EXHIBITS
The Built Environment: 130 Years of Growth, Development, and Change on the USU Campus: Hail the Utah Aggies: Sporting Venues
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Hail the Utah Aggies: Sporting Venues
Sporting events have been an important part of student life at USU since at least 1894. That year, the “farmers” defeated the U of U during the first Thanksgiving Day game played on the UAC’s makeshift field previously located on the present-day Quad. Today, Utah State athletics continue to be a significant part of the student experience, and the many sporting venues and recreation facilities reflect the importance of sports at the university.
Romney Stadium (1927–2015)
In 1926, Board of Trustees members Frederick P. Champ and Olof Nelson formed the UAC Building Committee and raised funds for a new football stadium located at the corner of eighth East and seventh North. A decade later, the federal government, through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), provided $30,000 in Depression Era funding to design and build a stadium house. The addition not only provided living quarters for student-athletes, but it also created a portal entry into the stadium for student fans and community spectators.
Guided by Coach E. L. “Dick” Romney, the Aggies fielded some of their most successful teams during the 1930s, including the 1936 Rocky Mountain Conference championship team spirited by first team All-American halfback Kent Ryan. In 1954, the Board of Trustees resolved to name the football stadium in Romney’s honor.
