Tad Gormley Stadium

Tad Gormley Stadium
Tad Gormley
Former names City Park Stadium (1937-1956)
Location City Park, New Orleans
Owner New Orleans City Park
Operator New Orleans City Park
Capacity 26,500
Surface GameDay Grass from AstroTurf
Construction
Broke ground 1937
Opened 1937
Renovated 2006
Tenants
LHSAA (football) (track and field) (1937-Present)
New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) (1958-1959)
New Orleans Privateers (football) (1965-1968, 2008-2011)
New Orleans Privateers (track and field)
New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers (USL A-League) (1996-1997)
New Orleans Thunder (RFL) (1999)
Tulane Green Wave (football) (2002-2004, 2008)
New Orleans Blaze (WFA) (2002-2011)
New Orleans Jesters (PDL) (2008)
New Orleans Jazz F.C. (SFL) (2011)

Tad Gormley Stadium (originally City Park Stadium) is a 26,500 seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium, located in City Park, in New Orleans, Louisiana, named for Frank "Tad" Gormley.[1]

The stadium is home to the University of New Orleans Privateers men's and women's track teams. It is also frequently used for Louisiana High School Athletic Association football games, soccer games[2] and track meets. The stadium features GameDay Grass MT from AstroTurf, a 400-meter all-weather track, three locker rooms, a press box seating 110, and press suite seating for 40.[3][4]

History

Tad Gormley Stadium was built in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. It has been used for football, track & field, and soccer. It played host to the 1992 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials for the 1992 Summer Olympic games held in Barcelona, Spain. The Tulane Green Wave football team played four homecoming games and one non-conference game at the stadium in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2008.[5] This was to provide more tailgating opportunities for fans than at their former regular home stadium, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (previously known as the Louisiana Superdome). The University of New Orleans Privateers' club football team played in the stadium from 1965-1968 and again from 2008-2011. The stadium was also home to the New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) team from 1958-1959, after the closing of Pelican Stadium in 1957. The New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers of the USL A-League played in the stadium from 1996-1997.

In its early years, the stadium would host high school games in front of sellout crowds with standing-room only crowds surrounding the playing field. The record for attendance was set in 1940 when 34,345 spectators attended a game between Jesuit High School of New Orleans and Holy Cross High School, also of New Orleans. The stadium has also hosted Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) state championship football games. The last championship game held in the stadium was on December 10, 1971 when Brother Martin High School of New Orleans defeated neighborhood rival St. Augustine High School 23-0 in front of 25,000.

On March 28, 1982 the stadium hosted a World Cup tune-up match for the Honduras National Team against the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League.[6] The match ended in a 1–1 draw.[7]

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina flooded the stadium, along with parts of New Orleans. It remained structurally sound, but required major repairs to the electrical and plumbing systems along with the playing field. In 2006, running back Reggie Bush was drafted by the New Orleans Saints. He donated over $80,000 to repair the playing field. In acknowledgement of his generosity, Tad Gormley Stadium's playing field was renamed Reggie Bush Field. The first event held at the newly renovated stadium was an LHSAA high school prep-football game on September 21, 2006 pitting Brother Martin High School versus L.W. Higgins High School.

The stadium hosted another international friendly match on February 4, 2012 between Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire Soccer Club and Honduran soccer club Real C.D. España.[8]

Tad Gormley stadium has also hosted concerts by many famous artists, including The Beatles, Pearl Jam, Journey, and Rage Against the Machine, among others.[9][10]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tad Gormley Stadium.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Tad Gormley Stadium". New Orleans City Park. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  2. ↑ http://lhsaa.org/sports/sports-directory/overview
  3. ↑ "University Of New Orleans - Tad Gormley Stadium". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Tad Gormley Stadium". New Orleans City Park. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  5. ↑ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/tul/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/2013FBHistory.pdf
  6. ↑ "Rowdies waive two; midfield help coming". Evening Independent. 26 March 1982. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Rowdies tie World Cup–bound Honduras". St. Petersburg Times. 29 March 1982. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "The Fire have scheduled a friendly February 4th against Honduran club Real Espana in Louisiana. ...". Hot Time In Old Town. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Beatles at Tad Gormley Stadium". Last.fm. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "University Of New Orleans - Tad Gormley Stadium". Retrieved 24 October 2014.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tad Gormley Stadium.

Coordinates: 29°59′22″N 90°5′58″W / 29.98944°N 90.09944°W / 29.98944; -90.09944

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