 |  |  |  |  |  |
Amidst the campus of Arizona State University, Sun Devil Stadium was built in 1958 to
serve as the home of the school's football club. For many years, this facility was known
for being the home of some great football involving the ASU Sun Devils, and the annual
Fiesta Bowl which usually pits two of the top college football teams in the land. Then
came 1988, when Bill Bidwill decided that he'd had enough of losing in St. Louis with his
Cardinals, and made the decision to take the team out into the Arizona desert in hopes of
a fresh start. It's been thirteen years later now and judging by the on field performance, it
appears that the change has not helped things. Yet like it or not, they're here and so we
gotta go see 'em play.
Outside the Venue
With plenty of freeways and sparse traffic, getting to the venue was a breeze. Plenty of
smaller lots could be found within a short walk of the stadium. Some campus lots are
closed to gameday patrons for reasons unique to the Cardinals, most importantly that
this is a college campus and some lots are for ASU students only. The parking that was
available did come rather cheap however, as it is tough to beat a $5 lot for an NFL game
these days. Once we got settled, we came upon a tailgate scene which was outstanding!
We met up with fans who ran a karaoke stand, others who brought the Direct TV satellite
system complete with portable dish to watch the early games, and yet another with a full
length pool table. Nope, the typical beer and wings tailgate just doesn't cut it out here! We
came away with the impression that after years of inept football by the Cards, the fans
have put most of their energies into making the tailgate the best part of the day. We
suppose the pregame festivities makes for the most fun here, considering what they
have to witness on the field.
The Stadium and Concourses
Folks, it all goes downhill from the tailgate. You walk towards the stadium, which is built
next to a side of small mountain, and no nice architecture or stadium ambience to speak
of. Uggh, this venue's concourses are extremely ordinary and not quite up to the
standards we're used to seeing. All we could think of was Fenway Park and how old and
worn down things appeared there. Dark and really not much to see here - no real décor
worth remembering at all. There is a view of the surroundings from the lower concourse
in the closed endzone, and at the ends of the main grandstand concourse. But really, we
saw everything there was to see after a couple of minutes walking, and we quickly
headed down to our seats.
Concessions
Classic ballpark dreck to be found and not a heck of a lot more. There is a nice food
plaza in a concourse behind the open end zone grandstand with some southwestern
delicacies, garlic fries, imported beers, and best of all kettle corn! Team store? Try team
trailer! If you want to find some Cardinal souvenirs, you'll find them in two trailers at the
open endzone, or some kiosks at other points in the stadium.
Seating Area
A double decked seating bowl shaped similar to a horseshoe, think Mile High with a few
seats in a largely open endzone. Premium seating appears to be located between the
two levels, at the top of the stadium at the Cardinals sideline as well as above the open
endzone. Capacity is a tad over 73,000, and almost all of the seating is of the bleacher
style, with no chair backs or cup holders or anything else we're accustomed to seeing in
other places around the NFL.
Above the open end zone are two large scoreboards. To the left is the video board that
shows video highlights as well as provides closed captioning of the PA system here. At
the right is a dot matrix board showing stats, messages, and occasional out of town
scores. Speaking of which, there was no scrolling ticker anywhere to be seen, a HUGE
deduction from us!!
Retired numbers and Banners
The Cardinals are a club that dates back to a time before the existence of the NFL, with a
tradition that takes the franchise through Racine, Chicaco, St. Louis and now Phoenix.
Yet good luck finding anything in the venue that showcases their history. No
championship banners, retired numbers, Cardinals Hall of Fame, (maybe it's back in St.
Louis with the bowling museum??) nothing. Then again, these are the Cardinals, and
seriously - Does anyone remember this team doing anything worth celebrating in the
past oh, fifty years or so??? Neither could we!
Touchdowns, Extra Points, Fumbles
Touchdown- Make it nine in a row for the home clubs on our travels. In one of the most
amazing offensive displays we've ever witnessed, the 2-6 Cardinals took down the 0-8
Lions by a 45-38 score as Jake Plummer and Charlie Batch threw for close to 800 yards
passing. In a losing effort, Charlie Batch set a new Lions passing record with 438 yards
on this day. Hey Stephen Boyd, the Lions could have used you on D this week!! (That's
Peter's cousin, for those who don't know)
Extra Point- there were only 32,000 here on this day, but what boisterous fans they were!!
We've seen places with allegedly better fans that didn't come close to the enthusiasm
which these folks displayed. Have to give 'em their just due for routinely slamming their
head against the wall and coming out here to witness this team year in and year out.
Hopefully for their sake a good team is on the way, they deserve it!
Fumble- to the idiots at Sky Harbor Airport who can't seem to put up directional signage
for the car rental return. As we were headed to the car rental place to drop off the vehicle,
we realized there were no signs instructing us as to where exactly to take it to..we almost
wound up missing the redeye flight back to Buffalo as a result. GET WITH THE
PROGRAM PHOENIX!!
Extra Point- Thankfully the weather in Phoenix was gorgeous this time. The thermometer
reached into the low 80's during our time here. This was so refreshing compared to the
inferno that greeted us back in August, when temps were at about 110 or so!
Summary
This place was built for college football and is in no way an NFL venue. There are great
fans here, as few as there are though. And at very least, this is still a football stadium with
decent sightlines but a new one for the Cards is desperately needed. With that thought in
mind, there is a new retractable roof facility for the Cards planned to open in 2004. But
just as this community has struggled with plans for a hockey arena, this too has hit a few
snags - most notably FAA safety concerns with the all too close proximity of the proposed
site to Sky Harbor Airport. We could go into details, but that would be almost another
venue profile in itself. All we know is that, wherever it is finally built, when it is open we
shall be there!!!
Scoring:
Architecture: 3
Food and team store 3
Scoreboard and electronics 4
Ushers 7
Fan support 3
Location and neighborhood 5
Banners and history 1
In game entertainment 4
Concourses/fan comfort 2
Bonus: Tailgate scene 2.5, $5 parking 1
Total 35.5
serve as the home of the school's football club. For many years, this facility was known
for being the home of some great football involving the ASU Sun Devils, and the annual
Fiesta Bowl which usually pits two of the top college football teams in the land. Then
came 1988, when Bill Bidwill decided that he'd had enough of losing in St. Louis with his
Cardinals, and made the decision to take the team out into the Arizona desert in hopes of
a fresh start. It's been thirteen years later now and judging by the on field performance, it
appears that the change has not helped things. Yet like it or not, they're here and so we
gotta go see 'em play.
Outside the Venue
With plenty of freeways and sparse traffic, getting to the venue was a breeze. Plenty of
smaller lots could be found within a short walk of the stadium. Some campus lots are
closed to gameday patrons for reasons unique to the Cardinals, most importantly that
this is a college campus and some lots are for ASU students only. The parking that was
available did come rather cheap however, as it is tough to beat a $5 lot for an NFL game
these days. Once we got settled, we came upon a tailgate scene which was outstanding!
We met up with fans who ran a karaoke stand, others who brought the Direct TV satellite
system complete with portable dish to watch the early games, and yet another with a full
length pool table. Nope, the typical beer and wings tailgate just doesn't cut it out here! We
came away with the impression that after years of inept football by the Cards, the fans
have put most of their energies into making the tailgate the best part of the day. We
suppose the pregame festivities makes for the most fun here, considering what they
have to witness on the field.
The Stadium and Concourses
Folks, it all goes downhill from the tailgate. You walk towards the stadium, which is built
next to a side of small mountain, and no nice architecture or stadium ambience to speak
of. Uggh, this venue's concourses are extremely ordinary and not quite up to the
standards we're used to seeing. All we could think of was Fenway Park and how old and
worn down things appeared there. Dark and really not much to see here - no real décor
worth remembering at all. There is a view of the surroundings from the lower concourse
in the closed endzone, and at the ends of the main grandstand concourse. But really, we
saw everything there was to see after a couple of minutes walking, and we quickly
headed down to our seats.
Concessions
Classic ballpark dreck to be found and not a heck of a lot more. There is a nice food
plaza in a concourse behind the open end zone grandstand with some southwestern
delicacies, garlic fries, imported beers, and best of all kettle corn! Team store? Try team
trailer! If you want to find some Cardinal souvenirs, you'll find them in two trailers at the
open endzone, or some kiosks at other points in the stadium.
Seating Area
A double decked seating bowl shaped similar to a horseshoe, think Mile High with a few
seats in a largely open endzone. Premium seating appears to be located between the
two levels, at the top of the stadium at the Cardinals sideline as well as above the open
endzone. Capacity is a tad over 73,000, and almost all of the seating is of the bleacher
style, with no chair backs or cup holders or anything else we're accustomed to seeing in
other places around the NFL.
Above the open end zone are two large scoreboards. To the left is the video board that
shows video highlights as well as provides closed captioning of the PA system here. At
the right is a dot matrix board showing stats, messages, and occasional out of town
scores. Speaking of which, there was no scrolling ticker anywhere to be seen, a HUGE
deduction from us!!
Retired numbers and Banners
The Cardinals are a club that dates back to a time before the existence of the NFL, with a
tradition that takes the franchise through Racine, Chicaco, St. Louis and now Phoenix.
Yet good luck finding anything in the venue that showcases their history. No
championship banners, retired numbers, Cardinals Hall of Fame, (maybe it's back in St.
Louis with the bowling museum??) nothing. Then again, these are the Cardinals, and
seriously - Does anyone remember this team doing anything worth celebrating in the
past oh, fifty years or so??? Neither could we!
Touchdowns, Extra Points, Fumbles
Touchdown- Make it nine in a row for the home clubs on our travels. In one of the most
amazing offensive displays we've ever witnessed, the 2-6 Cardinals took down the 0-8
Lions by a 45-38 score as Jake Plummer and Charlie Batch threw for close to 800 yards
passing. In a losing effort, Charlie Batch set a new Lions passing record with 438 yards
on this day. Hey Stephen Boyd, the Lions could have used you on D this week!! (That's
Peter's cousin, for those who don't know)
Extra Point- there were only 32,000 here on this day, but what boisterous fans they were!!
We've seen places with allegedly better fans that didn't come close to the enthusiasm
which these folks displayed. Have to give 'em their just due for routinely slamming their
head against the wall and coming out here to witness this team year in and year out.
Hopefully for their sake a good team is on the way, they deserve it!
Fumble- to the idiots at Sky Harbor Airport who can't seem to put up directional signage
for the car rental return. As we were headed to the car rental place to drop off the vehicle,
we realized there were no signs instructing us as to where exactly to take it to..we almost
wound up missing the redeye flight back to Buffalo as a result. GET WITH THE
PROGRAM PHOENIX!!
Extra Point- Thankfully the weather in Phoenix was gorgeous this time. The thermometer
reached into the low 80's during our time here. This was so refreshing compared to the
inferno that greeted us back in August, when temps were at about 110 or so!
Summary
This place was built for college football and is in no way an NFL venue. There are great
fans here, as few as there are though. And at very least, this is still a football stadium with
decent sightlines but a new one for the Cards is desperately needed. With that thought in
mind, there is a new retractable roof facility for the Cards planned to open in 2004. But
just as this community has struggled with plans for a hockey arena, this too has hit a few
snags - most notably FAA safety concerns with the all too close proximity of the proposed
site to Sky Harbor Airport. We could go into details, but that would be almost another
venue profile in itself. All we know is that, wherever it is finally built, when it is open we
shall be there!!!
Scoring:
Architecture: 3
Food and team store 3
Scoreboard and electronics 4
Ushers 7
Fan support 3
Location and neighborhood 5
Banners and history 1
In game entertainment 4
Concourses/fan comfort 2
Bonus: Tailgate scene 2.5, $5 parking 1
Total 35.5
| Sun Devil Stadium |
#102
Sun Devil
Stadium
Tempe,
Arizona
November
18, 2001
Detroit
Lions at
Arizona
Cardinals
.
Sun Devil
Stadium
Tempe,
Arizona
November
18, 2001
Detroit
Lions at
Arizona
Cardinals
.
