams representing California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. The university fields twenty teams and competes in NCAA D ...
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
and
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
teams
A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal.
As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interd ...
.
The stadium was renovated largely from funding from alumnus
Alex Spanos
Alexander Gus Spanos (September 28, 1923 – October 9, 2018) was an American billionaire real estate developer, founder of the A. G. Spanos Companies, and the majority owner of the San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football Lea ...
(1923–2018), an American billionaire real estate developer, founder of the
A. G. Spanos Companies, and majority owner of the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL).
History and renovation
Originally opened in 1935, the stadium was expanded in 2006 to its current capacity and, following the completion of a $21.5-million renovation, was then renamed Alex G. Spanos Stadium in a pregame ceremony on November 18.
The recognition and subsequent renaming for the ensuing 15 years was the result of an $8 million donation to renovate Mustang Stadium by
Alex Spanos
Alexander Gus Spanos (September 28, 1923 – October 9, 2018) was an American billionaire real estate developer, founder of the A. G. Spanos Companies, and the majority owner of the San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football Lea ...
, the largest single donation in the school's history at the time. At the next season's home opener following the dedication, Cal Poly debuted a tailgating section perpendicular to the stadium's entrance along South Perimeter Road, and set a sellout record of 11,075 fans as the Mustang football team defeated Weber State.Previous expansions to the stadium's steel east-side grandstands were completed in 1972 and 1979.
Artist renderings of further increasing the stadium's capacity to 25,000 were released in 2010.
In
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, Cal Poly replaced the south end zone rented stands with permanent aluminum stands improving handicapped access. Additionally, Cal Poly renovated the lower portion of the older east-side bleachers to add handicapped seats and improve accessibility and egress. The new south endzone stands increased capacity by 345 seats.
The playing field is aligned north-northwest to south-southeast at an approximate
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...
of above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
. Formerly natural grass,
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by FieldTurf Tarkett, a division of French company Tarkett. FieldTurf is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and its primary manufacturing facility i ...
was installed in
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
.
In November 2022, the university announced the facility would be renamed Mustang Memorial Field Presented by
Dignity Health
Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West) was a California-based not-for-profit public-benefit corporation that operated hospitals and ancillary care facilities in three states. Dignity Health was the fifth-largest hospital system in t ...
French Hospital Medical Center, reflecting a new 10-year naming rights agreement between the college and the healthcare organization. The first official events to be held at the facility under the new name were the semifinals and championship match of the 2022 Big West Women's Soccer Tournament.
Baltimore Colts preseason training camp
From August 4–14, , the
Baltimore Colts
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...
, featuring
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas (; May 7, 1933 – September 11, 2002) was an American professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Colts. Nicknamed "J ...
,
Bubba Smith
Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith (February 28, 1945 – August 3, 2011) was an American professional football defensive end and actor. Smith played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Oilers.
...
, and head coach
Don Shula
Donald Francis Shula ( ; January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American professional American football, football player, coach and executive who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. He played seven s ...
, spent nearly two weeks holding a preseason training camp in the stadium, with practice and scrimmages open to the public. The Colts played the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
in a preseason game on August 2, before heading north to visit the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
on August 9, in-between their stay in
San Luis Obispo
; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...
.
CIF Championship football games
Five times in decades past, each when various
CIF Southern Section
The California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) is the governing body for high school athletics in most of Southern California and is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation (CI ...
championship high school football games featured both teams from either San Luis Obispo County or Santa Barbara County facing in head-to-head matchups, the field served as the neutral host-site location for the title games. The games featuring entirely
Central Coast Athletic Association
The Central Coast Athletic Association (CCAA) is a high school athletic conference in California that is affiliated with the CIF Central Section. The association was established in 2018 as the Central Coast Athletic Conference and consists of 16 ...
members included the 1990 game, when a crowd of over 9,000 fans attended and future
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
first-round draft choice
Napoleon Kaufman
Napoleon "Nip" Kaufman (born June 7, 1973) is an American former professional football player who played his entire career as a running back and kick returner for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college footb ...
rushed for 84 yards and compiled 30 yards receiving:
* 1978 (8-Man Division): Coast Union 62, Templeton 24
* 1980 (Northwestern Division): San Luis Obispo 7, Lompoc 0
* 1990 (Div. VII): Lompoc 12, Arroyo Grande 7
* 1995 (Div. XI): Morro Bay 51, Templeton 15
* 1998 (Div. IV): Arroyo Grande 31, San Luis Obispo 14
In addition to the intra-county championship games, a sixth CIF title game, this time including neighboring
Ventura County
Ventura County () is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura.
Ventura County comprises ...
, was also held at the former Mustang Stadium before the site's extensive renovations:
* 1999 (Div. IV): Westlake 24, San Luis Obispo 21
Major League Soccer exhibitions
Six total times since the mid-2000s renovation, the stadium hosted
MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...
preseason exhibition matches, sometimes drawing upwards of 4,300 fans, including in 2011 and 2012 when
USMNT
The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), officially recognized as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation, which is a member of FIFA sinc ...
forward
Chris Wondolowski
Christopher Elliott Wondolowski (born January 28, 1983) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He was MLS's MLS Golden Boot, top scorer in the 2010 Major ...
took the field:
* February 24, 2008:
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...
(W, 2–1) vs.
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
and
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...
(D, 0-0)
* February 13/15, 2009: San Jose Earthquakes (W, 3–2) vs.
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...
and vs.
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Established on December 15, 2005, the club was founded after their fo ...
(W, 2-0)
* March 4, 2011: San Jose Earthquakes (W, 1–0) vs.
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...
* February 10, 2012: San Jose Earthquakes (W, 2–1) vs. Colorado Rapids
Current tenants
Cal Poly Mustangs football
The Cal Poly Mustangs are the football team representing California Polytechnic State University located in San Luis Obispo, California. The team plays its home games at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, Mustang Memorial Field, at the NCAA Division I Footb ...
, as well as the
men's and
women's soccer
Women's association football, more commonly known as women's football or women's soccer, is the team sport of association football played by women. It is played at the professional level in multiple countries, and about 200 national teams partic ...
teams, play their home games at the stadium.
Meanwhile, in 2023, the city's
Mission College Prep Royals began playing Friday night football games in the stadium.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums
The following is a list of current National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) College football, football stadiums in the United States.
Conference affil ...
*
Campus memorials at Cal Poly
Gallery
File:Alex G. Spanos Stadium (San Luis Obispo, CA).jpg, Alex G. Spanos Stadium exterior parallel to California Boulevard
File:CalPolyAlexGSpanosStadiumSanLuisObispoCAJune17th2022Football.jpg, A new surface, FieldTurf Super Elite Vertex Prime, was installed to Alex G. Spanos Stadium at Cal Poly in 2022. With the addition, Cal Poly joined all 11 fellow Big Sky Conference football universities with modern turf field surfaces.
File:SunsetAtCalPolyMustangMemorialField2023.jpg, Cal Poly's women's soccer team scrimmages as the sun sets on Mustang Memorial Field during the 2023 preseason.
File:VideoScoreboardAtCalPolyFootballStadiumIn2023.jpg, A videoboard newly installed during the summer of 2023 is shown at Cal Poly's Mustang Memorial Field after the fall's home-opening football game in San Luis Obispo.
File:Alex G. Spanos Stadium.jpg, A view of the Alex G. Spanos Stadium skyboxes
File:CalPolyAlexGSpanosStadiumSanLuisObispoCAJune17th2022PalmTrees.jpg, Palm trees lining California Boulevard, parallel to the nearby railroad tracks in San Luis Obispo, surround Alex G. Spanos Stadium at Cal Poly in June 2022.
File:CalPolyAlexGSpanosStadiumSanLuisObispoCAJune17th2022CPMidfield.jpg, The field at Alex G. Spanos Stadium is shown on the campus of Cal Poly in June 2022, with the university's iconic hillside "P" visible in the background.
File:Alex G. Spanos Stadium (Cal Poly Mustangs).jpg, Alex G. Spanos Stadium press box and skyboxes, pictured prior to the renovation of the field surface
File:TwilightAtCalPolyFootballStadium2023.jpg, Cal Poly's Mustang Memorial Field is pictured at twilight in 2023
File:ViewOfCalPolyFootballGameIn2023.jpg, Cal Poly's offense faces Northern Colorado's defense at Mustang Memorial Field in 2023
References
External links
*
{{California college football venues
College football venues in California
Soccer venues in California
Cal Poly Mustangs football
Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States
1935 establishments in California
Sports venues completed in 1935
College soccer venues in California