Cameron Stadium
Football stadium in Washington, Pennsylvania, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cameron Stadium is an outdoor football stadium adjacent to the campus of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania.
College Field (1920–2001)
Cameron Stadium (2001–present)
Washington, Pennsylvania
Entrance to Cameron Stadium | |
 Interactive map of Cameron Stadium | |
| Former names | College Park (1885–1920) College Field (1920–2001) Cameron Stadium (2001–present) |
|---|---|
| Location | 60 Park Avenue Washington, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40.1645°N 80.2457°W |
| Owner | Washington & Jefferson College |
| Capacity | 5,000[1] |
| Surface | Grass (pre-1999) FieldTurf (installed in 1999) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1885 |
| Renovated | 2001 |
| Architect | Kimball Design-Build Group[2](2001 renovations) |
| General contractor | Landau Building Company[3](2001 renovations) |
Facilities and amenities
Located one mile from campus.[4] It is the host of W&J's home football games, men's and women's soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey, and intramural activities.[1]
The main playing surface is Matrix turf, installed by Hellas Construction in 2009.[4] The eight-lane, all-weather track was resurfaced in 2003.[4]
The stadium is home to the Towler Hall, located next to the field house, which is the home to the W&J Athletic Hall of Fame.[4] Plaques featuring the names of each individual that has been inducted into the Hall of Fame hang on the wall.[4] Towler Hall also has a large banquet room with capacity for 135–150 people.[4] The adjacent Eaton/Gentile Room contains athletic memorability from the college's past.[4]
Athletic training rooms are located under the home bleachers.[4] The training rooms are equipped with electric stimulation machines, ultrasound unit, a paraffin wax machine, and a large whirlpool.[4]
History
In 1885, the college purchased the old Washington Fairgrounds, an 8-acre field in the south side of town, for athletic purposes.[5][6] In order to finance the purchase of the property the college erected an oil well on the grounds.[5] Students exercised in a makeshift facility under the grandstand in the years before the Old Gym was constructed in 1893.[7] The field was known as College Park until being renamed College Field in 1920.[8][6]
The college's 1968 campus master plan called for the construction of a new football stadium on Wade Avenue, which would have been within the East Washington Historic District.[9]
In 1990, the locker facilities received $500,000 worth of renovations and improvements.[9]
In 1999, the stadium was renovated and expanded through a $2.5 million donation from the Cameron family, best known as the owners of Cameron Coca-Cola.[6] The renovations included the installation of a new FieldTurf playing surface, the construction of an eight-lane outdoor track, the construction of improved visitor bleachers, and the installation of a new scoreboard.[6] The next year, the college completed phase two of the renovation in 2000 saw the construction of expanded locker rooms, a new women's locker room, luxury suites, two new concession stands, three new ticket booths, and additional seating for 1,000 spectators.[6] A state-of-the-art press box was constructed, along with hardware necessary for television and radio broadcasts.[6] That same year, the college completed the Washington & Jefferson Athletic Hall of Fame, contained in the Eaton/Gentile Hall of Fame Room at Towler Hall.[6] In 2001, the stadium was renamed Cameron Stadium.[4]
Three years later, the locker room and training facilities located under the bleachers were renovated and the track was resurfaced and repainted.[6] In 2008, the playing surface was replaced with RealGrass artificial turf, including multi-colored end zones and a new W&J College logo at the 50-yard line.[6]
