Bud Winter Field

37°19′16″N 121°51′55″W / 37.3212°N 121.8653°W / 37.3212; -121.8653

Bud Winter Field in 2018 with the Spartan Golf Complex behind it.
The SJSU Sports Complex parking garage that replaced the field.

Bud Winter Field was the San Jose State University track and field arena, named after former coach Lloyd "Bud" Winter. Out of the athletes Winter coached, 102 were All-Americans,[1] earning the university the nickname "Speed City".[2]

Olympians and activists Tommie Smith and John Carlos trained on the track before their famous 1968 Olympics Black Power salute in Mexico City.

The field was demolished in 2019. A parking garage has been built on the site.[3] A replacement track on the parking garage's rooftop was abandoned due to its projected cost. A tribute to the Speed City is planned for the site.[4] In 2022, the university began raising funds to build a $25 million Speed City Legacy Center, including a replacement track, at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds nearby.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Retired Track Coach Bud Winter Dies of Heart Attack at 76". Los Angeles Times. 1985-12-08. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  2. ^ Bembry, Jerry (2016-08-02). "San Jose State to revive its fabled 'Speed City' track program". Andscape. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  3. ^ "San Jose State plans to turn historic track into parking garage". The Mercury News. 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  4. ^ "South Campus Recreational Field, Speed City Tribute & Parking Garage Plan Announced" (Press release). San Jose State Spartans. 2019-04-13. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  5. ^ Pizarro, Sal (October 15, 2022). "San Jose State gets $9 million for 'Speed City' track and field facility". The Mercury News. San Jose, California. Retrieved February 10, 2023.