Athletic Facilities
Bucknell plays its home games in a picturesque, 89-year-old stadium that pays tribute to one of its most distinguished alumni and to its numerous war veterans. The stadium, dedicated in 1924 in honor of Bucknell men and women who served the United States in time of war, was renovated and renamed in 1989 to recognize perhaps Bucknell’s most honored alumni and one of the true heroes of American sports. Christy Mathewson was one of the five original members of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., but gained his initial athletic fame as a fullback, punter and dropkicker at Bucknell from 1898-1900. One of the truly outstanding players of his era, Mathewson kicked a point after touchdown in the first varsity game of his freshman year, and in the next three years added 13 touchdowns and eight field goals. Mathewson gained national attention when he dropkicked two field goals against Pennsylvania in 1899 and added a 45-yard field goal against Army the following year. As a result, he was named the “12th man” on Walter Camp’s 1900 All-America team. Reports in Bucknell files indicate that Mathewson practiced his dropkicking hour after hour, and these reports also note that his punting was exceptional throughout his career, a three-year stretch during which he scored 106 points. “Matty” was also a punishing runner, and one game account makes note of a 65-yard touchdown run and a 70-yard kickoff return. The facility that bears Mathewson’s name has seen plenty of transformation over the last 25 years. A new locker room and weight room were constructed in 1987. The Tom Gadd Weight Room was updated with brand new equipment in 1999, allowing Bison players an outstanding facility for daily use and weight training. In 1988, the horseshoe edifice was totally resurfaced and new seating was added. New concession stands, rest rooms, ticket booths and souvenir stands were added a year later, along with an eight-lane, all-weather track, which was resurfaced in 2003 and
again in the summer of 2012. The section at the south end of the stadium was landscaped in 1988, and a new scoreboard and messageboard were added. Other upgrades include new lights, which feature a nearly 10-fold increase in candle power. A FieldTurf playing surface was initially installed in the summer of 2001 as a gift from Norm Garrity ’63 and his wife, Mary Lou ’64. That surface was replaced during the summer of 2012 with a new state-of-the-art synthetic grass. Bucknell was one of the first Division I schools to install FieldTurf as a full-time playing surface in a football stadium.
Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium Facts • Ground Broken: .........................................................March 17, 1924 • Original Name:......................................................Memorial Stadium • Original Capacity:..................................................................... 18,000 • First Game:...............................................................October 18, 1924 Lafayette 21, Bucknell 3 • Stadium Rededicated: ........................................ September 30, 1989 Bucknell 36, Dartmouth 20 • Current Capacity:...................................................................... 13,100 • Bucknell’s All-Time Stadium Record:................. 239-154-10 (.605)
Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium received a new FieldTurf surface in the summer of 2012
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