Maverik Stadium

Maverik Stadium

Former names	Romney Stadium (1968–2015)
Location	1000 North 800 East Logan, Utah 84322  United States
Coordinates	41°45′06″N 111°48′42″W / 41.75167°N 111.81167°W / 41.75167; -111.81167Coordinates: 41°45′06″N 111°48′42″W / 41.75167°N 111.81167°W / 41.75167; -111.81167
Owner	Utah State University
Operator	Utah State University
Capacity	22,059 (2015–present)[1] 25,513 (2006–2014)[2] 30,257 (1980–2005) 20,000 (1968–1979)
Surface	AstroTurf GameDay Grass 3D60 Extreme (2012–present) SprinTurf (2004–2011) Natural grass (1968–2003)
Construction
Broke ground	1968
Opened	September 27, 1969 (1969-09-27)[3]
Renovated	1980, 1999, 2005, 2006
Construction cost	$3 million ($20.4 million in 2016 dollars[4])
Architect	Cannon & Mullen
Tenants
Utah State Aggies (NCAA) (1968–present)

Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium is an outdoor American football stadium in Logan, Utah, on the campus of Utah State University (USU). It is the home field of the Utah State Aggies of the Mountain West Conference. It opened in 1968 as Romney Stadium and currently has a seating capacity of 22,059. Its AstroTurf GameDay Grass playing field runs in the traditional north-south configuration, and sits at an elevation of 4,710 feet (1,435 m) above sea level.^[5]

Previously named for Dick Romney, Utah State's all-time most successful football coach and former athletics director, Maverik Stadium was officially dedicated on September 27, 1969. The first game in the stadium came a season earlier in 1968, when USU defeated New Mexico State 28–12 on September 14.

Renaming Romney Stadium

On April 11, 2015, the stadium was officially renamed Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium in conjunction with a corporate sponsorship from the Intermountain West-located chain of convenience stores. The partnership was hailed as a catalyst for the stadium renovation which was said would commence immediately with the demolition of the west side press box and a section of the west side seating. The partnership with Utah State and Maverik is a multi-year agreement, which includes top-tier advertising rights and prominent signage on the exterior and interior of the stadium. Additionally, the venue will feature a Maverik concession outlet that will sell a number of Maverik proprietary food products.^[6]

Regarding the renaming, Coach Dick Romney's grandson, Richard Romney, stated that renaming Romney Stadium was bittersweet, but that the Romney family realizes that to be competitive and relevant in today's sports world, the team needs to have strong financial backing. Richard also stated, "What grandpa accomplished at Utah State will never be duplicated in today's society. We know his name will remain prominent and continue to have a strong legacy at Utah State. His story will not be forgotten." ^[6]

History

Prior to the construction of the first Romney Stadium, intercollegiate and intramural competition took place on a makeshift field east of Old Main. This area, which would eventually become the Quad, served the needs of the college’s football and track teams until 1913. According to historian A.J. Simmonds, it “was the responsibility of players to pick the rocks off the playing field before matches.” Student Phebe Nebeker recalled the field’s appearance after accompanying her future husband, Elmer G. Peterson, to a contest in 1903. “It wasn’t anything like what we think of today as a football stadium. It was merely a somewhat flat area - with a little grass here and there - that was very muddy when it rained and very hard when it didn’t. One small set of bleachers had been erected near the southeast corner of Old Main, but most of the patrons had to stand or sit on patches of grass along the playing field.”^[7]

In 1913, College contests began taking place at Adams Field, located west of Old Main Hill on the east side of the present Adams Park. Although Adams Field represented an improvement, it did not provide the type of facility which could launch the Aggies into competitive intercollegiate play. The sparse facilities became more obvious after the College employed Coach Lowell “Dick” Romney in 1918, and Aggie football began experiencing considerable success.^[7]

First Romney Stadium

The original Romney Stadium was built in 1927 on the grounds where the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) building now stands. That facility was dedicated on Oct. 8, 1927 in recognition of Coach E.L. "Dick" Romney's lasting contributions to Utah State football. That structure served as Utah State’s home for 41 seasons (1927–67). Utah State played its final game in the old complex on Nov. 11, 1967, when the Aggies defeated Montana, 20-14.^[8]

Second Romney Stadium

The stadium retained the Romney name as it was relocated farther north on Utah State's campus to its present location. The first game in the current location was played on Sept. 14, 1968 when the Aggies defeated New Mexico State, 28-12, and the facility was officially dedicated on Sept. 27, 1969. The stadium was financed by a student body which believed in athletics to the extent of underwriting a special bonding assessment for both Romney Stadium and the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, which serves as home for Utah State’s basketball, gymnastics and volleyball teams.^[8]

Thanks to a massive volunteer effort in 1980, 10,000 seats were added to the southern bowl which brought the capacity of the stadium to 25,513. Prior to the 1997 season, approximately 4,000 chair back seats replaced wooden bleachers on the west side of the stadium. Ahead of the 1999 season, new scoreboards were added at each end of the stadium and additional bleacher seats were installed as well. New aluminum bleachers replaced wooden bleachers on the lower sections of the east side of the stadium in 2001. In 2003, that project expanded to the upper sections. In the summer of 2004, the bent bluegrass field was replaced with a state of the art synthetic turf by SprinTurf. Prior to the 2005 season a new south end entrance, improved concession stands and restroom facilities as well as a widened concourse on the east side of the stadium were completed.^[8]

The field and stadium in 2013 after upgrades to the turf and introduction of new logos. The Laub Athletics-Academics Complex in visible in the far end zone.

Merlin Olsen Field

On December 5, 2009, USU announced that the field at Maverik Stadium (then Romney Stadium) would be named Merlin Olsen Field in honor of Pro and College Football Hall of Fame member and former Aggie Merlin Olsen.^[9] Following Olsen's death in March 2010, Utah State dedicated a statue in his honor in a ceremony held on October 23, 2010. The bronze statue, created by Utah sculptor Blair Buswell, depicts Olsen during his college playing days at USU - in full uniform and pads, with his helmet under his arm - and stands outside the south entrance of Maverik Stadium.^[10]

Following the unveiling of new Utah State athletics logos and prior to the home opener of the 2012 football season, the playing surface on Merlin Olsen Field was replaced. The SprinTurf, which was installed in 2004, was replaced by AstroTurf GameDay Grass 3D60 Extreme and the new athletic logo replaced the old at center field. The new end zones are navy blue with the “Utah State” word mark in the south end zone and the “Aggies” word mark in the north end zone, bookended by the new bull logo.^[11]

Changes to the stadium complex

Stadium renovation

In December 2014, a $1 million donation toward stadium renovation was announced. The donation was made by Utah State University alumnus and former President of Nike, Inc. Charlie Denson and his wife Trina. On the west side of the stadium, a new four-story premium seating and press box structure was built to include a state-of-the-art media and game operations area, 24 luxury suites, 24 loge boxes, over 700 covered club seats and a premium club area that also hosts a student-athlete training table. Major concourse work included significantly increased restrooms, upgraded concessions, and an enlarged concourse for better pedestrian traffic flow. Improvements on the east included additional seating and restroom facilities. The renovation also saw new video boards added to both ends of the stadium, along with a new public address system. These renovations were debuted for the home opener against Weber State on September 1, 2016. Additional expansion of Maverik Stadium's seating capacity is also planned for the future.^[12]

Jim and Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex

Laub Athletics-Academics Complex

Immediately after the 2006 season, the old north end zone complex was torn down and replaced with a three-story, 69,000 square foot facility called The Jim & Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex. It was completed in 2008.^[13] The facility houses the Dale Mildenberger Sports Medicine Complex, the Dr. John Worley Sports Medicine Research Center, the Steve Mothersell Hall of Fame, equipment room, locker rooms, coaches offices, meeting rooms, luxury suites and a student-athlete academic center.^[8]

Strength and conditioning center

On May 26, 2012, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of a new strength and conditioning center. The facility was made possible by the largest single gift from an anonymous donor in the history of Aggie Athletics.^[14] The $6.4 million, 21,000 square-foot strength and conditioning center opened in late July 2013. It features areas for weight training, cardiovascular workouts and speed and agility training, as well as offices for staff. Built on existing university property at the northwest corner of Romney Stadium, the state-of-the-art multi-level facility alleviates overcrowding in the former 5,800 square-foot strength and conditioning center and will accommodate almost 400 athletes from 16 sports programs.^[15]

Team history at Maverik Stadium

Dick Romney guided the Aggies to four conference championships, compiling a 128-91-16 record (.579) in 29 seasons (1919–48). Over the past 33 seasons, Utah State has compiled a 94-69 mark (.577) winning percentage) in the current Maverik Stadium. Only nine times in the 33-year history of the stadium has Utah State experienced a losing record at home.

Utah State’s largest crowd to witness a game in Maverik Stadium was 33,119 (including standing room) in a 45-17 loss to BYU on October 4, 1996.^[16]

References

External links

• Utah State Aggies.com - official athletics site - Romney Stadium
• Aerial photo (& topographic map) of USU campus from USGS via Microsoft Research Maps