Fouts Field feats

Fouts' birthday

Down the Corridor

Fouts Field just ended its 50th football season. Fans have cheered the Mean Green football team to almost twice as many victories as losses over those years. Yet, the legacy of Fouts extends beyond an impressive 133-67-2 record.

The arena has been home to many great coaches and NFL-bound players, such as "Mean" Joe Greene, a defensive tackle who went to a Hall of Fame career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Abner Haynes, an offensive back who was named the American Football League's "Player of the Year" and "Rookie of the Year" in 1960 while playing for the Dallas Texans (now known as the Kansas City Chiefs). Another legendary figure, Odus Mitchell, head football coach from 1946 to 1966, guided the team to 122 victories and three post-season bowl games.

Fouts has also been home to thousands of fans with raucous school spirit, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. Whether North Texas won or lost, "football weekends were spirit builders on campus," said Stan Stanislav ('62) in a 1992 issue of The North Texan.

Hollywood has even aimed the spotlight on the stadium. In 1984, Fouts was the set for the television movie The Jesse Owens Story. Then, in 1991, the movie Necessary Roughness was shot at the stadium and around the UNT campus.

Fouts Field, first named Eagle Stadium, opened in September 1952 when North Texas defeated North Dakota. The stadium was a dream realized for Theron J. Fouts, who served North Texas for 34 years as a football coach, athletic director and dean of men. He initiated the campaign to build the arena and, after his retirement in 1954, the stadium was renamed in his honor.

		Architect's drawing of Fouts Field, which opened in September 1952.

Fouts Field has undergone several renovations over the years; among the most significant was a boost in seating capacity in 1994. The renovation was needed to reclassify UNT's football program to Division I-A of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The sports information department commemorated the stadium's 50th anniversary this season by featuring photographs and highlights from a historical game in each of the five home game programs and on the jumbotron.