New
Mexico State:
Aggie Memorial Stadium
School Founded: 1888
Location: Las
Cruces, New Mexico
Football Founded: 1893
Current Conference: Independent
FBS
Facilities: Since
1978, Aggie Memorial Stadium has been the home of New Mexico State football.
Officially dedicated on Sept. 16, 1978, the Aggies christened the stadium with
a 35-32 victory over rival Texas-El Paso. The top seven crowds in the history
of Aggie Memorial Stadium, and eight of the top nine, have come in games
against UTEP.
Aggie Memorial¹s capacity is 30,343,
and was constructed at a cost of $4 million. The construction was funded by the
New Mexico State Legislature as part of a capital outlay package. Presently
valued at considerably more than the actual construction price, the stadium is
one of the finest sports facilities in the Southwest.
The stadium was designed by NMSU
alumnus Craig Protz of Bohening-Protz Associates of Las Cruces and consultants
Caudill-Rowlett-Scott of Houston.
The stadium features many unique
qualities beginning with the ‘berm’ type of structure. The berm approach
locates the field slightly below ground level with seats both above and below
the natural ground level. Seats are arranged in a fan-pleasing curved pattern
with an almost complete bowl shape by the seats below the concourse level.
Non-smoking, chair-back, and handicapped seating areas are also provided within
the seating scheme.
The playing field is a Hybrid
Bermuda turf, and includes a quick-draining system beneath the playing surface,
which was the first Hybrid Bermuda turf of its kind. The 2007 Super Bowl was
played on the exact same Hybrid Bermuda turf.
Lighting for the stadium is provided
by an eight-pole system, which affords excellent visibility for night games.
The energy-saving sodium vapor lights sit atop four poles, which rise 110 feet
above the berm and 175 feet above the playing field. In 2005, the lighting
system received a major upgrade going from a four-pole system to an eight-pole
system, costing approximately $300,000. The new lighting was an excellent
upgrade to showcase Aggie football games on local and national television.
Auxiliary buildings, included in the
stadium complex, offer the latest in modern locker room, pressbox, Aggie
Athletics offices, football meeting rooms and strength and conditioning
facilities. To the north is the Football Field House remodeling began shortly
after spring football in 2006. The $2.2 million remodeling project will include
new lockers and locker room area, a new coaches locker room, larger team
meeting rooms, a video room, new rubber flooring and a larger equipment room.
The athletic training room will also receive a face lift, with a doctor¹s exam
room, an X-Ray room, new equipment and better offices.
In addition the Aggies have new
meeting rooms on the south end of the fieldhouse and a new walkway connecting
the east and west sides of the stadium will be built as well.
On the west stands sits a
functionally designed pressbox, which has seating for nearly 100 working media
and event staff. In 1992, a state-of-the-art 13,500-foot weight room was added
to the stadium complex.
Aggie Memorial Stadium is located
just west of Interstate 25 on the eastern edge of the main campus‹directly
south of NMSU’s Pan American Center. The stadium is a short walk from campus
dormitories and parking is available for more than 5,000 vehicles.
TV Market(s): El Paso (98th TV Market)
All-time Record: 422-587-31
4 conference titles.
Claimed National Championships: None
Rivalries:
- New Mexico
- UTEP
Student Population: 18,497
(14,698 Undergraduate)
Academics: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/new-mexico-state-university-2657
Endowment: $154
Million
Athletic Budget: $15.4
million
FBS Aspirations:
The WAC may have been raided by the
Mountain West yet again, Conference USA yet again and even the distant Sun
Belt, but at least it's got a pair of schools left it can use to try and coerce
some FCS programs into moving up. Yes sir, Idaho and New Mexico State. It's not
mu- oh. Oh, dear.
NMSU was a member of the Sun Belt
until 2005, when it and Idaho both left to join the WAC. New Sun Belt
commissioner Karl Benson was the WAC commissioner from 1994 through 2011,
meaning he could twice coax New Mexico State to join his conference, if the
reported interest becomes an offer. And if there's an offer, the Aggies would
fall over themselves to accept it.
Tuesday night, NMSU president
Barbara Couture and AD McKinley Boston issued the following letter:
Much discussion is taking place in
the news about possible shifts that may occur among the WAC football playing
schools. Some believe New Mexico State University and the University of Idaho
are likely to end up on the outside looking in at the end of this process.
We both felt the need to address
this issue with our fans, students, alumni and broader university community.
The changes in conference alignments
that began several years ago and continue today are unprecedented in college
sports. This is truly a new day when the sports, primarily football, are ruled
by the potential for TV coverage. We all understand that. Now we are beginning
to better comprehend just how far-reaching this new reality can be. Of course,
New Mexico State University has no major media market to bring to the table.
Without that market our "value" as a conference member appears to be
less than other schools with less successful programs but that are located in
areas with a greater population. The same thing appears to be the case for the
University of Idaho.
We want to assure the community that
we will continue to take any and all measures we feel might assist us in
reaching a successful solution to this current challenge.
We take great pride in our
student-athletes and their successes on and off the court. Our student-athletes
are among our best and brightest students. They graduate at a higher rate with
higher grade point averages than the student body as a whole. They also achieve
success on the field. We are proud that we stand near the top of the WAC
Commissioners Cup with the possibility of capturing it as the most overall
successful athletic program among current WAC schools.
We continue to explore all options
and ask our university community of alumni, supporters and students to stand
united with us as we seek solutions.
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