Sun Bowl (stadium): Difference between revisions

{{Infobox stadiumvenue

|caption=Aerial view from the northwest in 2009;<br />[[Kidd Field]] at upper left

|locationaddress = 2701 Sun Bowl Drive<br>[[El Paso, Texas]], U.S. <!-- 79902 -->

|pushpin_map =USA Texas#USA#Texas

|pushpin_relief = 1

|pushpin_map_caption = Location in the [[TexasUnited States]]##Location in the [[United StatesTexas]]

|broke_ground={{Start date and age|1961|8|1|br=yes}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Bean Tags Charge As "Ridiculous"|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-f9dAAAAIBAJ&pg=4996,190051&dq=en|newspaper=The Bonham Daily Favorite|date=September 6, 1962|access-date=September 27, 2011}}</ref>

|opened={{Start date and age|1963|9|21|br=yes}}

|owner=[[University of Texas at El Paso]]

|operator=University  of  Texas  at  El  Paso

|surface=Natural grass (1963–1973)<br />[[AstroTurf]] (1974–2000)<br />[[AstroPlay]] (2001–2014)<br />[[FieldTurf]] (2015–present)

|construction_cost=[[United States dollar|$]]275,000<br />(approximate, original)

|architect=Garland & Hilles<br />Carroll & Daeuble

|tenants=[[UTEP Miners football|UTEP Miners]] ([[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]) (1963–present)<br />[[Sun Bowl]] (NCAA) (1963–present)<br />[[El Paso Patriots]] ([[USL League Two|USL PDL]]) (1989–2001)<br />[[Texas vs The Nation|Texas vs. Nation Game]] (NCAA) (2007–2010)<br />[[El Paso Independent School District|El Paso ISD]] (selected games)

|seating_capacity=30,000 (1963–1981)<br />52,000 (1982–2000)<br />51,500 (2001–present)<ref name="cap">{{cite web|title=UTEP-Marshall Game Sold Out|url=http://www.utepathletics.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102105aaa.html|publisher=UTEP Athletics|access-date=October 9, 2012}}</ref>

|}}

The '''Sun Bowl''' is an outdoor [[American football|football]] [[stadium]] in the [[southwestern United States]], on the campus of the [[University of Texas at El Paso]]. It is home to the [[UTEP Miners football|UTEP Miners]] of [[Conference USA]], and the late December [[college football]] [[bowl game]], the [[Sun Bowl]]. The stadium opened {{Years or months ago|1963|9}} in [[1963 college football season|1963]] and has a currentnominal [[seating capacity]] of 51,500, although UTEP currently lists the capacity as 46,670.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://utepminers.com/documents/2022/8/24/2022_UTEP_FB_Media_Guide.pdf |title=UTEP Quick Facts |work=2022 UTEP Football Media Guide |publisher=UTEP Miners |page=2 |access-date=December 22, 2022}}</ref>

The stadium, named for the game it hosts, was opened on{{Time Septemberago|1963}} 21,in [[1963 SunTexas Western Miners football Bowlteam|1963]] with a [[UTEP1963 Texas Western Miners football team|Texas Western]] win over [[1963 North Texas MeanState GreenEagles football team|North Texas State]] on September&nbsp;21. The opening play was a 54–yard54-yard touchdown run by Larry Durham of the Miners.<ref>{{cite news|title=Miners 'bowl' Eagles with 34–7 win|newspaper=The El Paso Times|date=September 22, 1963|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88207685/miners-bowl-eagles-with-347-win/|accessdate=November 2, 2021|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

The land on which the stadium sits was originally donated by the university to [[El Paso County, Texas|El Paso County]], who built the stadium for the school and the [[Sun Bowl]] game. Both had previously used {{nowrap|[[Kidd  Field]],}} the school's current [[track and field]] venue, which seats 15,000. The city had realized that the game could not expand its audience or the list of teams that it could invite without a bigger stadium, so the Sun Bowl was built in a natural bowl adjacent to the west. It originally sat 30,000, with only the sideline grandstands. The playing field runs nearly north–south (tilted about {{nowrap|10° NW–SE)}} at an [[elevation]] of {{Convert|3910|ft|round=5}} above [[sea level]].

The school's Athletics Director, [[Jim Senter (athletic director)|Jim Senter]], announced on April 13, 2018 plans to renovate the Sun Bowl Stadiumstadium. The $15 million project would include luxury boxes installed in a new press facility, renovation of the concourses and premium seating added on the west side of the stadium. The renovations arewere projectedcompleted toin betime completedfor in athe 16-month2021 timespanseason.

The college football bowl game began {{Years or months ago|1936}} in January [[1936 Sun Bowl|1936]] and moved to the new stadium in December [[1963 Sun Bowl|1963]]. All games have been played in El Paso.

On February 17, 2016, the stadium hosted festivities and a simulcast of the Mass held by [[Pope Francis]] during the pontiff's visit to [[Ciudad JuarezJuárez]], Mexico, several miles away across the [[Rio Grande]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Pope Francis hosts papal mass 2Nations1Faith event|publisher=Fox7Austin.com|url=http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/93058331-story|access-date=August 24, 2017}}</ref>

For a short time before moving to [[Dudley Field (El Paso)|Dudley Field]], itthe was[[El thePaso homePatriots]] tosoccer [[USLteam in the Premier Development League|PDL]] franchise,(now theknown as [[ElUSL PasoLeague PatriotsTwo]]) made its home at the Sun Bowl. TheyThe nowPatriots played their final playseasons at [[Patriot Stadium]].

File:SunBowl1.jpg|SunView Bowlfrom Stadium view fromthe Durham Center

File:SunBowl3.jpg|Sun Bowl Stadium viewView from tunnel

File:SunBowl4.jpg|View from within Sunthe Bowl Stadiumstadium

File:UTEPDurhamcenter.jpg|Sun Bowl Stadium viewView from northern entrance

* [httphttps://utepathletics.cstvutepminers.com/facilities/sun-bowl.html/2 UTEP Athletics] – Sun Bowl Stadium