Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the south central United States, located on the campus of the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Commonly known as H. A. Chapman Stadium, it is the home field for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane of the American Athletic Conference.
Skelly Stadium | |
 View from southeast in 2009 | |
 | |
  Tulsa Location in the United States  Tulsa Location in Oklahoma | |
| Former names | Skelly Stadium (1947–2007) Skelly Field (1930–1947) |
|---|---|
| Address | 3112 East 8th Street |
| Location | University of Tulsa Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 36°8′55″N 95°56′38″W / 36.14861°N 95.94389°W |
| Owner | University of Tulsa |
| Operator | University of Tulsa |
| Capacity | 30,000 (2008–present) 35,542 (2005–2007) 40,385 (1965–2004) 19,500 (1947–1964) 14,500 (1930–1946) |
| Record attendance | 47,350 (vs. #1 Oklahoma, 1987) |
| Surface | FieldTurf (2000–present) Stadia Turf (1991–1999) Astroturf (1982–1990) Tartan Turf (1972–1981) Natural grass (1930–1971) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | May 11, 1930 |
| Opened | October 4, 1930 |
| Construction cost | $275,000 (all in tax money) (approximate, original) ($5.02 million in 2023[1]) |
| Architect | Smith & Senter[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Tulsa Golden Hurricane (NCAA) (1930–present) Tulsa Roughnecks (NASL) (1978–1984) Oklahoma Outlaws (USFL) (1984) Tulsa Tornados (USL) (1985) | |
The HA Chapman Stadium opened 94 years ago in 1930 and its current seating capacity is around 30,000 for football, following the renovation of 2008.[3][4] The FieldTurf playing field has a traditional north-south alignment at an approximate elevation of 770 feet (235 m) above sea level.
History
The 14,500-seat stadium opened in 1930 as Skelly Field, named for its primary benefactor, William Skelly, the founder of Skelly Oil. Tulsa defeated Arkansas 26–6 at the inaugural game on October 4.[5]
In 1947, the north stands were added and the stadium was renamed Skelly Stadium. In 1965, the track was removed, the field was lowered, the west stands were expanded and the south stands were added, bringing the capacity to 40,385 seats. In February 2005, the north stands were demolished to make way for the new Case Athletic Complex, reducing the seating to 35,542.[5] In 2007–2008, the stadium was renovated, reducing capacity to 30,000 [6]
Located on historic U.S. Route 66, the stadium hosted the Oklahoma Outlaws of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1984. Skelly was once the principal home field for two American football legends – future NFL Hall-of-Famer (and later U.S. Congressman) Steve Largent when he played for the University of Tulsa and Doug Williams of the Oklahoma Outlaws, who later was a Super Bowl MVP for the Washington Redskins. The stadium was also home to the Tulsa Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League 1978–1984 and the short-lived Tulsa Mustangs of the AFA.
On April 26, 2007, it was reported that, with a renovation project underway, the stadium was renamed as Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium after the primary benefactor of the renovation.[7]
The stadium is also used for the Jenks–Union football rivalry games.
Attendance
The stadium's attendance record was established 37 years ago in 1987, when 47,350 watched top-ranked Oklahoma shut out Tulsa 65–0 on September 26.[5][8][9][10]
Top ten single-game attendances
| Rank | Attendance | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 47,350 | September 26, 1987 | No. 1 Oklahoma | L, 65–0 |
| 2 | 41,235 | September 13, 1986 | Oklahoma State | W, 27–23 |
| 3 | 40,785 | September 9, 1989 | Oklahoma State | W, 20–10 |
| 4 | 40,385 | September 18, 1993 | Oklahoma State | L, 16–10 |
| September 20, 1997 | Missouri | L, 42–31 | ||
| September 12, 1998 | Oklahoma State | W, 35–20 | ||
| September 9, 2000 | Oklahoma State | L, 36–26 | ||
| August 30, 2002 | No. 1 Oklahoma | L, 37–0 | ||
| 9 | 40,248 | November 17, 1990 | Montana State | W, 20–2 |
| 10 | 40,235 | September 29, 1984 | No. 10 Oklahoma State | L, 31–7 |
Largest season attendance average
The highest attendance average in a season was 31,236 in 1991 with 7 games.[9]
| Rank | Season | Average | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1991 | 31,236 | 7 |
| 2 | 1965 | 28,899 | 4 |
| 3 | 1982 | 28,355 | 5 |
| 4 | 1989 | 25,388 | 5 |
| 5 | 1993 | 25,077 | 5 |
| 6 | 1992 | 24,883 | 6 |
| 7 | 1996 | 24,814 | 5 |
| 8 | 1995 | 24,538 | 6 |
| 9 | 1987 | 24,074 | 4 |
| 10 | 1990 | 23,917 | 5 |
Wins
Tulsa's Victories at Skelly Field
| Win | Date | Opponent | Score | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First win | October 4, 1930 | Arkansas | 26–6 | 30,000 |
| 25th win | October 27, 1934 | Kansas State | 21–0 | 12,000 |
| 50th win | October 18, 1941 | Saint Louis | 33–7 | |
| 75th win | November 22, 1945 | Arkansas | 45–12 | |
| 100th win | November 10, 1951 | Kansas State | 42–26 | |
| 125th win | November 15, 1958 | Texas Tech | 9–7 | |
| 150th win | October 23, 1965 | Cincinnati | 49–8 | |
| 175th win | September 29, 1973 | Cincinnati | 16–13 | |
| 200th win | November 3, 1979 | Wichita State | 28–26 | |
| 225th win | October 20, 1984 | Wichita State | 55–20 | |
| 250th win | November 16, 1991 | Louisville | 40–0 | |
| 275th win | September 20, 2003 | Arkansas State | 54–7 | |
| 290th win | November 26, 2006 | Tulane | 38–3 | |
| 300th win | October 24, 2008 | UCF | 49–19 |
Renovation
The stadium was renovated following the 2007 season. The project included new seating, a new pressbox, club and loge seating, and a new scoreboard. With the removal of the upper section of the west stands, seating capacity dropped to approximately 30,000, which made Chapman Stadium the smallest stadium in Conference USA.