Hilltopper Heritage

Building History - Houchens Industries / L.T. Smith Stadium

Other Names - New Football Stadium & Classroom Structure
Academic Athletic Building No. 2
Date Built - completed July 1968
Date Razed -
Cost of Construction - $2.7 million
Architects - Ryan Associated Architects, Louisville

Namesake - "L.T. Smith was Western’s 4th football coach and the school's second basketball coach. Born in 1897, Smith came to Western in 1920 to teach in the industrial arts department. In 1957, Smith received the highest honorary award that can be given in the field of industrial arts and vocational education when he became the 4th man in the United States to receive the Laureate Honor from Epsilon Pi Tau, international honorary professional fraternity in industrial arts. A native of Sanborn, Ia., Smith was graduated from Bradley Polytechnic Institute, Peoria, Ill., now Bradley University, with the B.S. degree, majoring in iIndustrial arts. He received the M.A. degree in industrial arts from George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville Tenn., in 1931. He served as chairman of Western’s faculty athletic committee which recommends and supervises college athletic policy." [ "Amidst the Shouting -- New L.T. Smith Stadium Emerges As Future Home for WKU Football," Oct. 14, 1967]. Smith died at the age of 79 in 1976.

Houchens Industries donated $5 million in July 2007.

History - The stadium was dedicated on October 26, 1968. The stadium had a seating capacity of 19,250. It was equipped with 26 faculty offices, 11 physical education classrooms, lockers and shower rooms. A press box also accommodated 80 writers and broadcasters. A track encircles the playing field. Towards the south was a lighted field for varsity football practice, lighted tennis courts, and a new baseball field. In December of 1969, the stadium was cited for excellence in architectural design by the Kentucky Society of Architects of the American Institute of Architects. ["WKU Stadium Cited by Architects, Dec. 7, 1969"]

Additions

1987 - lights were installed in the stadium; before those lights, there had not been a night football game since Sept. 25, 1965.

1997 - track is renovated, new scoreboard is installed

2002 - Western gets new turf on playing field called AstroPlay

2005 - “construction will begin on a three-story building opposite the existing bleachers that will house 4,200 chair-back seats, 800 club-entry level luxury seats, a 10,000-square-foot weight room and a state of the art training room” ["L.T. Smith Stadium Undergoing Renovations," June 11, 2006]

See also Stadium & Terry Colonnade and Feix Field.

Sources -

College Heights Herald - October 6, p. 10; December 15, p. 1
1967 January 12, p. 3; October 14, p. 15
1968 July 22, p. 7; September 19, p. 9; October 26, p. 5; December 12, p. 12
1974 August 27, p. 8A
1981 December 3, p. 11
1984 September 11, p. 5

Vertical File - available in Harrison-Baird Reading Room

Researched and written by Jenna Hawkins, 2008