A large crowd filled the stands for the dedication of the stadium on Nov. 11, 1924.

PSU unveils stadium improvements

On Sept. 9, Pittsburg State University will unveil the latest improvements to Carnie Smith Stadium. The most recent upgrades help make the facility one of the best NCAA Division II football stadiums in the country. It’s a far cry from that day in April 1923 when Professor Stanford L. Householder was appointed to oversee the construction of a concrete stadium on the 20-year-old campus.

Certificates were issued to those who contributed for the construction of a concrete stadium on campus in 1923.

Householder noted, “there is a general feeling that we need accommodations for the people who patronize athletics at Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University).  The only thing that will satisfy the popular demand along this line is a structure that will seat about ten thousand persons, and costing about one hundred thousand dollars.”

Donations and pledges poured in from students, faculty, alumni, and area residents in the weeks that followed. Ground was broken in June 1923 and the new facility was ready to host its inaugural game with Baker University on October 11, 1924.  The campus newspaper of October 3, 1924, reported that construction of a press box would begin in a few days and would be completed for the Baker game. The box, measuring 6 feet by 12 feet, was made of wood and included a telephone booth in one corner for the use of sports reporters. 

Formal dedication of the stadium on Brandenburg Field was held on the afternoon of November 11 before the last home game of the season against Friends University. At the dedication ceremony, the point was made that the Pittsburg stadium was the first modern concrete structure to be built on any teacher’s college athletic field in the United States. A victory over Friends University capped off the dedication celebration and was part of a 1924 season record of  7-0-1. 

The original stands, located on the west side of the field, seated 5,000. In 1940, the completion of the east stands added an additional 3,000 seats. Over the next half century, the stadium changed little. The first major renovations to the stadium and field occurred in 1989. In September of that year, dedication ceremonies were held for the new August and Helen Rua pressbox and the facility was rededicated as the Carnie Smith Stadium and William A. Brandenburg Field.

In 2000, the first phase of comprehensive renovation of the stadium, field and track began. That phase, a $5.8 million project, included the construction of 16 skyboxes on the east side, the development of the east side upper deck, new concession stands and restrooms, the expansion and renovation of the locker rooms, handicapped accessibility improvements on the east side, and club seating on the west side.

In the summer of 2002, crews added a synthetic, low-maintenance turf to the field. Two years later, the track was resurfaced.

The second phase of the comprehensive renovation began last fall at the conclusion of the football season. Extending the west side of the stadium, crews from Crossland Construction built an entirely new front entrance with stucco façade, carrying details such as the arch design throughout the inside and relocating one of the stadium’s most precious fixtures – the Brandenburg Field sculpture – to a more prominent position. The renovation also includes eight new skyboxes, the addition of an elevator and wheelchair ramp, and the removal of the old barn on the southwest side of the stadium. 

Other improvements affect the stadium’s overall appearance, such as placing large flowerbeds out front and replacing chain link with metal fencing.

The west side skyboxes have been some of the most impressive work. Two boxes hold 42 people each while the other six hold 24 apiece. A few of the skyboxes have operable windows that go up and down with the push of a button and all of the rooms have televisions with cable packages, refrigerators, microwaves, theater-style seats and round tables and stools.

A point of pride for Phase 2 has been in its funding. The entire $2.5 million project was covered by gifts to the university – specifically, by the donors who leased the new skyboxes.

---Pitt State--