History
War Memorial Stadium finished construction in 1947 and had a seating capacity of 31,075. On September 19, 1948, the stadium was formally dedicated by former Arkansas Razorback and Medal of Honor recipient Maurice Britt. Britt dedicated the stadium to "the memory of her native sons and daughters who have given so much that we might have our freedom." Following the dedication ceremony, the first game at the stadium commenced, where the Arkansas Razorbacks defeated the Abilene Christian Wildcats by a score of 40–6.
War Memorial Stadium has added numerous improvements to the stadium and to the playing field. A complete lighting system and an Astroturf surface were installed for the 1970 season. A new artificial surface was installed in 1974 and also again prior to the 1984 season, before a returning to natural grass field in 1994. Artificial turf was reinstalled prior to the 2002 season when AstroPlay was installed. A new scoreboard and video screen were added prior to the 2005 football season and the field was later upgraded to field turf in 2006.
Renovations to the club facility and press box began on December 14, 2009, following the 4A Arkansas Activities Association high school football championship game. The renovations cost approximately $7.3 million and was completed in August 2010. The renovations also included the Sports Media Legends Wall of Honor, honoring Arkansas sports journalists that distinguished themselves in their careers and have made contributions to the stadium and to the sport.
AT&T signed a sponsorship agreement with the War Memorial Stadium Commission to name the playing field AT&T Field on June 23, 2010. The naming rights of the playing field lasts for at least five years with an options for a ten year agreement. With this agreement, War Memorial Stadium will earn $175,000 per year for the first five years with a 2.5% annual increase after the initial five years.
Read more about this topic: War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas)
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“Regarding History as the slaughter-bench at which the happiness of peoples, the wisdom of States, and the virtue of individuals have been victimized—the question involuntarily arises—to what principle, to what final aim these enormous sacrifices have been offered.”
—Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831)
“Universal history is the history of a few metaphors.”
—Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986)
“There is a constant in the average American imagination and taste, for which the past must be preserved and celebrated in full-scale authentic copy; a philosophy of immortality as duplication. It dominates the relation with the self, with the past, not infrequently with the present, always with History and, even, with the European tradition.”
—Umberto Eco (b. 1932)