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in dollars) | scoreboard = wide, tall〔 〕 | architect = Osborn-Papesh | general_contractor = Melborne Brothers | former_names = Memorial Stadium (1969–73)〔 | tenants = Kent State Golden Flashes (NCAA) Football (1969–present) Field hockey (1997–2005) | seating_capacity = 25,319 (2008–present) 29,287 (2003–2007) 30,520 (1969–2002) | record_attendance = 27,363 |}} Dix Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kent, Ohio, United States. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Kent State Golden Flashes football team. It lies at the far eastern end of the KSU campus along Summit Street, just east of State Route 261 and is the center piece of what has become an athletic complex. From 1997-2005, the field hockey team also played its games at the stadium until a new field hockey stadium was constructed behind Dix Stadium. The KSU softball, women's soccer, field hockey, and indoor track teams all play their home matches in facilities around Dix Stadium. The stadium also hosts the occasional high school football game and served as the host of the 2001 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship. It opened on September 13, 1969 and was named in honor of Robert C. Dix, former publisher of the ''Record-Courier'' and a member of Kent State's Board of Trustees for more than three decades, in 1973. The 25,319-seat stadium consists of three separate grandstands on each side of the field except the south side. The west side is the largest, and the recently rebuilt east side (student seating) is the smallest. On either side of the east grandstands are spaces for party tents. Although the first night game was held in 1990, permanent lights were not added until 1996. Artificial turf was installed in 1997 and replaced in 2005 with the latest version of FieldTurf. Prior to the 2002 season, the east side stands, remnants of the original Memorial Stadium, were demolished. The current east side bleachers were constructed after the 2002 season and were completed in time for the 2003 season opener. The configuration slightly altered the stadium's seating capacity reducing it from 30,520 to 29,287 before the latest renovations reduced capacity to the current figure of 25,319. ==History== Prior to the opening of Dix Stadium, the Golden Flashes football team played home games at Memorial Stadium, which was located adjacent to what is now known as the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center. Memorial Stadium opened in 1950, though the team had been playing on the site since 1941. By 1965, Memorial Stadium had been expanded to seat 20,000 people from its original 5,600. Enrollment growth and construction of new academic buildings in the 1950s and early 1960s meant that the Memorial Stadium site, which had previously been the edge of campus, was instead becoming its physical center. In 1964, continued and forecasted enrollment growth at Kent State led to discussion on building a new University Center in the area partially occupied by the stadium, to include a new student center and library along with additional parking and new classroom buildings for science. Early plans for the stadium called for it to seat 55,000 and be located in the southwest corner of the campus, adjacent to the site of what is now Olga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium. Dix Stadium, known as Memorial Stadium until 1973, was regarded as an "expansion and relocation" of Memorial Stadium rather than an entirely new stadium. A new grandstand on the west side of the stadium, with seating for over 12,000 people and locker room and press facilities, was constructed on the new site, along Summit Road just over east of campus. Approximately 17,000 seats from Memorial Stadium were dismantled and moved to the new site. Memorial Stadium's sideline grandstands became the end zone seats in the new stadium, while the auxiliary bleacher sections were used for the east stands. The first game at Dix Stadium was on September 13, 1969, a 24–14 win over the Dayton Flyers in front of 8,172 fans. Because of delays, the new west stands, including the home and visitor locker rooms, press box, and most of the seating, were not completed until after the 1969 football season, limiting the seating capacity to 18,200. For the first season, the teams dressed in the locker rooms at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center and were bused to the stadium. At halftime, the teams met in separate public restroom facilities. The "new" Memorial Stadium was dedicated in 1970 and renamed Dix Stadium in honor of longtime Kent State trustee and Record-Courier publisher Robert C. Dix in 1973. Its initial seating capacity was listed at 28,748 before later being revised to 30,520, which stood through the 2001 season.〔 The first major changes to Dix Stadium began in the early 1990s when an elevator was added to reach the press box and suites, and in 1996 when permanent lighting was added. Night games had been played since 1990, but with temporary lighting. The next year, a new scoreboard and artificial turf were installed, which allowed the field hockey team to begin play at the stadium. The field hockey team played home games at Dix Stadium through the 2004 season before moving to the adjacent Murphy-Mellis Field in 2005. After the east side bleachers were condemned and demolished in 2001, the area remained open for the entire 2002 season. Prior to the start of the 2003 season, a new section of bleacher seating was built as the student section, bringing the total seating capacity to 29,287. In 2007, a two-phase renovation of the stadium started. Phase one included construction of a large canopy over the press box, new entrance gates, and a ticket office, all completed prior to the 2007 season opener. Phase two included the demolition of the south end zone seats and the former press box atop the seats in the north end zone, and construction of a new high definition scoreboard, concession area, and plaza in the sound end zone area. The removal of the approximately 5,000 seats in the south end zone reduced the stadium's seating capacity to 25,319. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dix Stadium」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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