# Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium

Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium is a stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is the home field for the men's and women's soccer, track and field, and American football teams of the University of the Incarnate Word. The stadium currently seats 6,000 people. It is named after Tom Benson and his wife Gayle. Record stadium attendance of 6,498 was recorded in a game vs Houston Baptist on November 17, 2016.

## History

Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium officially opened on campus on September 1, 2008. A special grand opening ceremony was held when the Bensons, along with more than 2,000 Cardinals fans and athletes declared the facility ready for action. Benson and his family long have been ardent supporters of Incarnate Word and provided the necessary funds to start up the University's football program. A San Antonian himself, Benson was the owner of professional football's New Orleans Saints until his passing in 2018.

### Renovations

Benson Stadium now has permanent seating for 6,000 spectators after the 2010 addition of the north bleachers. Atop the original south seating areas are six suites while the north side stands have two press boxes for media and game operations, including a permanent home for KUIW Internet Radio and UIWTV. In May 2018, the original Hellas Matrix artificial playing surface was replaced with FieldTurf's Classic HD surface.

## Features

An eight-lane, Sport Track 300 surface track surrounds the field and is an all-weather surface in nature. Accompanying the track are also three jumping pits. Located behind the west endzone is the stadium's Daktronics scoreboard which has a 20 feet (6.1 m) by 10 feet (3.0 m) video screen where Cardinals fans get the latest information about their team as well as a viewing of the game itself.
Adjoining the football field is the Benson Fieldhouse. A 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m$^2$) facility housing a weight room, athletic training facility, locker rooms, team meeting areas and coaches offices.

## Attendance records

| Rank | Attendance | Date | Game Result |
| 1 | 6,498 | November 17, 2016 | Incarnate Word 28, Houston Baptist 26 |
| 2 | 6,325 | August 29, 2009 | Incarnate Word 42, Monterrey Tech 39 |
| 3 | 5,746 | November 5, 2016 | Incarnate Word 10, Southeastern Louisiana 30 |
| 4 | 5,667 | October 15, 2011 | Incarnate Word 38, Texas A&M–Kingsville 41 |
| 5 | 5,643 | November 3, 2018 | Incarnate Word 43, 21 Sam Houston State 26 |
| 6 | 5,412 | September 25, 2010 | Incarnate Word 9, 5 Texas A&M–Kingsville 37 |
| 7 | 5,323 | September 30, 2017 | Incarnate Word 20, Abilene Christian 45 |
| 8 | 5,322 | October 8, 2016 | Incarnate Word 48, 2 Sam Houston State 63 |
| 9 | 5,229 | September 5, 2015 | Incarnate Word 18, Texas A&M–Kingsville 16 |
| 10 | 5,001 | October 14, 2017 | Incarnate Word 33, Lamar 24 |
| 11 | 4,999 | October 28, 2017 | Incarnate Word 31, Nicholls State 38 |
| 12 | 4,798 | September 24, 2016 | Incarnate Word 35, 24 McNeese State 42 |
| 13 | 4,755 | September 22, 2012 | Incarnate Word 0, 25 West Texas A&M 24 |
| 14 | 4,652 | November 11, 2017 | Incarnate Word 10, 3 Central Arkansas 56 |
| 15 | 4,558 | October 25, 2014 | Incarnate Word 21, 11 McNeese State 41 |
| 16 | 4,522 | September 1, 2012 | Incarnate Word 19, Texas College 12 |
| 17 | 4,430 | November 16, 2017 | Incarnate Word 28, Prairie View A&M 42 |
| 18 | 4,402 | November 14, 2015 | Incarnate Word 21, Lamar 28 |
| 19 | 4,400 | September 3, 2016 | Incarnate Word 22, Texas A&M–Kingsville 31 |
| 20 | 4,122 | November 16, 2013 | Incarnate Word 0, Angelo State 7 |