Commonwealth Stadium (Kentucky)
| |||
|
Commonwealth Stadium is the name of a stadium in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. This stadium, named for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is located on the campus of the University of Kentucky and is the home field for the school's football team, replacing the smaller Stoll Field/McLean Stadium. The field is named C.M. Newton Field in honor of retired UK athletic director and former baseball and basketball player C.M. Newton.
Built in 1973, it is the newest football stadium in the Southeastern Conference, as measured by date of original construction. The original capacity for the stadium was 57,800. In Commonwealth's first game, played on September 15, 1973, the Wildcats defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 31–26. The facility currently seats 67,606.
In 1999 both ends of the stadium were enclosed and 40 suites were added, 10 in each corner of the stadium. The total cost of the expansion was $27.6 million USD. During the 1999 season, Kentucky's average home attendance for football games was 67,756. Attendance for the game against Tennessee that year was 71,022, which remained the record attendance until the Wildcats' 2007 game against Florida drew 71,024. In recent years, crowds of over 70,000 have become very common.
Since 1999, fireworks have been shot from atop the suites after every Wildcat touchdown.
Contents |
[edit] Stadium records
| Record description | Record | Record holder(s) | Date | Opponent | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most rushing yards, game | 272 yds | Moe Williams | November 11, 1995 | Cincinnati | 33-14 |
| Most passing yards, game | 528 yds | Jared Lorenzen | October 21, 2000 | Georgia | 30-32 |
| Most receptions, game | 16 | Craig Yeast | November 14, 1998 | Vanderbilt | 55-17 |
| Most receiving yards, game | 269 yds | Craig Yeast | November 14, 1998 | Vanderbilt | 55-17 |
| Longest run from line of scrimmage | 85 yds | Mark Higgs | September 12, 1987 | Utah State | 41-0 |
| Longest pass play | 91 yds | Buck Belue^ to Amp Arnold^ | October 25, 1980 | Georgia | 0-27 |
| Longest field goal | 54 yds | Hap Hines^ | October 26, 1996 | Georgia | 24-17 |
| Longest Punt | 86 yds | Donnie Jones | November 9, 2002 | LSU | 33-30 |
| Longest Kickoff Return | 100 yds | Willie Shelby^ Tyrone Prothro^ | September 22, 1973 October 9, 2004 | Alabama Alabama | 14-28 17-45 |
| Longest Punt Return | 84 yds | Rafael Little | November 18, 2006 | Louisiana-Monroe | 42-40 |
| Longest Interception Return | 91 yds | Greg Long | September 5, 1981 | North Texas St. | 28-6 |
| Most Points Scored | 77 | Kentucky | September 7, 2002 | UTEP | 77-17 |
| Most overtimes | 7* | Kentucky | November 1, 2003 | Arkansas | 63-71 |
^ Denotes Non-Kentucky Player
* Tied the NCAA record for most overtimes
[edit] See also
- Kentucky Wildcats football
- Bluegrass Miracle
- 2003 Arkansas vs. Kentucky football game, a game at Commonwealth that took seven overtime procedures to decide
- Stoll Field/McLean Stadium
