Reser Stadium

Reser Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, United States on the campus of Oregon State University. It is the home of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference. Originally opened in 1953 as Parker Stadium, the stadium was renamed in 1999, and its current seating capacity is 45,674. The FieldTurf playing field runs northwest to southeast, at an elevation of 240 ft above sea level, with the press box above the grandstand on the southwest sideline.

History and use
From 1910 to 1953, the Beavers played their home games at Bell Field (now the site of the Dixon Recreation Center), and also played as many as four games a year at Multnomah Stadium (now Jeld-Wen Field) in Portland.

In 1948, Oregon State president August L. Strand, athletic director Spec Keene, and Portland businessman Charles T. Parker met to plan a replacement for Bell Field. In 1949, Parker kicked off the stadium fundraising campaign and made significant contributions of his own. In 1952, construction of the stadium began. For Parker's efforts and contributions, the stadium was named in his honor, and the first game was played on Homecoming, November 14, 1953, with the Beavers defeating Washington State 7-0. The stadium was renovated in 1958, 1965, and 1967, reaching a capacity of approximately 40,500 seats, but the architect's full intent never came to fruition. In 1990, with the construction of the original Valley Football Center behind the northwest end zone, capacity was reduced to 35,362.

The stadium was renamed in 1999 to honor Al and Pat Reser, owners of Reser's Fine Foods. The couple both graduated from Oregon State in 1960 and are major donors to Beavers athletics and OSU, though Al died at the age of 74 in 2010. The Parker name is still honored at Parker Plaza, located between Reser and Gill Coliseum, the site of many pregame activities.

The stadium is located on the southwest corner of the Oregon State campus at the intersection of SW 26th Street and SW Western Boulevard in Corvallis. In addition to football, intramural and club sports also use the facility occasionally.

Reser Stadium alternates with Autzen Stadium at the University of Oregon in hosting the Civil War game. Since 1954, the games in even-numbered years have been played in Corvallis, odd-numbered in Eugene.

Expansion and upgrades
Through the 2004 season, the official capacity of the stadium stood at 35,362. In 2003 the Raising Reser campaign was initiated, which resulted in an increase of seating capacity to 43,300 for the 2005 season by way of constructing a new grandstand along the northeast sideline, with plans to eventually reach 55,000 seats through three phases of renovation. "Phase Two" of the Raising Reser project was completed between the 2006 and 2007 football seasons; it enclosed the horseshoe in the southeast end zone with continuous seating in the corners. This addition raised total seating capacity to 45,674 and included the 80 x 30 ft. (24 x 9 m) ProStar Digital VideoPlus Display screen.

During the planned Phase Three, the upper level will extend through the southwest grandstand.

Through the 1968 season, the stadium's playing surface was natural grass. AstroTurf was installed in 1969, and replaced roughly every decade. In 1999 the surface was replaced with AstroTurf 12/2000; infilled FieldTurf was installed in 2005. It is scheduled to be replaced again after the 2011 Football Season.

The north end zone is also home to the Valley Football Center, which houses a large weight room, offices and meeting facilities, reserved primarily for coaches and administrators within the football program.

Attendance records

 * 1. #16 OSU vs. #5 Oregon (November 24, 2012) - 47,249
 * 2. #14 OSU vs. Washington State (October 6, 2012) - 46,579
 * 3. OSU vs. #1 Oregon (December 4, 2010) - 46,469
 * 4. #17 OSU vs. #19 Oregon (November 29, 2008) – 46,319
 * 5. #11 OSU vs. Arizona State (November 3, 2012) – 45,979
 * 6. #23 OSU vs. California (November 15, 2008) – 45,969
 * 7. #8 OSU vs. Utah(October 20, 2012) - 45,796
 * 8. OSU vs. Washington (November 10, 2007) – 45,629
 * 9. OSU vs. California (October 30, 2010) - 45,439
 * 10. OSU vs. Arizona State (October 2, 2010) – 45,409

Non-Athletic Uses
Apart from use from the Athletic Department, Reser Stadium is occasionally also used for various non-athletic events, particularly events such as commencement, held every June. This has allowed the stadium to hold notable speakers such as astronaut John Glenn and First Lady Michelle Obama.