Martin Stadium
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Martin Stadium is the primary field of Washington State University's teams in soccer and football. It is named after Clarence D. Martin, the governor of the state of Washington from 1932-1940 who ironically is a graduate of the school's in-state rival, the University of Washington. It was commissioned in 1972, two years after the previous stadium, Rogers Field, was burned to the ground in a fire long believed to involve foul play. Martin Stadium has a capacity of 37,600. Since the renovation of Reser Stadium at Oregon State University, Martin Stadium has the lowest seating capacity among Pac-10 football stadiums. The attendance record was set on November 15, 1997 when WSU beat Stanford University in front of 40,306 fans. Despite the relatively small size of Martin Stadium, it has one of the highest ratios of seating capacity to population base at almost 1.6 seats per every citizen in the city of Pullman. Martin stadium also has a reputation as a very intimate venue, putting the fans much closer to the action than many other stadiums. This is possible because Martin Stadium was the first football stadium to expand by taking out the track and lowering the field. This made room for over 12,000 new seats that were closer the the field. Following a 10-3 season and an undefeated home campaign in 2003, Martin Stadium was ranked by Sports Illustrated as one of the toughest stadiums for visiting teams in college football.
[edit] Sharing with a rival
For four years, the University of Idaho, had used Martin Stadium as a home field. This was in hopes that U of I could qualify for Division 1-A statis, since their usual home field, the Kibbie Dome, was too small to support the attendence needed for Division 1-A. U of I and Washington State were, for a long time, rivals and from time-to-time had played against each other in a game known as "the Battle of the Palouse".
[edit] Fire at Rogers Field
At 10:30PM on April 4, 1970, the day after Spring Break began, residents heard what they described as a gunshot at the field. By 2:00 AM the stadium had burned to the ground, watched by 1,000 residents and firefighters. The exact cause, or offender, was never found, though there were several suspects. What remains of the field has been used for track and soccer practices.
[edit] Stadium renovation
Martin Stadium will begin a major renovation project following completion of the 2006-07 football season. In spring 2006 the Associated Students of Washington State University approved a measure to finance $10 million of the estimated $70 million cost of the multi-phase renovation. Pending finances, renovation could be completed as early as 2009. Among the plans for renovation are added seating capacity, improved amenities and new press boxes and luxury suites.
