Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds in Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium is the site of the annual Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team. It has also been the host of several attempts at professional sports in the city, as well as other local football games and other gatherings.Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds in Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium is the site of the annual Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team. It has also been the host of several attempts at professional sports in the city, as well as other local football games and other gatherings.

	Capacity		62,380
	Opened		September 16, 1965
	Owner		City of Memphis
	Operator		Memphis Park Commission
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		335 S Hollywood St Memphis, TN 38104
	Construction cost		$3.7 million

The stadium was originally built as Memphis Memorial Stadium in 1965 for $3 million, as a part of the Mid-South Fairgrounds, one of the South`s most popular fairs. The fairgrounds also include the Mid-South Coliseum (formerly the city`s major indoor venue) as well as Libertyland amusement park. It was dedicated to the citizens of Memphis who had served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.

It was built partially as a way to bring the Liberty Bowl to a permanent home in Memphis. (The game had started in Philadelphia, but because of poor attendance for a northern bowl, it left the city, playing one year in Atlantic City before settling in Memphis.) The game was such a success for Memphis that the stadium was soon renamed Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. As originally built, the stadium was lopsided, with the southwest side being taller than the northeast. A 1987 expansion brought it to its current, balanced size. Its design is similar to that of Tampa Stadium, with the endzone grandstands being much shorter than the sidelines. The field, which had been natural grass since its inception, was replaced with a FieldTurf surface before the 2005 season.

The stadium is designed in such a way that all of its seats have a relatively good view of most of the playing surface. This is due primarily to two design factors. The stands are relatively steep for a one-tier, true bowl stadium. Also, there is little space between the side and end lines of the playing surface and the stands.

In December, 1983, the field was renamed for Rex Dockery, a former Memphis football coach who died in a plane crash.

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The ACC.com – The Official website of the Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA – National Collegiate Athletic Association website
University of Memphis
Memphis Tigers Official Site

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