Robert W. Plaster Stadium

Plaster Stadium (formerly Plaster Sports Complex and Briggs Stadium) is a 17,500-seat football stadium located in Springfield, Missouri. It is home to the Missouri State Bears football team.

Robert W. Plaster Stadium
Former namesSMS Stadium (1941–1970)
Briggs Stadium (1970–1991)
Plaster Sports Complex (1992–2013)
Location1015 East Grand Street
Springfield, Missouri 65897
Coordinates37°11′51.55″N 93°16′47.18″W
OwnerMissouri State University
OperatorMissouri State University
Capacity17,500 (2014–present)
16,300 (1997–2013)
16,600 (1992–1996)
10,000 (1965–1991)
8,500 (1941–1964)
SurfaceSport Turf
Construction
Broke ground1941
OpenedSeptember 19, 1941[1]
Renovated1991, 2014
Construction cost$60,000
($1.04 million in 2019 dollars[2])
ArchitectHood-Rich Architects (1991 structure)[3] Hastings+Chivetta Architecture (2014 renovation)
Tenants
Missouri State Bears football (NCAA)

History

The stadium was built in 1941 as SMS Stadium, a Works Progress Administration project at a cost of only $60,000, before World War II broke out. Its original seating capacity was 8,500. In 1970 it was renamed Briggs Stadium after Arthur Briggs, the school's all-time winningest coach.

Renovations

In 1991, the stadium was renamed the Plaster Sports Complex in honor of Robert W. Plaster, chairman of Evergreen Investments of Lebanon, Missouri. Mr. Plaster donated funds for major renovations of the stadium, including expansion of the stadium to its current capacity, including the addition of an upper deck which seats 8,500, 24 luxury suites holding 10 each, a 40-seat luxury box and a new press box. In addition, a new running track and new artificial turf were installed.

The artificial turf was replaced in 2001 with a FieldTurf surface and in 2006 a new FieldTurf surface was installed. A new scoreboard was added in 2008. It was determined that at the conclusion of the 2013 football season, the aging student (East) bleachers would be torn down. After the student body passed the B.E.A.R. Fee, money was in place to rebuild the student section (East) side. The stadium renovation also included the removal of the track as well as the re-positioning of the field with a new Sport Turf playing surface.

Robert W. Plaster Stadium also includes 12 American handball/racquetball courts, including two courts with spectator seating. The complex also features Health and Fitness, and Athletics Strength and Conditioning centers on the second level of the stadium.

High school football

For many years Plaster Stadium held many of the annual Missouri State High School Activities Association state football championship games. In 1996 all games were moved to the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, where they remained through 2015. Following the Rams' move back to Los Angeles in January 2016, the MSHSAA voted to return the games to Plaster Field in 2016 and Faurot Field at the University of Missouri in Columbia in 2017.

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See also

References
  1. "2013 Football Guide". Missouri State Athletics. p. 146. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  2. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  3. "MSU Plaster Sports Complex". Prestressed Casting Co. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
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