Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium

Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium is an outdoor football stadium located on the campus of the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Commonly known as H. A. Chapman Stadium, it is the home field for the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane of the American Athletic Conference. The venue opened in 1930 and currently seats around 30,000 fans for football, since renovation completed in 2008.[3][4]

Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium
Skelly Stadium
The University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane against the Bearkats of Sam Houston State, September 26, 2009
H. A. Chapman Stadium
Location in Oklahoma
H. A. Chapman Stadium
Location in the United States
Former namesSkelly Field (1930–1947)
Skelly Stadium (1947–2007)
Location3112 East 8th Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Coordinates36°8′55″N 95°56′38″W
OwnerUniversity of Tulsa
OperatorUniversity of Tulsa
Capacity30,000 (2008–present)
35,542 (2005–2007)
40,385 (1965–2004)
19,500 (1947–1964)
14,500 (1930–1946)
SurfaceGrass (1930–1971)
Tartan Turf (1972–1981)
Astroturf (1982–1990)
Stadia Turf (1991–1999)
FieldTurf (2000–present)
Construction
Broke groundMay 11, 1930
OpenedOctober 4, 1930
Construction cost$275,000 (all in tax money) (approximate, original)
($4.46 million in 2021 dollars[1])
ArchitectSmith & Senter[2]
Tenants
Tulsa Golden Hurricane (NCAA) (1930–present)
Tulsa Roughnecks (NASL) (1978–1984)
Oklahoma Outlaws (USFL) (1984)
Tulsa Tornados (USL) (1985)

History

Skelly Field (as it was originally known) was built in 1930 as a 14,500-seat stadium. It was named for its primary benefactor, William Skelly, the founder of Skelly Oil. Tulsa defeated Arkansas 26–6 at the opening game on October 4, 1930.[5]

In 1947, the north stands were added and the stadium was renamed Skelly Stadium. In 1965, the track was removed, the field was lowered, the west stands were expanded and the south stands were added, bringing the total capacity to 40,385 seats. In February 2005, the north stands were demolished to make way for the new Case Athletic Complex, reducing the seating capacity to 35,542.[5] In 2007–2008, the stadium was renovated, reducing capacity to 30,000 [6]

The stadium, located on historic U.S. Route 66, hosted the Oklahoma Outlaws of the USFL in 1984. Skelly was once the principal home field for two American football legends – future NFL Hall-of-Famer (and later U.S. Congressman) Steve Largent when he played for the University of Tulsa and Doug Williams of the Oklahoma Outlaws, who later was a Super Bowl MVP for the Washington Redskins. The stadium was also home to the Tulsa Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League 1978–1984 and the short-lived Tulsa Mustangs of the AFA.

The stadium's attendance record was established on September 26, 1987, when 47,350 fans watched Tulsa lose to Oklahoma, 65–0.[5]

On April 26, 2007, it was reported that, with a renovation project underway, the stadium was renamed as Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium after the primary benefactor of the renovation.[7]

The stadium is also used for the Jenks–Union football rivalry games.

Atttendance records

The highest attended game in stadium history was 47,350 on September 26, 1987, against No. 1 — ranked Oklahoma.[8][9]

Top Ten Single Game Attendance
Rank Attendance Date Winning team Losing team
1 47,350 26 September 1987 No. 1 Oklahoma 65 Tulsa 0
2 41,235 13 September 1986 Tulsa 27 Oklahoma State 23
3 40,785 9 September 1989 Tulsa 20 Oklahoma State 10
4 40,385 18 September 1993 Oklahoma State 16 Tulsa 10
20 September 1997 Missouri 42 Tulsa 21
12 September 1998 Tulsa 35 Oklahoma State 20
9 September 2000 Oklahoma State 36 Tulsa 26
30 August 2002 No. 1 Oklahoma 37 Tulsa 0
9 40,248 17 November 1990 Tulsa 20 Montana State 2
10 40,235 29 September 1984 No. 10 Oklahoma State 31 Tulsa 7

Largest season attendance average

The highest attendance average in a season was 31,236 in 1991 with 7 games.[8]

Rank Season Average Games
1 1991 31,236 7
2 1965 28,899 4
3 1982 28,355 5
4 1989 25,388 5
5 1993 25,077 5
6 1992 24,883 6
7 1996 24,814 5
8 1995 24,538 6
9 1987 24,074 4
10 1990 23,917 5

Wins

Tulsa's Victories at Skelly Field
Win Date Opponent Score Attendance
First win October 4, 1930 Arkansas 26–6 30,000
25th win October 27, 1934 Kansas State 21–0 12,000
50th win October 18, 1941 Saint Louis 33–7
75th win November 22, 1945 Arkansas 45–12
100th win November 10, 1951 Kansas State 42–26
125th win November 15, 1958 Texas Tech 9–7
150th win October 23, 1965 Cincinnati 49–8
175th win September 29, 1973 Cincinnati 16–13
200th win November 3, 1979 Wichita State 28–26
225th win October 20, 1984 Wichita State 55–20
250th win November 16, 1991 Louisville 40–0
275th win September 20, 2003 Arkansas State 54–7
290th win November 26, 2006 Tulane 38–3
300th win October 24, 2008 UCF 49–19

Renovation
The newly renovated H. A. Chapman Stadium.

The stadium was renovated following the end of the 2007 football season. The project included new seating, a new pressbox, club and loge seating, and a new scoreboard. With the removal of the upper section of the west stands, seating capacity dropped to approximately 30,000, which made Chapman Stadium the smallest stadium in Conference USA.

See also

References
  1. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  2. "Leon Bishop Senter, FAIA (1889–1965)". Tulsa Architecture. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  3. "SKELLY FIELD at H.A. CHAPMAN STADIUM".
  4. "Flip this house".
  5. "Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium". Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  6. "TU Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium". Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  7. Eric Bailey (April 26, 2007). "TU's stadium changes titles, but Skelly name not forgotten". Tulsa World.
  8. "Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium and Case Athletic Complex".
  9. "Do you remember the old Skelly Stadium?".
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