SDCCU STADIUM

Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Aztecs - Picture: Mark Whitt

San Diego, CA

Home of the San Diego State Aztecs for more than four decades, SDCCU Stadium looks much different than it did when it opened. In the early 1960s sportswriter Jack Murphy began to build support for a multipurpose stadium for the area. When built, the stadium would become a multipurpose venue, hosting numerous events including football and baseball. In November 1965, a $27 million bond was passed allowing construction to began on the stadium. Construction on the stadium began one month later. When completed, the facility was named San Diego Stadium. After years of playing at Aztec Stadium, the team had a new facility to play at. The Aztecs played their first game at the stadium on September 15, 1967 against Tennessee State.

San Diego Stadium had a capacity of 50,000 multicolored seats upon opening. The three tier grandstand was in the shape of a horseshoe, with the south end open. The Aztecs shared the stadium with the NFL’s San Diego Chargers (before they moved to Los Angeles after the 2016 season) and the MLB’s San Diego Padres (before they moved to their new ballpark after the 2003 season). After the death of Jack Murphy in 1981, San Diego Stadium was renamed in honor of him. The stadium remained basically the same until 1983. Over 9,000 bleachers were added to the lower deck on the open end of the stadium raising the capacity of Jack Murphy Stadium to 59,022. Sixteen years later the most substantial addition was completed at  Jack Murphy Stadium. In 1997, Jack Murphy Stadium was fully enclosed, with the exception of where the scoreboard is located. Nearly 11,000 seats were added in readiness for the Super Bowl in 1998, bringing the capacity to over 71,000. Also in 1997, the facility was renamed Qualcomm Stadium after Qualcomm Corporation paid $18 million for the naming rights. All of the multicolored seats have been replaced with new blue seats.  The stadium has several amenities including over 100 luxury suites and over 7,000 club seats. Unlike many other college football teams, the Aztecs play the majority of their games at night and have had much success here with a winning percentage of .700. In September 2017 the stadium was renamed SDCCU Stadium after San Diego County Credit Union bought the naming rights to the stadium for $500,000 through the end of 2018. The stadium remained home of the San Diego State Aztecs through the 2019 football season. It will be demolished in 2021 as the Aztecs build a new smaller college football stadium on the site.