Kidd Brewer Stadium

Kidd Brewer Stadium

"The Rock"
Former names	Conrad Stadium
Location	270 Stadium Dr Boone, North Carolina 28608
Coordinates	36°12′42″N 81°41′08″W / 36.21167°N 81.68556°W / 36.21167; -81.68556Coordinates: 36°12′42″N 81°41′08″W / 36.21167°N 81.68556°W / 36.21167; -81.68556
Public transit	AppalCart
Owner	Appalachian State University
Operator	Appalachian State University
Executive suites	18
Capacity	24,050 (2012-present) 23,150 (2011) 21,650 (2009–2010) 20,150 (2008) 16,650 (1995–2007) 18,000 (1979–1994) 10,000 (1962–1978)[1]
Record attendance	34,658
Surface	FieldTurf 2003 to present Astroturf 1970 to 2002 Grass 1962 to 1969
Construction
Broke ground	1960
Opened	September 15, 1962
Renovated	1999, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016
Expanded	1978, 1995, 2008, 2009, 2011-12, 2016
Construction cost	$32 million (2008 expansion)
Architect	Walter Robbs Callahan and Pierce (expansions)
Tenants
Appalachian State Mountaineers (NCAA) Football (1962–present) Outdoor Track and Field (1962–present) Field Hockey (1968–2014)

Kidd Brewer Stadium is located in Boone in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is Appalachian State University's (ASU) 24,050-seat multi-purpose stadium. Nicknamed "The Rock", the stadium is home to the Mountaineers, the NCAA 2005, 2006, and 2007 Division I FCS national champions. It is also the home of the school's field hockey and track and field teams. The stadium has undergone many upgrades and expansions since its initial construction. It stands 3,280 feet (1,000 m) above sea level with the track measured at 3,333 feet (1,016 m) for NCAA qualifications.

Kidd Brewer Stadium claims to be one of the toughest venues in the nation for a visiting team, with the Mountaineers boasting a 225–72–5 (.753) home record.^[2]

History

Officially opened on September 15, 1962, as Conrad Stadium, in honor of former university trustee and R.J. Reynolds executive William J. Conrad, the stadium was originally constructed with 10,000 permanent seats. It became the first venue in either North or South Carolina to install artificial turf. The Mountaineers and Elon staged the first game on fake grass in the Carolinas on October 3, 1970.^[3] Seating capacity was expanded to 18,000 following the 1978 season. The stadium was the backdrop for the second college football game ever televised by ESPN as the Mountaineers played the Western Carolina Catamounts for the Old Mountain Jug in 1979.^[4] Completion of an extensive renovation and restoration project on the original 10,000 seats in 1995 readjusted the seating capacity to 16,650. A then-state-of-the-art "AppVision" video board was added in 1999 and enlarged prior to the 2001 campaign. Appalachian State was also one of the initial collegiate programs in the country to install FieldTurf at its football stadium in 2003.^[5]

Conrad Stadium was renamed on September 3, 1988 in honor of Kidd Brewer, one of the most successful head coaches in Appalachian football history and a colorful part of North Carolina history. Brewer, a Winston-Salem native, served as head football coach of the Mountaineers from 1935 to 1938, compiling a 30–5–3 overall mark in his four seasons at the helm of the Apps. An All-American at Duke, Brewer's 1937 squad was unbeaten and unscored upon in the regular season.

Appalachian carried a 30-game winning streak, the longest in Division I at the time, before losing to the Georgia Southern Eagles on October 20, 2007. Prior to that game, the Mountaineers' last home loss was in the first round of the playoffs, 13–14, to Maine on November 30, 2002.

Current

Following the 2006 season, the press box was removed to make way for a new 100,000-square-foot (9,290 m²) stadium complex. The complex houses state-of-the-art strength and conditioning and athletic training facilities to benefit all 20 of Appalachian’s varsity sports, as well as extensive locker rooms, academic, office and meeting space for ASU student-athletes, coaches and administrators. However, the most visible element of the crown jewel of ASU athletics' $50 million facilities enhancement campaign is the addition of premium seating on the stadium’s west side, in the way of 18 luxury suites, 500 club seats and spacious Yosef Club and Chancellor's Box areas. An additional 4,400 seats were added to the east side stands prior to the 2008 season, which brought the total seating capacity to 20,150. The addition of the new seats was completed in time for the home opener against Jacksonville on September 6, 2008. Also new for 2008 was an upgraded AppVision video board which was nearly double the size of the 2001 screen.

In 2009, the Kidd Brewer Stadium complex was completed prior to the September 12th home opener against McNeese State. Total seating capacity for the 2009 season was increased to 21,650 with the opening of the additional premium seating, which includes the 18 luxury suites and 500 club seats in the Yosef Club and Chancellor’s Box areas. Prior to the 2011 season, temporary bleachers were installed behind the North Endzone. The additional 1,500 seats brought seating capacity to 23,150. The temporary section was further expanded prior to the 2012 season, which brought the stadium's seating capacity to its present 24,050. 2013 saw small ribbon boards installed on the stadium's east and west seating areas. In 2016, 2,500 seats were permanently installed in the North end zone, replacing the previous bleachers, along with additional concession stands. This was done partly in preparation for a home game against the Miami Hurricanes.^[6][2]

Largest crowds

Gallery

• 
  A snowy Kidd-Brewer Stadium played host to a NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff game between Appalachian State and Western Illinois on December 4, 2010.
• 
  A shot of the East Side seats.
• 
  Howard's Knob and the Appalachian State University campus as seen from the West End Seats.
• 
  The Marching Mountaineers practice in the early morning hours.
• 
  The Appalachian State Mountaineers take the field.
• 
  A shot from Howard's Knob of Kidd-Brewer Stadium in 2009.
• 
  Owens Field House with Howard's Knob and Carol Grotnes Belk Library in the background.
• 
  East stands in 2007
• 
  Stadium attendance routinely tops 20,000 with grass seating and standing room crowds.
• 
  Marching Mountaineers performing prior to kick off
• 
  Panorama with the Appalachian Athletics Center under construction

References

External links

• Kidd Brewer Stadium - Home of Football, Field Hockey, Outdoor Track and Field
• Kidd Brewer Stadium at GoASU.com