Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, also known as Owen Field or The Palace on the Prairie, is the football stadium on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. It serves as the home of the Oklahoma Sooners football team. The official seating capacity of the stadium, following renovations before the start of the 2019 season, is 86,112, making it the 22nd largest stadium in the world, the 13th largest college stadium in the United States and the second largest in the Big 12 Conference, behind Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium at the University of Texas at Austin.
"Owen Field" "The Palace On The Prairie" | |
The stadium with the newly finished south entrance and enclosed south side in 2017 | |
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Location in Oklahoma Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Location in the United States | |
| Former names | Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (1923–2002) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1185 Asp Ave. |
| Location | Norman, Oklahoma |
| Coordinates | 35°12′21″N 97°26′33″W |
| Owner | University of Oklahoma |
| Operator | University of Oklahoma |
| Capacity | 80,126 (since 2019) |
| Record attendance | 88,308 (November 11, 2017 vs. TCU) |
| Surface | Grass: 1923–1969 AstroTurf: 1970–1980 Superturf: 1981–1993 Bermudagrass: 1994–present |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1922 |
| Opened | October 20, 1923 |
| Renovated | 1980, 1997, 2003, 2016 |
| Expanded | 1925, 1929, 1949, 1957, 1974, 1980, 2003, 2016 |
| Construction cost | $293,000 ($5.07 million in 2023 dollars) $125 million (renovations) |
| Architect | Layton & Hicks HOK Sport/360 Architecture (renovations) |
| Structural engineer | Walter P Moore (renovations) |
| Tenants | |
| Oklahoma Sooners (NCAA) (1923–present) | |
| Website | |
| soonersports.com/memorialstadium | |
The stadium is a bowl-shaped facility with its long axis oriented north/south, with both the north and south ends enclosed. The south end has only been enclosed since the 2015-2016 off-season, when it was renovated as part of a $160 million project. Visitor seating is in the south end zone and the southern sections of the east side. The student seating sections are in the east stands, surrounding the 350-member Pride of Oklahoma band which sits in section 29, between the 20- and 35-yard lines. The Sooners' bench was once located on the east side with the students, but the home bench was moved to the west side in the mid-1990s.