McCool Stadium
McCool Stadium, officially known as Travis E. Parker Field at Horace L. McCool Stadium, is the home playing venue for the Delta State Statesmen football team. Located in Cleveland, Mississippi, the stadium has a capacity of 8,125. Originally constructed in 1970 and is one of the Gulf South Conference’s oldest and most historic venues.
| Location | Cleveland, Mississippi |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33.75215°N 90.73818°W |
| Owner | Delta State University |
| Operator | Delta State University |
| Capacity | 8,125 |
| Surface | Artificial turf |
| Opened | 1970 |
| Tenants | |
| Delta State Statesmen and Lady Statesmen (NCAA D2) | |
History
The stadium was built in 1970, as a replacement for the "old" Delta Field, and was called Delta Field and Travis E. Parker Field. The first game it hosted was a Delta State win over Southeast Missouri State, 14-8. In 2007, the university recognized Horace L. McCool, one of the greatest collegiate head coaches in Mississippi football history. McCool served as the head coach of the Statesmen from 1961-1973, which helped open the new stadium at the time in 1970. Over the span of those 13 seasons, McCool recorded 76 wins, 48 losses and three ties, including six-straight winning seasons. Horace McCool still stands as the all-time record for a head coach at Delta State, and he continues on being the only coach in Statesman history to have six-consecutive winning seasons as a head coach.[1]
Renovations
The first of many renovations to McCool Stadium was in 1993 as the university replaced the seating of the stadium with green chairback seats to have the prospectors more comfort. A new scoreboard as well as a video board was added in 2008. The press box was renovated in May 2013 and includes booths for radio, film, coaches, and working press, as well as a snack-kitchen and restroom. Adding artificial turf in 2014 to the football field is one of the most recent additions to the stadium.
Attendance records
| Rank | Attendance | Date | Game Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9,023 | 09-18-2004 | Delta State 28, North Alabama 21 |
| 2 | 8,943 | 09-22-2012 | North Alabama 20, Delta State 12 |
| 3 | 8,765 | 09-27-2014 | Delta State 72, Central State 8 |
| 4 | 8,551 | 09-19-2015 | Delta State 51, Kentucky Wesleyan 18 |
| 5 | 8,522 | 11-05-2011 | Delta State 36, West Alabama 34 |
| 6 | 8,012 | 09-28-2013 | Delta State 52, Florida Tech 31 |
| 7 | 7,856 | 10-07-2017 | West Alabama 29, Delta State 26 |
| 8 | 7,755 | 10-01-2011 | Delta State 45, Ouachita Baptist 14 |
| 9 | 7,635 | 09-08-2001 | Delta State 25, Mississippi Valley State 3 |
| 10 | 7,333 | 09-25-2010 | Delta State 41, Henderson State 37 |
References
- "Delta State to name stadium after long-time coach Horace McCool" (Press release). Delta State University. October 4, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2016.