Tad Gormley Stadium
Tad Gormley | |
300px | |
Former names | City Park Stadium (1937-1956) |
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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 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]
Gallery
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Tad Gormley Stadium (New Orleans, LA) - Home Grandstand.jpg
Tad Gormley Stadium - Home Grandstand
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Tad Gormley Stadium (New Orleans, LA) - Scoreboard.jpg
Tad Gormley Stadium - Scoreboard
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Tad Gormley Stadium (New Orleans, LA) - Endzone.jpg
Tad Gormley Stadium - Endzone
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Tad Gormley Stadium (New Orleans, LA) - Endzone Scoreboard.jpg
Tad Gormley Stadium - Endzone Scoreboard
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Tad Gormley Stadium (New Orleans, LA) - Home Grandstand Exterior.jpg
Tad Gormley Stadium - Home Grandstand Exterior
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Tad Gormley Stadium (New Orleans, LA) - Away Grandstand Exterior.jpg
Tad Gormley Stadium - Away Grandstand Exterior
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Gormley Stadium NOLA June 2011 Gate L.JPG
Tad Gormley Stadium - Gate L
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Gormley Stadium NOLA June 2011 I.JPG
Tad Gormley Stadium - Gate I
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CityParkStadiumNorthEnd11Corridor1937.jpg
City Park Stadium North End Corridor - 1937
See also
- City Park (New Orleans)
- Louisiana High School Athletic Association
- New Orleans Privateers
- New Orleans Pelicans (baseball)
- List of music venues
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://lhsaa.org/sports/sports-directory/overview
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/tul/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/2013FBHistory.pdf
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tad Gormley Stadium. |
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Pages with broken file links
- Commons category link from Wikidata
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- New Orleans Privateers
- American football venues in Louisiana
- Athletics (track and field) venues in Louisiana
- Athletics (track and field) venues in the United States
- Baseball venues in Louisiana
- Buildings and structures in New Orleans, Louisiana
- College football venues
- College track and field venues in the United States
- Defunct baseball venues in the United States
- Defunct minor league baseball venues
- High school football venues in Louisiana
- High school football venues in the United States
- Music venues in Louisiana
- New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) stadiums
- Soccer venues in Louisiana
- Sports venues in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Sports venues in Louisiana
- Tulane Green Wave football venues
- Works Progress Administration in Louisiana