Alex G. Spanos Stadium

Alex G. Spanos Stadium
Full name Alex G. Spanos Stadium
Former names Mustang Stadium
Location 1 Grand Avenue
San Luis Obispo, California 93407 USA
Coordinates 35°17′54″N 120°39′54″W / 35.29833°N 120.66500°W / 35.29833; -120.66500Coordinates: 35°17′54″N 120°39′54″W / 35.29833°N 120.66500°W / 35.29833; -120.66500
Owner California Polytechnic State University
Executive suites 8 Skyboxes
Capacity 11,075
Record attendance 11,075 on Oct. 17, 2008
for men's soccer[1]
Surface Natural grass
Scoreboard Yes
Construction
Opened 1935
Renovated November 2006
Tenants
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustangs football
Cal Poly Mustangs men's soccer
Cal Poly Mustangs women's soccer

Alex G. Spanos Stadium, formerly known as Mustang Stadium, is an 11,075-seat multi-purpose stadium on the campus of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, in the U.S. state of California. The stadium is named after Alex Spanos, a Cal Poly alumnus, American billionaire real estate developer, founder of the A. G. Spanos Companies, and the majority owner of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL).

History and renovation

A view of the Alex G. Spanos Stadium skyboxes

Originally opened in 1935,[2] the 8,500-seat stadium was expanded in 2006 to its current capacity. In addition, the stadium was renamed Alex G. Spanos Stadium after Alex Spanos in a ceremony on November 18, 2006.[3] The recognition and subsequent renaming was a result of a $4 million donation to renovate Mustang Stadium by Mr. Spanos. This marked the largest single donation in the school's history, at the time.[4]

In 2013 Cal Poly replaced the south end zone stands with permanent aluminum stands. Cal Poly had rented the previous stands since the mid-1990s. As a result, building permanent stands is expected to save money over time. These stands also improved handicapped access. Additionally, Cal Poly renovated the lower portion the older east sideline stands to add handicapped seats and improve accessibility and egress. The new south stands increased capacity by 345 seats, while the renovation of the east stands resulted in a no net increase or decrease in seats.[5]

Proposals to further increase the stadium's capacity to 22,000 are still being considered as of 2013.[6]

Current tenants

Cal Poly Mustangs football, as well as both the Cal Poly Mustangs men's soccer and Cal Poly Mustangs women's soccer teams, play their home games at Alex G. Spanos Stadium. On October 17, 2008, a record 11,075 people saw UC Santa Barbara defeat Cal Poly men's soccer 1–0 in double overtime, the third largest crowd in NCAA history for a non-tournament game.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "No. 23 UCSB Knocks Off Cal Poly, 1-0, in Overtime". Cal Poly Athletics. 17 October 2008. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
  2. ↑ "Former UFC champ Chuck Liddell among Cal Poly Hall of Fame honorees". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo). 29 July 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
  3. ↑ "Cal Poly Dedicates Alex G. Spanos Stadium Nov. 18". Cal Poly News & Events. 22 November 2006. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
  4. ↑ "Cal Poly receives $20 million donation, largest cash gift in history - Mustang News". mustangnews.net. 3 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-11-03. Retrieved 2014-11-03.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-11-03. Retrieved 2014-11-03.
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