Bright House Networks Stadium

For the similarly named baseball stadium in Clearwater, Florida, see Bright House Field.

Coordinates: 28°36′33″N 81°11′33″W / 28.6091°N 81.1924°W / 28.6091; -81.1924

Spectrum Stadium
"The Bounce House"
Location 4465 Knights Victory Way
Orlando, Florida 32816
Public transit UCF Transit Center,
Owner University of Central Florida
Operator University of Central Florida
Athletics Association
Executive suites 24[1]
Capacity 45,323 (2007–2014)[2]
44,206 (2015–present)[3]
Record attendance 48,453 (2009)[4]
Surface Tifway 419 Bermuda[5]
Scoreboard 114 feet (35 m) x 36 feet (11 m)[1]
Construction
Broke ground March 22, 2006 (2006-03-22)[6][7]
Opened September 15, 2007 (2007-09-15)[8]
Renovated 2014–15
Construction cost $55 million[5]
($64.7 million in 2016 dollars[9])
Architect 360 Architecture[1]
General contractor Wharton-Smith[1]
Tenants

UCF Knights (NCAA) (2007–present)

2017 Florida Cup (2017)

Spectrum Stadium, also known as "The Bounce House", is an American football stadium located in Orlando, Florida, United States, on the main campus of The University of Central Florida (UCF). It is the home venue for the UCF Knights football team. The stadium was the first on-campus stadium in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS to open in the 21st century, and was the second newest BCS stadium in the country.[10]

The stadium opened in 2007 as a replacement for the Citrus Bowl in Downtown Orlando, where the Knights had played since 1979, and has a seating capacity of 44,206.[1] The steel and brick-clad stadium was designed by 360 Architecture and constructed in 18 months. The stadium underwent an $8 million renovation following the 2014 season. The Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership was built on the east facade of the stadium, and a party deck was added to the east stands.[11][12] Following the renovations, seating capacity is 44,206.[3] The attendance record as of 2014 was 48,453, for an October 18, 2009 match-up against the Miami Hurricanes.[4] It is sometimes known as "The Bounce House" because the stadium visibly shakes when students jump during Zombie Nation's "Kernkraft 400".[13]

Location

Knights Plaza, part of UCF's Athletic Village

Bright House Networks Stadium is located on the northern edge of The University of Central Florida's 1,415-acre (573 ha) main campus, which is approximately 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Downtown Orlando and 55 miles (89 km) southwest of Daytona Beach.[14] The stadium is a part of UCF's Athletic Village and is bordered by McCulloch Road on the north side, Knights Plaza on the west side, and Orion Boulevard on the southern and eastern sides.

To the west in Knights Plaza is the CFE Arena, the indoor arena of UCF Knights basketball, and The Venue, home of the Knights volleyball program. Also located to the west, are Jay Bergman Field, the home field of Knights baseball, and the UCF Track and Soccer Complex. Also located in Knights Plaza are The Towers residence halls, housing 2,000 UCF students, including student-athletes.[15]

History

Panoramic view of Bright House Networks Stadium during its inaugural game in September 2007

Planning and Pre-Construction

On March 31, 2005, UCF received the results of a feasibility study it commissioned on whether it should build an on-campus football stadium.[16] On April 14, 2005, the UCF Board of Trustees approved the construction of an on-campus stadium. The stadium, initially known as "UCF Stadium," was scheduled to be completed in time for the 2006 football season.[17] However, the Board of Trustees delayed construction until March 2006 due to the concerns from local residents regarding potentially falling property values and noise levels from the stadium.

Construction

Construction on "UCF Stadium" began on March 22, 2006. The stadium was originally built without water fountains. The university argued that the building code used when the stadium was approved did not require water fountains.[18] However, this claim turned out to be incorrect because the 2004 Florida building code (in effect in 2005, when the UCF Board of Trustees approved the stadium design) mandated that stadiums and other public arenas must have one water fountain for every 1,000 seats, or half that number of fountains if water was also available for sale.[19]

During the stadium's opening game, vendors ran out of water at halftime, leading to the hospitalization of 18 people for heat exhaustion . In order to correct the issue, UCF provided a free bottle of water to each person at the next game and immediately began work to install at least 50 water fountains throughout the stadium in order to comply with the 2004 building code requirement.[20]

Knights Football

Main article: UCF Knights football

On May 9, 2006, it was announced that the Texas Longhorns would be the first opponent for the UCF Knights in the new stadium. The game, the first of three scheduled meetings between the schools,[21] was held September 15, 2007, and televised nationally on ESPN2 at 3:30 pm EDT (1930 UTC). A sellout crowd of 45,622 saw the Knights put a scare into the Longhorns before falling 35–32.[22][23]

Although the Knights lost their first on-campus home game, they finished the remainder of the stadium's inaugural season undefeated, including the Conference USA home opener against Memphis. The Knights hosted the 2007 C-USA Championship at their new stadium, defeating the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 44–25 in front of a crowd of 44,128. In 2010, the Knights again hosted the C-USA Championship, defeating the SMU Mustangs 17–7 before a crowd of 41,045.

Attendance records

The highest attendance for games played at Bright House Networks Stadium against the Knights have included the University of South Florida Bulls, the Miami Hurricanes, and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The stadium as viewed from the student section
Rank Attendance Date Game result
1 48,543 October 17, 2009 9 Miami 27, UCF 7
2 47,605 September 28, 2013 12 South Carolina 28, UCF 25
3 46,805 September 6, 2008 17 South Florida 31, UCF 24
4 46,103 November 3, 2007 Marshall 13, UCF 47
5 45,952 November 29, 2013 South Florida 20, 17 UCF 23
6 45,671 September 10, 2011 Boston College 3, UCF 30
7 45,622 September 15, 2007 6 Texas 35, UCF 32
8 45,510 October 20, 2007 Tulsa 23, UCF 44
9 44,665 November 9, 2013 Houston 14, 19 UCF 19
10 44,510 September 20, 2014 Bethune-Cookman 7, UCF 41

The "Bounce House"

The stadium is also known as "The Bounce House"[24][25][26][27] because the stadium vibrates and shakes when fans jump in unison, most notably when Zombie Nation's song "Kernkraft 400" is played.[13] While many fans like this feature, some are uneasy with the bouncing. Stadium officials claimed the stadium was structurally sound, and an independent contractor confirmed that the bouncing will not damage the stadium and shorten its expected 50–year useful life. Still, a project was begun prior to the 2008 season to reinforce the stadium superstructure and mitigate the bouncing effect.[28]

While the bouncing has been greatly reduced by the stadium reinforcements, it is still noticeable - sometimes enough to shake TV cameras during televised games. For the 2010 Conference USA Football Championship Game, television presenter ESPN2 set up a camera position outside of the stadium to eliminate camera bounce caused by fans.[29]

Expansions and Renovations

The stadium was designed for a planned expansion to 65,000 seats. UCF plans to begin the expansion by expanding the Roth Tower with more suites and club seating, and also adding an additional 10,000 seats in a third level on the east side of the stadium, increasing the stadium's capacity to 56,000.[30]

The capacity for the 2015 season dropped by 1,117 seats when UCF removed seats to create the "Carl Black and Gold Cabana," which includes a bar, catered barbecue, and padded seats above the bar.[31][32]

In 2016, UCF removed its old scoreboard and replaced it with a full LED scoreboard measuring 114 ft x 36 ft.[33] Due to the new scoreboard being entirely LED, the scoreboard is over 6 times larger than the LED portion on the old scoreboard. Additionally, the new scoreboard is larger than the entire old scoreboard.

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bright House Stadium Bio". Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Bright House Networks Stadium". UCF Athletics Association. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  3. 1 2 "2015 UCF Football Media Guide". UCF Athletics Association. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "UCF blown away 27-7 vs. Miami Hurricanes". Central Florida Future. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Bright House Networks Stadium Featured in SportsTurf Magazine". UCF Athletics Association. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  6. ↑ "Tons of steel, 427 toilets in UCF's new home". Central Florida Future. 2007-07-26. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  7. ↑ "UCF Trustees Approve Financing Plan, Groundbreaking for On-Campus Football Stadium". UCF Athletics Association. 2005-12-14. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  8. ↑ "Student support for UCF remains abysmal". Central Florida Future. September 13, 2007. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  9. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ Heinz Field, home to the Pitt Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers, opened in 2001, but is not on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Rentschler Field, home to the UConn Huskies, opened in 2003, but is not on the University of Connecticut campus. SMU's Gerald J. Ford Stadium opened in 2000, which was in the 20th century. Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium is the newest BCS stadium, opening in 2009. The BCS era concluded following the 2013 season.
  11. ↑ "UCF exploring open-air bar in Bright House Networks Stadium". Orlando Sentinel. 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  12. ↑ "UCF President John Hitt eager to open Wayne Densch Student Athlete Leadership Center". Orlando Sentinel. 2014-11-21. Retrieved 2014-12-05.
  13. 1 2 "Jumpy Fans Worry UCF". Orlando Sentinel. November 30, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
  14. ↑ "Facts About UCF". UCF Office of Institutional Research. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  15. ↑ "UCF Men's 2009-2010 Golf Yearbook". University of Central Florida. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  16. ↑ "UCF gets stadium feasibility study". Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Market and Financial Feasibility Analysis for the Development of a New Football Stadium" (PDF). Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  18. ↑ "UCF Says No Water Fountains For You". YouTube.com. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
  19. ↑ Zequeira, Claudia; Zaragoza, Luis (September 22, 2007). "Code group: UCF didn't adhere to water rules". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  20. ↑ "UCF To Install Water Fountains in New Stadium". WESH. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
  21. ↑ "UCF Football to Face Texas in New On-Campus Stadium in 2007 - 2005 national champs will be first opponent in new stadium". UCF Athletic Association. May 9, 2006. Retrieved May 9, 2006.
  22. ↑ Hightower, Kyle (September 15, 2007). "Full Up: UCF Sells Out 1st On-Campus Game". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  23. ↑ Associated Press (September 15, 2007). "Horns' McCoy, Charles team up to end UCF's upset bid". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  24. ↑ "UCF continues to study why its football stadium bounces". Orlando Sentinel. March 8, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Bright House Networks Stadium". Stadium Journey. 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  26. ↑ "UCF Stadium Bounce House". WCTV. August 2, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  27. ↑ "The Miami Hurricanes Will Beat UCF If...". Bleacher Report. October 16, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
  28. ↑ Zaragoza, Luis (August 2, 2009). "UCF to Take Bounce Out of Stadium". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
  29. ↑ "C-USA Football Championship Blog". Conference USA. December 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  30. ↑ "Staying on Offense: $70M Sports Projects". UCF. May 4, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  31. ↑ Rovell, Darren (January 26, 2015). "Football, with touch of beach, at UCF". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  32. ↑ "UCF's East Side Club gets a new name, new six-figure title sponsor". Orlando Sentinel. August 10, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  33. ↑ "UCF Athletics bringing in larger, brighter LED screens for fall". May 18, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bright House Networks Stadium.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Citrus Bowl		 Home of the
UCF Knights
2007–present 		Succeeded by
Current
Preceded by
Citrus Bowl		 Home of the
MEAC/SWAC Challenge
2014 		Succeeded by
Citrus Bowl
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