Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium
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- SEATING CHART (.pdf)
- PHOTO GALLERY of Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium
The Jacksonville State University Board of Trustees approved to name its football field Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium in the summer of 2010 and the Gamecocks will play their 63rd season in the facility this year.
The football playing facility has been called Paul Snow Stadium since the 1961 season, but will now also honor former coach Bill Burgess, who led the Gamecocks to the 1992 NCAA Division II National Championship.
Long ago, in the days when Jacksonville State University went by Jacksonville State Teachers College and the athletic teams were nicknamed the “Eagle Owls,” football was played in a field next to John Forney National Guard Armory.
In 1946 as JSU began to change, enrollment begin to rise and so did the popularity of football. Seeing the need for a new facility, the school built a stadium in the present location and it was dedicated in front of an overflow crowd at the 1947 Homecoming game against Pembroke. The Gamecocks went on to win that game and posted a perfect 9-0 season, including a 7-0 win over Florida State.
The “College Bowl” as it was called, was renamed in 1961 to honor longtime JSU supporter Paul Snow. Then in July of 2010, the stadium was renamed Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium.
The stadium got a face lift in 1965 when seating was expanded from 5,000 to 8,500 and a new press box was installed on the north side of the facility. Under the supervision of long-time Athletic Director Jerry N. Cole, the field house was constructed in 1977 and the expansion of the stadium was complete in time for the 1978 season when the student section was added to bring the capacity to 15,000.
Since opening in 1946, Jacksonville State has posted an incredible 233-93-8 record at home. Under Crowe, the Gamecocks are 34-16 all-time at home.
JSU Stadium just completed a $47 million expansion just in time for the 2010 season. The new facility consists of seven stories, with the bottom four floors dedicated to nearly 400 dorm beds. The top three floors will include 33 luxury skyboxes, a new press area, coaches booths, radio and television broadcast facilities, and a game management booth. The stadium was also expanded and now includes 24,000 seats.
The natural playing surface was replaced during the summer of 2005 to an artificial playing turf. It was the first major renovation to the stadium since the 1978 season. It took three months to install at a cost of just over $700,000 and was completed in time to hold summer graduation on the new playing field.
Improvements in 2007 included two new scoreboards and the addition of “Gamecock Vision,” a new video replay scoreboard that is located in the east end zone and features a 14’ x 24’ ProStar Video Plus Display that is the largest in the Ohio Valley Conference.
On the Gamecock Fieldhouse, a new scoreboard was installed, making JSU Stadium the only stadium in the OVC with two scoreboards. The new boards feature a state-of-the-art control booth, located under the east end zone.
The record for a single-game crowd at JSU Stadium was set on Sept. 11, 2010, when 22,186 fans witnessed the Gamecocks’ matchup with Chattanooga.