Falcon Stadium - Home of the Fighting Falcons

HERITAGE MINUTE

Falcon Stadium, home of the Air Force Fighting Falcons, has a rich history. Plans for the facility date back to 1955, the year the first cadets reported to the Academy’s temporary home at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. ----more----

Rather than build the stadium near the Cadet Area, designers chose a natural bowl approximately two miles southeast of the campus. The Air Force Academy Foundation provided the funding for the $3.5 million facility. Groundbreaking took place in October 1960, and less than two years later, the stadium was ready for action. On September 22nd, 1962, the first football game was played, a 34-0 victory over Colorado State in front of more than 41,000 fans. A month later, actor and Air Force Reserve Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart emceed the official dedication, an event that also saw the Air Force Thunderbirds make their first Falcon Stadium appearance. The first graduation in the stadium took place in 1963, with President John F. Kennedy the guest speaker. Every Air Force Academy graduation since has been held here. The first night game in Falcon Stadium was played in 1989, using rented lights. The stadium was fitted with permanent lights three years later. Four years after that, in 2006, artificial turf was installed. The press box and the scoreboards have received multiple expansions and upgrades. At 6,621 feet above sea level, Falcon Stadium is the second highest facility in major college football, with only our northern neighbor, fellow Mountain West Conference-member Wyoming having a stadium at a higher altitude. In addition to football and graduation, Falcon Stadium has played host to concerts and special events, and is home to Falcon lacrosse.

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