Alumni Stadium

Alumni Field
View from the top of the press box prior to a football game in 2015.
Location	100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609
Coordinates	42°16′26″N 71°48′42″W / 42.27389°N 71.81167°W / 42.27389; -71.81167
Owner	Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Operator	Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Capacity	2,000 (2007–present) 2,800 (1926–2006)
Surface	1914–1984 Grass 1985–1996 Omniturf 1997–2006 AstroTurf 12 2007–Present FieldTurf
Construction
Broke ground	1913
Opened	November 14, 1914
Renovated	1926, 1985, 1997, 2007
Construction cost	US$25,000 ($770,707 in 2023 dollars[1])
Architect	Olmsted Brothers
General contractor	Varnum P. Curtis
Tenants
WPI Engineers (NCAA) (1914–present)

Alumni Stadium is a football and all-purpose stadium located on the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the home field of the WPI Engineers football team of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). The present seating capacity of the stadium is 2,000. Opened 110 years ago in 1914, it was named Alumni Stadium in honor of all the alumni who funded its construction.

The Class of 1886 started the efforts to raise funds for both a field and gymnasium at the 1911 Alumni Council meeting. The goal of $200,000 ($6.17 million in 2023 dollars^[1]) for the building of both a field ($25,000) and a gymnasium ($100,000) was reached in June 1913.^[2] The remaining funds ($75,000) were spent on purchasing gym equipment and starting an endowment. The 1911 plan originally called for Alumni Stadium to build on a strip of land west of Bliss Field, where the Engineers had been playing their games. When the institute purchased twelve acres near Park Avenue in 1912, it became apparent that this newly acquired land was more adaptable for their new field. The Olmsted Brothers were hired to draft new plans for an athletic field and discovered the institute would be required to purchase an additional tract of land from the Worcester Art Museum to build Alumni Stadium. The construction contract was awarded to Alumnus Varnum P. Curtis in May 1913 with Professor Arthur W. French being the consulting engineer and Professor Arthur J. Knight as the resident engineer. In the summer of 1913 they broke ground.^[3]

Prior to the 1914 season, the field had its final grading and seeding completed.^[4] On November 14, 1914, the first game was played at the stadium culminating with a 14–0 win over their rivals, the RPI Engineers.^[5] Although, it was not until the following year, 1915 (WPI's 50th Anniversary) that construction was complete with the installation of a decorative iron fence and gate.^[2]

The first renovations of Alumni Stadium occurred in 1926 when bleachers with a capacity of 2,800 were installed on the east and west side of the field.^[6] In May 1985, an Omniturf surface was installed marking the first time the Engineers would play its home games on a turf field.^[7][8] This switch from grass to turf was met with criticism from the WPI community citing both cost and safety concerns. The latter stemming from articles published by both the local newspaper, the Worcester Gazette, and Sports Illustrated.^[9] However, the WPI Athletic Department reaffirmed its decision and the Omniturf surface remained for its expected lifetime of 10–12 years. life The stadium underwent a major renovation before the 1997 season consisting of the installation of a new AstroTurf 12 playing surfacing and the resurfacing of the track.^[6] Ten years later in 2007, the stadium had another major renovation which included a new FieldTurf playing surface, new bleachers (decreasing capacity to 2,000) and press box on the west side of the field, a new scoreboard, and a new field lighting system.^[10] Additionally in 2007, the eight-lane track was resurfaced and named after longtime track and field coach, Merl M. Norcross, during a dedication ceremony during Homecoming.^[11] In the summer of 2015 the field was resurfaced again with FieldTurf.^[12]