Michie Stadium

Michie Stadium

Hosting Air Force in November 2008
Full name Blaik Field at Michie Stadium
Location 700 Mills Road
West Point, New York 10996
Coordinates 41°23′15″N 73°57′51″W / 41.38750°N 73.96417°W / 41.38750; -73.96417Coordinates: 41°23′15″N 73°57′51″W / 41.38750°N 73.96417°W / 41.38750; -73.96417
Owner U.S. Military Academy
Operator U.S. Military Academy
Capacity 38,000[1]
Surface FieldTurf (2008–present)
AstroPlay (2001–2007)
AstroTurf (1977–2000)
Grass (1924–1976)
Construction
Broke ground 1924
Opened 1924
Expanded 1962: east grandstand
1969: west upper deck
2003: press box
Construction cost $300,000
Tenants
Army Black Knights (NCAA)
(1924–present)
Website
Michie Stadium

Michie Stadium /ˈmaɪki/ is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. The home field for the Army Black Knights, it opened in 1924 and has a current seating capacity of 38,000.[2]

The stadium sits at the upper portion of campus, directly west of Lusk Reservoir. The field is at an elevation of 335 feet (102 m) above sea level and runs in the traditional north-south configuration, with the press box above the west sideline. Due to the view offered by its location overlooking the Hudson River and the Neo-Gothic architecture of the campus below, it was rated as Sports Illustrated's #3 sports venue of the 20th century.[3]

Overview

Dennis Michie

Michie Stadium is dedicated to the memory of Dennis Michie (1870–1898), who was instrumental in starting the football program while a cadet at the Academy. A member of the Class of 1892, Michie organized, managed, and coached the first football team at West Point in 1890. Six years after graduation, he was killed in Cuba during the Spanish–American War. There have been several renovations since the stadium's first game in October 1924, when Army defeated Saint Louis, 17–0.

Blaik Field

On September 25, 1999, the football field at Michie Stadium was named Blaik Field, in honor of Earl "Red" Blaik, the head coach at West Point from 1941 to 1958. Blaik led Army to three consecutive national titles from 1944 to 1946.

Playing surface

Since 2008, the playing surface has been FieldTurf. This replaced AstroPlay, which had been used since 2001. The stadium's playing field was natural grass until AstroTurf was installed in 1977.[2]

Army–Navy Game

Michie Stadium has hosted the Army–Navy Game only once, in 1943 during World War II. Neither Army nor Navy have played at an on-campus facility since very early in the rivalry, since teams' home stadiums are not nearly large enough to accommodate the crowds and media that usually attend the rivalry games. Their rivalry game is normally played at a neutral site between the campuses on the East Coast, usually in Philadelphia in early December.

References

  1. ↑ "Blaik Field at Michie Stadium". Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Blaik Field at Michie Stadium". GoArmySports.com. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
  3. ↑ "Century's Best - SI's Top 20 Venues of the 20th Century". Sports Illustrated. 1999-06-07. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
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