California Memorial Stadium
California Memorial Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium located on the campus of the University of California in Berkeley, California, United States. It is the home field for the California Golden Bears of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Opened in 1923, the venue currently seats around 63,000 for football; its playing field runs northwest to southeast at an approximate elevation of above sea level. It has been named one of the top college football stadiums by various publications, and it was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 27, 2006.
Memorial Stadium was funded from public contributions, as a memorial to Californians who lost their lives in World War I. The chair of the architectural committee was John Galen Howard, the university's chief architect, and his influence is evident in the stadium's neoclassical motif. In addition to its unique architecture, the stadium's position at the foot of the Berkeley Hills provides top row spectators with panoramic views of San Francisco Bay and west side viewers with views of the Berkeley Hills and Strawberry Canyon. This has earned it a reputation as one of the most scenic venues in college football.
Traditionally, during all football games and especially during the Big Game against Stanford, the hill overlooking the eastern side of Memorial Stadium attracts spectators hoping to watch a game for free, earning the nickname "Tightwad Hill".
Before Memorial Stadium
West Field
On February 14, 1885, the first football game was played on the University of California campus between the hometown Bears and a football club from San Francisco known as the Merions. The field was located where the Valley Life Sciences Building currently stands, and the game drew some 450 spectators. In subsequent years, the field was officially named West Field and seating capacity was expanded to around 5,000. However, by 1904, California's football team had become so popular that West Field became too small, therefore, the university decided to build a new stadium with an excess of 20,000 seats.California Field
opened its doors in 1904 to replace the antiquated West Field and the boosted capacity allowed California to host important games for the first time. While playing at West Field, the Bears played important games at neutral site venues in San Francisco and with a new over 20,000-seat stadium, California was able to host the first Big Game played outside of San Francisco. The new stadium was located much closer to the center of campus and was able to draw unprecedented crowds for the time. California Field is also notable because it is where many of California's longstanding traditions began to take form. In 1910, the first card stunt was performed at the Big Game and after victories, the students would "serpentine" around the field—something that is mentioned in the song "Big C". California Field is also where the Golden Bears gained national prominence under head coach Andrew Latham Smith. Four of the Bears' five consecutive undefeated seasons were played at California Field; the stadium was home to three of California's four straight claimed national championships. Because of this success, it became evident that California needed an even larger venue to host its football team; therefore, the team and its fans began pushing for a new stadium.The drive to build Memorial Stadium
The early 1920s saw four major collegiate venues open in the State of California: Stanford Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and California Memorial Stadium. With the success of the California football program and the openings of the new football venues for Stanford and USC, the campus community was nearly unanimous in its desire to see the Bears get a new stadium of their own. One of the first proposals for a new stadium was on the south-western corner of the campus where Edwards Stadium and Evans Diamond currently stand. This proposal was eventually rejected and the regents settled on a site at the mouth of Strawberry Canyon. The location caused considerable controversy, with objections rising from local community arguing that it would "ruin the beauty of the canyon, destroy the canyon as a natural biological laboratory for the University, and create traffic and transportation problems." There were also protests from homeowners whose homes would be demolished, as well as those whose views would be blocked by the building. However, the popularity of Andy Smith's "Wonder Teams" prevailed and fundraising began in 1922.The $1 million stadium was funded completely by 10,000 seat subscriptions at $100 per subscription; the fundraising drive through these subscriptions was a complete success, with all subscriptions selling out in less than ten days. With funding secured, the university broke ground in January 1923, hoping to open the new stadium in time for the 1923 Big Game.
Construction
Because the stadium would be directly atop the Hayward Fault, it was constructed out of two halves, the eastern side was built into the hills, while the west side contained the main structure built in the neo-classical architecture style to resemble the Roman Coliseum. Expansion joints were placed where the two sides connected, allowing them to separately move during an earthquake. During the construction 2,500 pine trees were planted on what became known as the Tightwad Hill.Original California Memorial Stadium: 1923–2010
History
California played its first seven games of the 1923 season at old California Field preparing to open the new 75,000-seat stadium at Strawberry Canyon for the final game of the season—the Big Game—against Stanford. Both teams were having a good season in 1923 with California going undefeated up to that point and Stanford going into the Big Game with a record of. Leading up to the first game at Memorial Stadium, some in the media suggested to Bears coach Andy Smith that the opening of new stadiums was cursed: Stanford lost the first game played at Stanford Stadium while USC lost the inaugural game of both the Rose Bowl and the Los Angeles Coliseum. Smith simply replied, "Why, of course they did, it was always California they invited to help dedicate their stadiums." The Bears went on to win the inaugural game at California Memorial Stadium by a final score of, beating Stanford for the fifth straight year and securing their fourth straight undefeated season.When California Memorial Stadium opened in 1923, the permanent capacity of the venue was around 75,000 and expandable to around 85,000. For important games, the university would bring out temporary bleachers that would stand around the eastern rim of the stadium. It was during this time, that California set their all-time attendance record in 1947 with an announced crowd of 83,000 for a game against Navy.
As the California football team's fortunes on the field began to fall in the second half of the century and there was a demand for wheelchair seating along the eastern rim, the university did away with the temporary bleachers bringing the stadium's maximum football capacity back down to the permanent capacity of 75,000.
Due to the seismic vulnerability of the old press box, the University of California dismantled the structure and installed a temporary facility that stood until the 2010 season. The installation of the temporary press box brought the stadium's capacity down to 73,347 and then down to 72,516 for the 2004 season. California brought the seating capacity further down to 67,537 with tarps being placed over four sections. The university did remove the tarps, however, for important games allowing a full 72,516 to attend. Because of safety concerns, the university brought the capacity down to 71,799 for the 2008 season.
After the 2010 season, the entire west side of the bowl was demolished and rebuilt. The stands in the original stadium descended right down to the football field, and the view from the lowest midfield seats on the west side could be blocked by the standing visiting team members. To eliminate this problem, the surface of the field was lowered four feet to allow unobstructed seats in the first few rows during the 2010-12 renovation. The capacity of the refurbished stadium is now 63,186, and was sold out for the first game of the 2012 season in a 31-24 Cal loss against the University of Nevada Wolf Pack.
Capacity
| Years | Capacity |
| 2024-present | 52,428 |
| 2022-2023 | 51,892 |
| 2013–2021 | 62,467 |
| 2012 | 63,186 |
| 2008–2010 | 71,799 |
| 2006–2007 | 72,516 |
| 2003–2005 | 67,537 |
| 2002 | 73,347 |
| 1998–2001 | 75,028 |
| 1996–1997 | 74,909 |
| 1982–1995 | 75,662 |
| 1961–1981 | 76,780 |
| 1951–1960 | 81,490 |
| 1949–1950 | 80,239 |
| 1938–1948 | 80,000 |
| 1937 | 77,963 |
| 1927–1936 | 78,461 |
| 1926 | 78,671 |
| 1923–1925 | 72,609 |