Gator Bowl Stadium
Gator Bowl Stadium was a football and soccer stadium in Jacksonville, Florida that was built in 1949. It was radically reconstructed and became the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in 1994.
Origins
Jacksonville's first football venue was built in 1927-1928 with a seating capacity of 7,600. Its primary purpose was to serve as home field for Jacksonville's three new high schools - Lee, Jackson & Landon. At the opening of Fairfield Stadium, Florida Governor John W. Martin called the stadium "the best place in Florida to watch a football game!"
On January 1, 1946, the stadium received national attention when it hosted the first Gator Bowl game. The stadium was expanded to 16,000 seats in 1948, and the structure was renamed the Gator Bowl Stadium.[1]
College and professional sports franchises that used the stadium
It was home to the World Football League's Jacksonville Sharks in 1974 and the Jacksonville Express in 1975. It was the home of a North American Soccer League team, the Jacksonville Tea Men from 1981-1982 and then a United States Football League team, the Jacksonville Bulls from 1984-1985.
Most notably, it was the site of the annual college football Gator Bowl from 1949-1993.
It also hosted the annual Georgia/Florida college football game, which was called "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party".
The Beatles at the Gator Bowl
The Beatles played a concert at the Gator Bowl on their first American Tour on September 11, 1964. It is notable because once the Beatles found out that the concert was going to be segregated, they refused to play there unless they allowed the audience to be desegregated. Paul McCartney went on record about their disapproval of the situation and their lack of understanding of segregation in the first place.[2] John Lennon said, "We never play to segregated audiences and we aren't going to start now. I'd sooner lose out appearance money".[3] They did end up playing to a desegregated audience.
The concert was also notable because it was held the day after Hurricane Dora struck St. Augustine and Jacksonville. Most of Jacksonville was without electricity and power was not restored for several days. Despite the hurricane, 23,000 fans attended, paying $4 and $5 for tickets. During the concert, Ringo Starr's drums were nailed to the stage because of 45 mph winds.[4]
Near-total Demolition
The historical structure was almost entirely razed in 1994, as part of a massive remodeling effort which essentially built a new stadium. The new stadium was re-christened Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Almost none of the original infrastructure remains, except for the west upper deck (which was added in 1982) and the ramping system. While Jacksonville Municipal Stadium was being constructed, the 1994 Florida-Georgia game was held at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida and the 1995 game was played at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The game resumed the following year in Jacksonville.
References
- ^ Gator Bowl Association History page
- ^ Kane,Larry. Ticket to Ride: Inside the Beatles' 1964 Tour That Changed the World,p. 39
- ^ Harry, B. Lennon Encyclopedia, p. 269
- ^ Orlando Sentinel: September 13, 2004-DM's Beatles forums/The Beatles blew into Jacksonville once, after Hurricane Dora
External links
- Defunct American football venues
- Defunct association football venues
- Sports venues in Jacksonville, Florida
- American football venues in Florida
- NCAA bowl game venues
- Demolished sports venues in the United States
- United States Football League venues
- Defunct college football venues
- World Football League venues