page_title: Reser Stadium
section_title: History and use
hierarchical_section_title: Reser Stadium / History and use
caption_attribution_description: Pat Reser, chair of the OSU Board of Trustees.
context_page_description: Reser Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the northwest United States, on the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. It is the home of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pac-12 Conference, and opened 67 years ago in 1953 as Parker Stadium. It was renamed in 1999, and its current seating capacity is 43,154. The FieldTurf playing field runs northwest to southeast, at an approximate elevation of 240 feet above sea level, with the press box above the grandstand on the southwest sideline.
context_section_description: From 1910 to 1953, the Beavers played their home games at Bell Field (now the site of the Dixon Recreation Center), and also played as many as four games a year at Multnomah Stadium in Portland. In 1948, Oregon State president August L. Strand, athletic director Spec Keene, and Portland businessman Charles T. Parker (1885–1977) met to plan a replacement for Bell Field. Parker, a 1907 alumnus, kicked off the stadium fundraising campaign in 1949 and made significant contributions of his own. In 1952, construction of the stadium began. For Parker's efforts and contributions, the stadium was named in his honor. The first game was played on Homecoming, November 14, 1953, and the Beavers defeated Washington State 7–0. At that time the stadium was able to hold 28,000 people.
  The stadium was renovated in 1958, 1965, and 1967, reaching a capacity of approximately 40,500 seats, but the architect's full intent never came to fruition. The roof over the main southwest grandstand was approved in 1988, and with the completion of the original Valley Football Center behind the northwest end zone, capacity was reduced to 35,362 in 1990. The roof and new press box were completed in 1991.
  The stadium was renamed in June 1999 to honor Al and Pat Reser, owners of Reser's Fine Foods. The couple both graduated from Oregon State in 1960, and are major donors to the university and Beavers athletics, though Al died at the age of 74 in 2010. The Parker name is still honored at Parker Plaza, located between Reser and Gill Coliseum, the site of many pregame activities.
  The stadium is located on the southwest corner of the Oregon State campus at the intersection of SW 26th Street and SW Western Boulevard in Corvallis. In addition to football, intramural and club sports also use the facility occasionally.
  Reser Stadium alternates with Autzen Stadium at the University of Oregon in hosting the Civil War game.  Since 1954, the games in even-numbered years have been played in Corvallis, odd-numbered in Eugene.
caption: Pat Reser
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