Originally named Madison Stadium, it was built in 1975 and had a capacity of approximately 5,200.[3] The stadium was originally designed as a multi-purpose facility, and hosted football, track and field, lacrosse, and field hockey events. In addition, the stadium contained indoor racquetball courts, several classrooms, support space for the JMU ROTC program, and administrative offices for JMU varsity athletic teams and media relations. In 1981, the stadium then called JMU Stadium, underwent its first expansion which included a second set of seats giving it a total capacity of more than 12,000. The stadium was again renamed in 1990 for William E. Bridgeforth, former member of the JMU Board of Visitors. In 2003 the field was named in honor of JMU benefactor Zane Showker (whose name is also on the building for JMU's School of Business). In 2004, the university added a new scoreboard with video replay features, which was dismantled after the 2010 season as part of a significant renovation of the entire facility. It was replaced by a much larger video scoreboard behind the south endzone. In 2006, the existing artificial turf was replaced with FieldTurf. The stadium is situated in the Lakeside area of campus, and is adjacent to the multimillion-dollar Plecker Athletic Center and a five story parking deck.[4]
A statue of the school's mascot, Duke Dog, sits on the stadium's exterior.
Renovation
A major stadium renovation and expansion project began in December 2009. The expansion included the demolition of the then existing west stands, removal of the track, and the construction of a $62 million, two-tiered complex in its place.[5] After completion in August 2011, Bridgeforth Stadium's seating capacity was raised to 24,877 permanent seats. In addition to increased seating, the expansion included the construction of a larger video and scoreboard, the addition of 17 suites, a club lounge with chairback seating, and increased stadium lighting. All total, the completion of the Bridgeforth Stadium and Zane Showker Field complex, including the Plecker Athletic Performance Center and parking deck, represents an investment of approximately $90 million.
On September 10, 2011, the Dukes played for the first time in the newly expanded stadium. In front of a sellout crowd of 25,102 fans, the Dukes defeated the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut State University by a score of 14–9.
Notable games
Some of the recent notable games in JMU history that have been played at Bridgeforth Stadium are:
The 20–13 victory over University of Delaware in 2004
The 2008 35–32 victory over Appalachian State
The 38–35 victory over Wofford in the first round of the 2008 FCS playoffs
The 31–27 victory over Villanova in the second round of the 2008 FCS playoffs
The 2010 victory over the FCS #1 William and Mary, 30–24
The 14–9 victory over Central Connecticut State in the 2011 debut of the newly renovated Bridgeforth Stadium
The 27–26 double overtime victory over William & Mary, the 31–24 come back victory over William & Mary
The 2015 59–49 loss against Richmond in front of a record 26,069 fans on the heels of a visit from ESPN's College GameDay
The 2015 38–29 win over Villanova clinching JMUs first CAA football title since 2008.
The record setting 84–7 win over Rhode Island in 2016.
The 2016 55–20 win over New Hampshire in the FCS Second round
The 2016 65–7 win over Sam Houston State in the FCS Quarterfinals
A 30–8 win over Villanova in 2017 on the heels of a return visit from College GameDay
A 51-16 win over South Dakota State in the 2017 FCS Semifinals to send JMU to their second consecutive FCS National Championship Game
A 44-7 win over Middle Tennessee in 2022 in their first game as a member of the FBS subdivision of football and as a member of the Sun Belt Conference
The 2022 26-12 loss against Marshall set a new single-game attendance record of 26,159 fans in their second home game as a member of the Sun Belt Conference
bridgeforth, stadium, football, stadium, located, campus, james, madison, university, harrisonburg, virginia, stadium, home, james, madison, dukes, football, team, playing, surface, named, zane, showker, field, 2016former, namesmadison, stadium, 1975, 1981, st. Bridgeforth Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg Virginia The stadium is home to the James Madison Dukes football team The playing surface is named Zane Showker Field Bridgeforth StadiumBridgeforth Stadium in 2016Former namesMadison Stadium 1975 1981 JMU Stadium 1981 1989 LocationChampions Dr Harrisonburg VA 22801OperatorJames Madison UniversityCapacity24 877 2011 present 2 15 694 2010 15 778 2008 2009 13 559 2001 2007 12 500 1981 2000 5 200 1975 1980 SurfaceAstroturf 1975 2005 FieldTurf 2006 presentConstructionBroke ground1973OpenedSeptember 20 1975 1 Expanded1981 2011Construction cost 62 million expansion ArchitectHKS Inc Sports Design expansion Moseley Architects Architect of Record expansion TenantsJames Madison Dukes football 1975 present With a seating capacity of 24 877 Bridgeforth Stadium is currently the 12th largest stadium in the Sun Belt Conference Contents 1 History 2 Renovation 3 Notable games 4 Panorama 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory Edit Bridgeforth Stadium in 2007 before its expansion Originally named Madison Stadium it was built in 1975 and had a capacity of approximately 5 200 3 The stadium was originally designed as a multi purpose facility and hosted football track and field lacrosse and field hockey events In addition the stadium contained indoor racquetball courts several classrooms support space for the JMU ROTC program and administrative offices for JMU varsity athletic teams and media relations In 1981 the stadium then called JMU Stadium underwent its first expansion which included a second set of seats giving it a total capacity of more than 12 000 The stadium was again renamed in 1990 for William E Bridgeforth former member of the JMU Board of Visitors In 2003 the field was named in honor of JMU benefactor Zane Showker whose name is also on the building for JMU s School of Business In 2004 the university added a new scoreboard with video replay features which was dismantled after the 2010 season as part of a significant renovation of the entire facility It was replaced by a much larger video scoreboard behind the south endzone In 2006 the existing artificial turf was replaced with FieldTurf The stadium is situated in the Lakeside area of campus and is adjacent to the multimillion dollar Plecker Athletic Center and a five story parking deck 4 A statue of the school s mascot Duke Dog sits on the stadium s exterior Renovation EditA major stadium renovation and expansion project began in December 2009 The expansion included the demolition of the then existing west stands removal of the track and the construction of a 62 million two tiered complex in its place 5 After completion in August 2011 Bridgeforth Stadium s seating capacity was raised to 24 877 permanent seats In addition to increased seating the expansion included the construction of a larger video and scoreboard the addition of 17 suites a club lounge with chairback seating and increased stadium lighting All total the completion of the Bridgeforth Stadium and Zane Showker Field complex including the Plecker Athletic Performance Center and parking deck represents an investment of approximately 90 million On September 10 2011 the Dukes played for the first time in the newly expanded stadium In front of a sellout crowd of 25 102 fans the Dukes defeated the Blue Devils of Central Connecticut State University by a score of 14 9 Notable games EditSome of the recent notable games in JMU history that have been played at Bridgeforth Stadium are The 20 13 victory over University of Delaware in 2004 The 2008 35 32 victory over Appalachian State The 38 35 victory over Wofford in the first round of the 2008 FCS playoffs The 31 27 victory over Villanova in the second round of the 2008 FCS playoffs The 2010 victory over the FCS 1 William and Mary 30 24 The 14 9 victory over Central Connecticut State in the 2011 debut of the newly renovated Bridgeforth Stadium The 27 26 double overtime victory over William amp Mary the 31 24 come back victory over William amp Mary The 2015 59 49 loss against Richmond in front of a record 26 069 fans on the heels of a visit from ESPN s College GameDay The 2015 38 29 win over Villanova clinching JMUs first CAA football title since 2008 The record setting 84 7 win over Rhode Island in 2016 The 2016 55 20 win over New Hampshire in the FCS Second round The 2016 65 7 win over Sam Houston State in the FCS Quarterfinals A 30 8 win over Villanova in 2017 on the heels of a return visit from College GameDay A 51 16 win over South Dakota State in the 2017 FCS Semifinals to send JMU to their second consecutive FCS National Championship Game A 44 7 win over Middle Tennessee in 2022 in their first game as a member of the FBS subdivision of football and as a member of the Sun Belt Conference The 2022 26 12 loss against Marshall set a new single game attendance record of 26 159 fans in their second home game as a member of the Sun Belt ConferencePanorama Edit See also EditList of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiumsReferences Edit Archived Document Archived from the original on 2014 12 07 Retrieved 2011 10 07 Game Preview Capsules for ODU JMU Norfolk State Richmond Times Dispatch August 31 2013 Retrieved September 7 2013 The Hillside Gang James Madisum University Retrieved July 21 2011 Bridgeforth Stadium Zane Showker Field Archived July 20 2011 at the Wayback Machine James Madison Athletics Retrieved November 13 2011 JMU Debuts Football Stadium Expansion NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville VA News Sports and Weather Archived from the original on 2017 07 06 Retrieved 2016 02 23 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bridgeforth Stadium and Zane Showker Field Stadium Expansion Coordinates 38 26 7 N 78 52 23 W 38 43528 N 78 87306 W 38 43528 78 87306 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bridgeforth Stadium amp oldid 1124732302, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
