Reser Stadium
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Reser Stadium is an outdoor athletic
stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...
on the campus of
Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...
in
Corvallis, Oregon Corvallis ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Oregon, Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton Co ...
, United States. The home of the
Oregon State Beavers The Oregon State Beavers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Division I ...
of the
Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...
, it opened in 1953 as Parker Stadium and was renamed in
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
. At 12-13 stories and tall it is the tallest man-made structure in Corvallis and Benton County history and the tallest building between
Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...
, and the Salem metropolitan area. Renovations for a new southwest grandstand decreased the
seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
to 35,548 starting with the 2023 season. The
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 ...
playing field runs northwest to 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 ...
, with the press box above the grandstand on the southwest sideline.


History and use

From 1910 to
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
, the Beavers played their home games at Bell Field (now the site of the Dixon Recreation Center), and also played as many as four games a year at Multnomah Stadium (now
Providence Park Providence Park (formerly Jeld-Wen Field; PGE Park; Civic Stadium; originally Multnomah Stadium; and from 1893 until the stadium was built, Multnomah Field) is an outdoor soccer venue located in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland, Oregon ...
) in Portland. In 1948, Oregon State president August L. Strand,
athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches a ...
Spec Keene, and Portland businessman Charles T. Parker (1885–1977) met to plan a replacement for Bell Field. Parker, a 1907 alumnus, kicked off the stadium fundraising campaign in 1949 and made significant contributions of his own. In 1952, construction of the stadium began; for Parker's efforts and contributions, the stadium was named in his honor. The first game was played on
Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States and Canada. United St ...
, November 14, 1953, and the Beavers defeated
Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
7–0. At the time, it seated 28,000. Parker was renovated in
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...
,
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
, and
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
, reaching a capacity of approximately 40,500 seats, but the architect's full intent never came to fruition. The roof over the main southwest grandstand was approved in 1988, and with the completion of the original Valley Football Center behind the northwest end zone, capacity was reduced to 35,362 in
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
; the roof and new press box were completed in
1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
. The stadium was renamed in June
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
to honor Al and Pat Reser, owners of Reser's Fine Foods. The couple both graduated from Oregon State in 1960, and are major donors to the university and Beavers athletics, though Al died at the age of 74 in 2010. The Parker name is still honored at Parker Plaza, located between Reser and
Gill Coliseum Gill Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Corvallis, Oregon, located on the campus of Oregon State University. Opened in December 1949,Heartwell, James C. ''The History of Oregon State College Basketball, 1901/02–1952/53.'' Corvallis, OR: ...
, the site of many pregame activities. The stadium is located on the southwest corner of the Oregon State campus at the intersection of SW 26th Street and SW Western Boulevard in Corvallis. In addition to football,
intramural Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, for the purpose of fun and exercise. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' m ...
and club sports also use the facility occasionally. Reser Stadium alternates with
Autzen Stadium Autzen Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Located north of the University of Oregon campus, it is the home field of the Oregon Ducks of the Big Ten Conference. Opened in 1967, the stadium has undergone severa ...
at the
University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
in hosting the annual rivalry game with the Ducks. Since 1954, the games in even-numbered years have been played in Corvallis, odd-numbered in Eugene.


Playing surface

Through the
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
season, the stadium's playing surface was natural grass.
AstroTurf AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for pitch (sports field), playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a pile (textile), short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Si ...
was installed in
1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...
, and replaced in
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
and 1977. The brand was switched to All-Pro artificial turf in
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
, which was in place for 15 seasons, replaced in
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
with AstroTurf 12/2000. Infilled
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 ...
debuted in
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, and was replaced prior to the
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
season.


Expansion and upgrades

Through the
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
season, the official capacity of the stadium stood at 35,362. In
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
the ''Raising Reser'' campaign was initiated, which resulted in an increase of seating capacity to 43,300 for the
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
season by way of constructing a new grandstand along the northeast sideline. "Phase Two" of the ''Raising Reser'' project was completed between the
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
and
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
football seasons; it enclosed the horseshoe in the southeast end zone with continuous seating in the corners. This addition raised total
seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
to 45,674 and included the ProStar Digital VideoPlus Display screen. During the planned Phase Three, the upper level will extend through the southwest grandstand. The north end zone is also home to the Valley Football Center, which houses a large weight room, offices and meeting facilities, reserved primarily for coaches and administrators within the football program. In December 2014, ''Victory Through Valley'', an expansion to the stadium and Valley Football Center was announced as part of $42 million in upgrades. The renovations were scheduled to begin in Fall 2015 and were completed by the beginning of the 2016 football season. ''Victory Through Valley'' upgrades included a new auditorium, coaches offices, team room, locker room, rehab facilities, and hall of fame. The new additions and upgrades have helped with recruiting, competitiveness, and functionality. On February 4, 2021, renovations for the outdated 16,956-seat southwest grandstand were revealed to the public. Construction began on December 1, 2021, and will be completed in time for the 2023 football season. Although the renovation ultimately lowered Reser Stadium's total capacity to 35,548, the new grandstand is larger in size than its predecessor.


Notable Features


Large Oversized Chainsaw

There is an oversized chainsaw standing in the Reser’s Terrace section. “For us, the chainsaw is an in-venue piece, that goes down well in front of a home crowd at Reser Stadium,” said Sara Elcano, senior associate athletic director of external operations.


Retired Numbers

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...
winner Terry Baker's number "11" is currently the only retired number hanging on the Valley Football Center overlooking the Reser Terrace section in the north end zone. And, although not a retired number Oregon State has "AL" displayed opposite Terry Baker's number "11" for long time donor/philanthropist/contributor Al Reser.


IronMan Statue

A large statue in the southwest end zone corner of the stadium was placed in 2003 to commemorate the 1933 'Iron Men' Team. On Oct. 21, 1933, using only 11 players the full 60 minutes, Oregon State College held two-time defending national champion and No. 1-ranked
USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...
to a scoreless tie, thus ending the nation's longest winning streak at 25. It is believed this is the only time in NCAA history that a defending national champion and No. 1-ranked school was toppled from the ranks by a team using only 11 men the entire game. The sculpture was donated by William "Bill" Tomsheck: The last surviving Ironman member and long-time
Corvallis, OR Corvallis ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2023 ...
resident.


"Beaver Fans 1" Sculpture

Visitors to Reser Stadium are welcomed with two very impressive and eye-catching bronze sculptures of real-life fans celebrating the Oregon State Beavers football team as they enter the east sideline entrance. They literally pop out of the brick towers they are mounted to and the scene is of a celebratory nature, with various people of yelling or smiling, men and women, most likely for a Beaver touchdown. "Beaver Fans 1" is the first of two commissioned pieces, this sculpture was constructed in 2006, by artist and Professor of Art, Emeritus Tom Morandi created as part of a competition he applied for and won for Oregon's One Percent for Art Program. One percent of the cost of new state buildings in Oregon is required to be used towards the purchase of art.


Electric Field Sculpture

Electric Field is a large metal football sculpture that is defined by linear metal and ornamented by lighted Xs and triangles that sits at an angle atop a brushed metal base in the plaza of Reser Stadium. Dennis Oppenheim completed the Sculpture in 2006, and described his piece, Electric Field, by "using the universally beautiful geometry of the football to contain the dynamic of the game by showing many different strategic movements experienced during a game. These field actions are represented by symbols of the players in the form of geometric shapes and lines of light which connect them."


Attendance records


Non-athletic uses

Apart from use from the Athletic Department, Reser Stadium is occasionally also used for various non-athletic events, particularly events such as commencement, held every June. This has allowed the stadium to hold notable speakers such as astronaut
John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space and the first to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1 ...
. and former first lady
Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama ( Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United Stat ...
. "Dam Jam" an annual end of the year concert celebration put on for students and community members, by students, was held a Reser Stadium in 2018 and 2019, drawing up to approximately 14,000 to 18,000 people with headliners Alison Wonderland and Super Duper Kyle in 2018 and
Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...
and Jesse McCartney in 2019. In 2005 following the opening game at the newly renovated Reser Stadium country music duo Montgomery Gentry performed.


Gallery


See also

*
List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As of the 2024 season, there are 1 ...


References


External links


Reser Stadium – Oregon State BeaversWorld Stadiums.com
– photos – Reser Stadium
06 OSU vs Oregon Highlights at Reser Stadium on mreplay.comOregon State University Libraries: Parker Stadium photos
{{Oregon college football venues Buildings and structures in Corvallis, Oregon Oregon State Beavers football venues Tourist attractions in Benton County, Oregon 1953 establishments in Oregon Sports venues completed in 1953