University of Richmond Athletics
Spiders Unveil Plans To Celebrate Final Football Season At UR Stadium
July 1, 2009
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - UR Stadium - the venerable home to Spider Football for eight decades - has its final days in sight. The Athletic Department has announced plans to commemorate the Stadium's final season in 2009, before moving on campus to a $25 million venue for the 2010 campaign.
The Final Season campaign will culminate at the Spiders' final regular-season home game versus long-time rival William & Mary on Saturday, Nov. 21. At that game, the University will invite all living football alumni that played at the Stadium, and will announce the All-UR Stadium Team.
The All-Stadium Team will include 22 position players, a kicker, a punter and head coach, and will be selected through on an online vote at RichmondSpiders.com. The vote will begin near the start of the Spiders' training camp and conclude in mid-October. Any Spider who competed at UR Stadium is eligible for the online vote.
Construction continues on the Spiders' new on-campus home on the site of current First Market Stadium, which will also serve as the home to Richmond's soccer, lacrosse and track & field teams.
Other plans include:
* A Final Season logo, which will be used on the media guide cover, poster and other publications and apparel.
* The University will theme each of its four regular-season home games around two decades of Spiders' Football: 1929-1949 when UR faces Hofstra on Sept. 19; 1950-69 at the VMI game Sept. 26; 1970-89 at the Massachusetts game Oct. 24; 1990-2009 at the Villanova game Nov. 7.
* Memorabilia from each of those eras will be on display at the game and music from those eras will be played.
* A special design on the season-ticket stock, which includes a historic photo of UR Stadium and the evolution of the Spider logo over the years.
* All Spiders' football alumni who played at UR Stadium will be invited to attend the William & Mary game and will be recognized at halftime.
The Spiders, who began playing football in the 1881 season, first played games at either Boshen's Field or Mayo's Island, but when the school moved to its current Westhampton campus, Stadium Field called football home.
UR Stadium (formerly City Stadium) was completed in 1929 at a cost of $80,000 with an original capacity of 12,000 and all Spider games were transferred there. The venue was later expanded to its current capacity of 21,319 and in 1983, the University initiated a full lease agreement with the City of Richmond to manage and maintain the 22.5-acre complex.
UR Stadium also serves as the home to the Richmond Kickers professional soccer team, has hosted a number of international-caliber soccer matches and played host to the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship between 1995 and 1998.
Stay tuned to RichmondSpiders.com throughout the summer for more details on the Final Season campaign.