Skip Navigation

FACILITIES & DIRECTIONS

 

MEMORIAL STADIUMMEMORIAL STADIUM

  • $26 million total cost
  • 24,000 total seating capacity
  • 42,000 feet of data lines
  • 66' 1'' x 22' 1'' video board
  • $1.2 million cost for video board
  • 910 tons of structural steel
  • $500,000 surface
  • New Musco lighting system with capability to host National TV games

For more than six decades the Tarleton Texans have played on the gridiron at Memorial Stadium.

MEMORIAL STADIUMGuided by the likes of former coaches W. J. Wisdom, Earl Rudder, Buddy Fornes and current head coach Todd Whitten, the Texans built a legacy of excellence, much in the confines of their home arena. Playing host to opponents from the Pioneer Conference, the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Lone Star Conference, the Western Athletic Conference, and most recently the United Athletic Conference, the venerable facility has witnessed championship seasons, postseason bowl invitations, players who have excelled and advanced into the professional ranks, and – for the first time in 2018 – NCAA playoff games.

The stadium owes its very existence, as well as upgrades and additions over its 70+ year life, to the generosity of local supporters of Tarleton’s athletic programs. In the late 1940s, during the administration of President E.J. Howell, local leaders and influential alumni forged a committee to collect the $100,000 necessary to build the stadium. While early efforts proved fruitful, gathering $55,000 within the first year, the drive stalled before being brought back to life by Mary Hope Westbrook, head of the English Department. Westbrook assumed leadership of the group, which then met its funding goal.
 

Architectural drawings and plans for Memorial Stadium, named in memory of 179 former students and faculty members who had died in World War II, were submitted in late spring of 1946. By October 1948, crews began construction, bulldozing eight acres to make way for the stadium. The initial structure, made of reinforced concrete, seated 6,000 fans in 32 rows of steel bleachers. In 1950, a regulation cinder track was installed around the football field and, in 1951, the building opened.

Several rounds of upgrades, most funded by university benefactors, have occurred over time. A major renovation in 1977, financed by a then-ambitious $475,000 local fund-raising drive, added the now-iconic berm on the east side, replaced the old steel seats, extended the bleachers on the west side and built the press box. A $2 million project, which began in 1988, expanded seating to 7,600, added concession areas and built the current field house. In addition, track and field facilities were renovated and named for legendary track coach Oscar Frazier.

In 2017, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents authorized $24 million to begin planning, designing and financing the project. Initial plans included expansion of seating from 7,400 to 17,000 and conversion of the west-side stands to seating for home fans. Additional plans were finalized during the design phase of the project. Renovations included an expanded press box and suites, additional premium seating with chair backs, expanded entrances and ticket booths, and improved concession and other facilities. The football field and track-and-field surfaces were replaced as part of the project.

Tarleton State University named Memorial Stadium's west side expansion for Athletic Director Lonn Reisman as a result of a $2.4 million gift from longtime Texas businessman Mike A. Myers. The naming was approved by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, designating the stadium's west side the Lonn Reisman Athletic Complex.

In 2022, Memorial Stadium was expanded once again, add a full north end side for seating, increasing capacity of the stadium to 24,000.

DIRECTIONS TO MEMORIAL STADIUM
Memorial Stadium is located on the west edge of campus on Harbin Drive, two blocks north of West Washington Street.