Arizona Stadium

Arizona Stadium is a college football stadium in Tucson, Arizona, United States. It is the home field of the University of Arizona Wildcats football team, which plays in Pacific-12 Conference.

Originally constructed in 1928 to hold 7,000 spectators, the stadium's seating capacity has been expanded numerous times since. In 2009, the university announced major expansion plans for the facility, and as of 2012, the stadium had a total capacity of 51,811. The facility also includes various academic offices, including the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab.

History
Located in central Tucson, Arizona Stadium has been home to University of Arizona Wildcats football since 1928. Initially, stadium capacity was 7,000, with the only seating located on the stadium's west side. Arizona's first game at the facility was October 12, 1929 when the Wildcats defeated Caltech 35-0. Capacity was increased to 10,000 in 1938 when seats were constructed on the stadium's east side. 4,000 seats were added to both end zones in 1947.

In 1950, a horseshoe configuration was constructed around the south end zone resulting in the addition of almost 8,700 seats. A multi-level press box and 10,000 seats were added to the west grandstand in 1965. The east side of the stadium received a second tier, consisting of 17,000 seats, in 1976, as the Wildcats prepared to leave the WAC for the Pac-8 in 1978.

In 1981, the track team stopped using the stadium and the track was removed. Permanent seating was placed at the north end zone in 1988. Following the 1988 season, a new press box with luxury sky boxes was built. Prior to the 1999 season, a new scoreboard with a video monitor was installed.

The Copper Bowl (now known as the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl) was a postseason bowl game based in Tucson and held at Arizona Stadium for ten years before moving to Phoenix (the game is now played in Tempe at Sun Devil Stadium, home to Arizona's instate rival Arizona State).

Expansion and renovation
In September 2009, UA announced a long-term $378 million sports expansion project that would include an expansion of the north end zone stands. The expansion would include a four-story building that would house locker rooms and football offices. In January 2011, it was announced that a new 5,356 sqft video board would be installed above the south stands in time for the 2011 season. It is the fourth-largest video screen in college football (third-largest if non-college-exclusive stadiums are excluded, as Miami shares Sun Life Stadium with the Miami Dolphins).

Structure and facilities
The football field runs in the traditional north–south configuration and the natural grass playing field sits at an elevation of 2430 ft above sea level.

The facility also includes two dormitories, Pinal and Navajo, in the south stands, and Sierra Hall, which is home to offices for the music and residence life departments, located under the east stands. The Steward Observatory Mirror Lab, a mirror fabrication facility for large telescopes, sits under the east wing.