March 8, 2011

Past Venue: Jeppesen Stadium

Houston, TX
aka Robertson Stadium



Year opened: 1942
Capacity: 32,000, up from 20,500 when first opened. Was 36,000 at time Oilers played there.

Names:
Houston Public School Stadium, 1942-58
Jeppesen Stadium, 1958-80
Corbin J. Robertson Stadium, 1980 to date

Pro football tenants:
Houston Oilers (AFL), 1960-64

Postseason games hosted:
AFL Championship, Oilers 24 Chargers 16, Jan. 1, 1961
AFL Championship, Texans 20 Oilers 17, Dec. 23, 1962

Other tenants of note:
University of Houston, 1946-50, 98 to date
Houston Dynamo (MLS), 2006 to date

Notes: Hosted AFL All-Star Game, Jan. 16, 1965. Hosted East-West Shrine Game, 2008-09. Major renovation occurred in 1999, thanks to $6 million donation from John and Julie O’Quinn Foundation. Located on the Univ. of Houston campus and originally constructed as a joint venture of the Houston Independent School District and WPA and used as the home football field for all of the city’s high schools. Stadium was renamed Jeppesen Stadium in honor of Holger Jeppesen, a school board member who had pushed for its construction. Bought by the Univ. of Houston in 1970, it was renamed for Corbin J. Robertson, a former member of the Board of Regents who funded its renovation following the purchase. NFL Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys scrimmaged there in 2002. Univ. of Houston football team split home games between the stadium and Astrodome from 1993-97 before moving back to Robertson Stadium full-time in ’98. Also used for track & field.

Fate: Still in use, although the Univ. of Houston announced plans in 2010 to demolish the stadium and build a new facility on the same site.

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