| Prior to 1967, the Ducks played on Hayward Field. Recognizing that the football team had outgrown that facility, Oregon athletic director Leo Harris led a campaign to build a new stadium on 90 acres that he had acquired for the purpose in the 1950s.
The stadium, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, was built within an artificial crater to eliminate the need for multilevel ramps. As a result, construction took just nine months and cost approximately $2.5 million. $250,000 was contributed by the Autzen Foundation, headed by Portland lumberman Thomas J. Autzen, for whom the stadium was named.[4] Thomas J. Autzen is actually an alumnus of Oregon State University. His donation to the University of Oregon is linked to his son's attendance at the school during the late 1930s and early 1940s.
The first game played at Autzen Stadium was on September 23, 1967 in which Colorado defeated Oregon, 17-13. Oregon's first win in the stadium occurred on October 21, when Idaho was defeated 31-6. That was the only victory for Oregon at Autzen Stadium that year.
The stadium alternates with Reser Stadium at Oregon State University in hosting the Civil War game between Oregon and Oregon State. |
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