The stadium opened on September 14, 2002. It was named in honor of New York state senator Kenneth LaValle on October 19, 2002. LaValle played a key role in the development and creation of the stadium.[8] The stadium consists of a three-tier press box on the east side, as well as six luxury suites, a press box, television and radio booths, and a camera deck on the roof.[8] Its most recent expansion came in 2017, with the addition of 2,000 seats in the north end zone and a new concessions and restrooms facility.
LaValle Stadium was listed at No. 22 on a 2012 Yahoo! Sports list of "College Football's Top 25 Toughest Places to Play".[12]
History
As Stony Brook planned its transition to Division I from Division III, a new football stadium was immediately deemed necessary to replace Seawolves Field, a 1,000-seat bleacher stadium with muddy sinkholes that had existed since 1984. The first proposal in 1994 called for a $4 million multi-use stadium for football and lacrosse. However, 500 professors petitioned Governor Mario Cuomo to stop the stadium from being built along with Stony Brook's transition to Division I, because they worried a new stadium would add more traffic to the Three Villages, attract a rowdy crowd on weekends and take money from academic programs.[13]
Construction on a new stadium began in 2000. Originally slated to cost $12 million, the final structure cost $22 million and was fully supported by Stony Brook president Shirley Strum Kenny, who said she was "serious about the athletic program, serious about Division I", and expected Stony Brook to became "important" and "a contender."[14]
"Seawolves Stadium" opened on September 14, 2002, as the Stony Brook Seawolves football team faced the St. John's Red Storm in Stony Brook's first game as a Division I program.[15] Stony Brook won 34–9, and the opening kickoff was returned for a touchdown by the Seawolves.[16] At the time of its opening, the 8,136-seat stadium was the largest in Suffolk County, a record that is still held today.[17]
On October 19, 2002, the date of Stony Brook's Homecoming game against Sacred Heart, the stadium was renamed the Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in honor of New York state senator Kenneth P. LaValle, a key figure in the development and creation of the $22 million facility.[18] Before its opening, the Stony Brook Director of Marketing and Promotions for Athletics had opened up the possibility of renaming the stadium for a corporate partnership or a former president of Stony Brook University.[19]
Public criticism of the stadium's name occurred in 2009 after LaValle voted against the legalization of gay marriage in New York and in 2019 when LaValle voted against a ban on gay conversion therapy.[20][21]
Expansions
In October 2012, Stony Brook University allocated $5.7 million for the addition of at least 2,000 seats to LaValle Stadium, bringing the seating capacity from 8,300 to 10,300, with a standing capacity of 2,000 bringing the stadium's total capacity to 12,300.[22]
New York governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed a $22 million upgrade to the stadium in 2015, money which was originally allocated for a "computational biomedicine visualization and drug development magnet facility." The Senate had attempted to change the usage of the funds in the state budget as the intended programs no longer existed.[23]
An expansion was completed in the summer of 2017 and added 2,000 seats in the north end zone, as well as a new concessions and restrooms facility.[24] Before the 2018 season, a new turf field was installed in LaValle Stadium, also adding red end zones and a new midfield logo.[25]
In October 2005, LaValle Stadium was chosen to be the host site for the two North Region contests in the 2006 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament, with both of the games aired on ESPN2. It was the first time that Stony Brook had hosted any NCAA postseason championship even since the program's move to Division I in 1999.[26] A sold-out crowd of 8,335 attended the events. Stony Brook was again chosen to host the North Region games in the 2011 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament quarterfinals.[27]
A sold-out crowd of 10,024 watched the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship quarterfinals at LaValle Stadium, where No. 8-seeded Stony Brook fell 10–9 to No. 1-seeded Virginia, falling one goal short of the Final Four.[28]
LaValle Stadium first hosted the Final Four and championship game of the NCAA women's lacrosse tournament in 2011, after three consecutive seasons of being held at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium.[29] A crowd of 8,011 witnessed Northwestern beat Maryland in the title game. The event resulted in 20,000 people visiting the Stony Brook region and $100,000 in hotel revenue. Stony Brook was chosen to host the 2012 Final Four as well.[30] The Final Four returned to Stony Brook in 2018.[9]
LaValle Stadium was set to host three games of the 2020 Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) season, including a nationally televised game on NBC in June, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league held its season in a bubble in Utah instead.[31][32]
Attendance records
The most attended game in Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium history occurred on October 5, 2019, when 12,812 showed up for a Homecoming game against James Madison in which Stony Brook lost, 45–38, in overtime.[33]
LaValle Stadium in 2019LaValle Stadium during its most-attended game
Highest attendance at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium (football)
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