TDECU Stadium

Planning and funding Feasibility study On February 10, 2010, Houston athletics director Mack Rhoades announced that the University of Houston had hired consultant JMI Sports and engineering/architectural design firm AECOM to conduct a feasibility study regarding possible renovations or reconstruction of Houston's Robertson Stadium and Hofheinz Pavilion. Based on the study, Houston officials announced on June 10, 2010, their intention to raze Robertson Stadium in preparation for a new stadium to be built on the same location and to perform major renovations on Hofheinz Pavilion. The plan included a new football stadium with an initial capacity of 40,000 seats with expandability to 60,000. At an estimated $120 million cost, Houston athletics also announced the start of a fundraising drive. Lead gift On August 18, 2011, the University of Houston announced that they had received the largest single donation for the stadium when co-CEOs and co-founders of Austin-based Data Foundry, Ron and Carolyn Yokubaitis donated US$10 million to the project. Ron Yokubaitis is an alumnus of the University of Houston and former Cougar football player. Houston officials also reported that $60 million had been raised for the stadium, whereas approximately $80–$85 million was needed to break ground on construction. Student stadium fee On November 14, 2011, the Student Fees Advisory Committee (SFAC), a joint student-faculty committee which advises university administration about compulsory student fees, recommended an increase of student fees to specifically construct, maintain, and operate athletic facilities. The committee also recommended that input from the student body was necessary, and that this would be appropriate through a student referendum made possible by future legislation in the Student Government Association (SGA). On November 30, 2011, Student Senator Jared Gogets introduced the bill SGAR48007 to the Senate in SGA authorizing a referendum for a student service fee increase to be voted on by students as advised by the SFAC two weeks prior. The bill was passed, and a referendum was then organized. From January 31 to February 1, 2012, UH students voted on a referendum to allow a fee increase to help fund stadium projects. After the votes were tallied, a total of 7,334 students (73.9%) voted in favor of the fee increase, while 2,589 students (26.1%) voted against it. The voter turnout of the student body was the largest in the history of the university. She also noted that ground-breaking was expected to occur in October 2012. The ground-breaking date was later revised to December 2012 when the RFQ was officially presented to the public on January 9, 2012. It was also revealed that the planned completion date would be in July 2014 in time for the 2014 football season. Site selection During a regularly scheduled meeting by the University of Houston System Board of Regents on February 15, 2012, the board was expected to vote on approval for the stadium's construction, but instead elected to table the matter in order to re-evaluate the proposed stadium's site until their next meeting. Other possible sites such as the on-campus intramural fields directly adjacent to Interstate 45 and an undeveloped area of campus—adjacent to MacGregor Park—were candidates. On March 28, 2012, the Board of Regents officially decided to continue with the original plan of construction on the Robertson Stadium site, and cited added costs and difficulty in future expansion as reason for not using the alternate sites. Architects named On June 12, 2012, the University of Houston announced that they had hired PageSoutherlandPage and DLR Group as joint architects for the facility. The university also updated its estimated cost to $105 million from the previous $120 million estimate from the 2010 feasibility study. Board of Regents approval University of Houston System's Board of Regents approved an $85 million funding package on August 15, 2012, to finance the first phase of stadium construction. At that time, the university's athletics department noted that they were on-schedule to gather the rest of the funds as necessary for the construction schedule, and the board of regents later approved the final $20 million financing package for the stadium at its May 14, 2013 meeting. At their August 15, 2013 meeting, the UH System Board of Regents approved Phase III funding for the football stadium in the amount of $15 million, bringing the total cost of the stadium back to $120 million. Naming Rights Reports surfaced on July 7, 2014, that Texas Dow Employees Credit Union (TDECU) had purchased the naming rights to the stadium. TDECU is the largest credit union in the Houston area. On July 8, 2014, the University of Houston held a joint press conference with TDECU to formally announce the partnership. TDECU agreed to pay the school $15 million over 10 years for the venue to be called "TDECU Stadium." In addition to naming rights, TDECU enjoys a 50-yard line suite, and their members and employees receive ticket discounts. Following the announcement, via social media posts, the company also acknowledged that the stadium would be renamed to "Space City Financial Stadium". The name change is expected to occur for the 2025 season. In conjunction with a press conference, a new website for the stadium was launched. DLR Group and Page, formerly known as PageSoutherlandPage, jointly designed the stadium to match the adjacent buildings including the new stadium parking garage that had been constructed earlier during the year, but also wanted a unique architectural design for the project. The stadium was designed with a "corrugated metal exterior skin" that allows for optimal air flow and natural lighting. The premium suites, loge boxes and club level are built on the concourse level in the middle of the home stands instead of on top of the grandstand like many college stadiums. As a result, these premium seats are as close to the field as any stadium in college football. On February 8, 2013, the university hosted a formal groundbreaking ceremony at the stadium site featuring longtime Houston Rockets commentator and alumnus Bill Worrell with President Renu Khator, athletics director Mack Rhoades, and chairwoman Nelda Luce Blair. The official seating chart for the new stadium was released on July 19, 2013. In an effort to allow for fans to remain connected to the internet via their mobile devices while at the stadium, in April 2014, it was announced that Boingo Wireless would install, manage, and operate a distributed antenna system thereby enhancing cellular connections. In addition, the company would deploy multiple Wi-Fi networks across the stadium that would be accessible by fans, and support other information systems as well as staff. In November 2014, The Daily Cougar student newspaper published an article stating that construction on TDECU Stadium is not yet completed, and the stadium is $16 million over budget. Subsequently, the Daily Cougar reported that the cost of the stadium is as much as $128 million, and that an audit was being conducted about whether state funds were used appropriately. In addition, TDECU Stadium claimed top honors in the "Commercial Built" category by the Austin chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The annual AIA Austin Design Awards program showcases excellence in design produced by AIA Austin members as selected by a panel of distinguished jurors. TDECU Stadium added a third design award to its distinguished resume as the facility received top honors in the AIA Houston chapter's over category. Finally, the stadium won the 2015 Merit Award from the AIA Nebraska chapter. The AIA Nebraska jury commented, "Wonderful example of doing more with less. The jury appreciated the overall straightforwardness of the design.” ==Access==

Transportation TDECU Stadium is accessible via multiple modes of transportation. Houston METRORail's Southeast Line provides light rail access to the venue with a station less than 100 yards from the Southwest entrance of the stadium. In the future, the stadium will also be accessible by the University Line. While the University Line is still in planning stages, construction on the Southeast Line is complete and the line became operational several months before the 2015 season. Built at a cost in excess of $800 million, the Southeast Line connects the Houston Theater District to the Astros' Daikin Park, the Dynamo's Shell Energy Stadium, the Cougars' new TDECU Stadium, and beyond to MacGregor Park. TDECU Stadium is located between multiple roadways in a central area of Houston and within a mile of Interstate 45. The stadium is also accessible via several lines of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. Taxis, Uber, and cycle rickshaws continue to service the stadium. Parking There are a total of 3,382 parking spaces adjacent to TDECU stadium after the loss of 353 spaces due to the indoor practice facility. which opened in 2012, provides 2,268 spots. In addition, there are 1,114 surface spots in the immediate vicinity of the stadium. There are thousands of additional parking places in satellite lots and other parking garages around campus. ==Features==

Bert F. Winston Band and Performance Center The family of former marching band member Bert Winston made a generous donation to build a new home for the Cougar "Spirit of Houston" marching band in his honor. A building on the east end of the TDECU Stadium provides three recital halls of varying sizes in addition to classroom and storage space. The Spirit of Houston enters the east stadium concourse directly from the Winston Center, and sets up in the student section of the East lower bowl. Skyline view from TDECU Stadium prior to the construction of the indoor practice facility TDECU Stadium was designed to showcase the Houston skyline in the northwest corner of the stadium to remind all visitors and television audiences that UH is Houston's university. Doris Nantz Press Box The Doris Nantz Press Box, named for the mother of Cougar golf alumnus and CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz, contains seats for 70 working media along with a press dining area. Post-game press conferences take place in a wired field-level photographer work room. John O'Quinn Field The Cougars, who pioneered the football use of Astroturf in 1966, return to an artificial surface after playing on natural grass at Robertson Stadium since 1995. The playing field is named for late UH benefactor John O'Quinn whose estate donated $5M for stadium construction. O'Quinn gave millions to UH over the years, including the lead donation to renovate and expand Robertston Stadium in the late 1990s. Houston installed Act Global UBU Speed Series S5-M turf at TDECU Stadium. The Cougars installed the same surface last year on one of their practice fields, joining the Houston Texans and several other NFL franchises who practice on UBU Speed Series S5-M. Specifically, the west endzone (where the "gap" in the stadium allows spectators to view the Houston skyline) is labeled "Houston" and contains a silhouette of the skyline. The east endzone (where the students and band sit) is labeled "Cougars" and contains a silhouette of the Cougar mascot. On the February 23, 2017, the Board of Regents granted authority to the Chancellor to extend UH's contract with IMG Sports. Part of the contract extension calls for IMG to pay $2.5 million for additional LED ribbon boards at TDECU Stadium. Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek told the Regents that ribbon boards will now encircle the entire field. Additionally, UH announced in January 2017 that it will install 1,000 new chairback seats in Sections 127 and 131 for the 2017 season, replacing the original bench seating. Cougar Cage The upper stadium bowl exterior skin is a combination of red powder-coated corrugated metal and aluminum panels providing long-term durability with minimal maintenance. The structure houses a temperature-controlled indoor practice facility with a full-size synthetic turf field and an auxiliary area dedicated for a future buildout of a football-only weight room. Construction on the $20 million facility began following the 2016 season and was completed in the fall of 2017. The facility is located near the northwest corner of the stadium, next to the stadium parking garage. Future expansion While the stadium seats 40,000, it was designed for potential future capacity of 60,000 seats. This includes the strategic placement and installation of foundations in the original construction phase to accommodate future expansion. Approximately 10,000 seats can be added to the north sideline upper grandstand, and another 10,000 seats can be added with upper end zone grandstands. ==Tailgating==

On game days, the University of Houston closes Cullen Boulevard from Holman Street to Cougar Place dormitory for the purpose of tailgating. Students groups set up tents on Cullen and the stadium grounds as a part of the "Shasta Square" tailgate just east of the stadium, while the University of Houston Alumni Organization hosts "Party on the Plaza" next to the students. RVs, which formerly parked in the lot on which the Indoor Practice Facility was built, now tailgate in lot 16B off Elgin near the Hines School of Architecture and Blaffer Art Museum. Finally, fans tailgate in the various surface parking lots and adjoining green space across campus. ==Home field advantage and attendance==

Houston won sixteen straight football games at TDECU Stadium from 2014 to 2017, including four wins over ranked opponents. This was the longest active home winning streak in the nation at the time. The 2015 Houston Cougar football team finished a perfect at home, and the 2016 team went undefeated in six home games. Overall, Houston's record at TDECU Stadium is now , including against ranked teams. Year by year Note: Average crowd sizes do not include games played at NRG Stadium. Top 25 TDECU Stadium Crowds Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to the game. ==Milestones & Notable Games at TDECU==

Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to the game. ==Other events==

In addition to major college football, TDECU Stadium hosts several high school football games each year, both regular season and playoffs. The University of Houston holds commencement exercises at TDECU Stadium each May. In 2015, actor Matthew McConaughey (whose father played college football at UH) gave the keynote address. Astronaut Scott Kelly delivered the 2016 address, while Arnold Schwarzenegger gave the 2017 commencement. Additionally, UH students celebrated Frontier Fiesta each Spring at TDECU Stadium and surrounding parking lots. Frontier Fiesta is the University of Houston's oldest and proudest tradition. Established in 1940, it began as a festival to promote UH when the university first moved from downtown Houston to its present location. With the construction of the new indoor practice facility, this tradition was moved across campus to the parking lot next to the East Parking Garage. ==See also==