UPDATE, Oct. 31: Tacoma's historic football stadium won't advance to the finals of America's Best High School Football Stadiums contest. After the poll closed Thursday, Stadium Bowl trailed Mitchell Stadium, 55 percent to 45 percent.
Heath Ledger danced on its seats in the film “10 Things I Hate About You.” Presidents spoke to crowds there. Babe Ruth hit baseballs on the field. High school students have used its turf since 1910.
But Stadium High School’s picturesque football field, Stadium Bowl, in Tacoma is perhaps best known for its sweeping views of Commencement Bay. In 2008, ESPN named it one of the best high school football stadiums in the country. Now, it’s made it to Round 3 of America’s Best High School Football Stadiums competition held by USA Today High School Sports.
It’s currently pitted against the Mitchell Stadium in Bluefield, Virginia. Voting for the latest round ends Thursday at 11 a.m. If Stadium Bowl advances to the finals, fans can vote Nov. 1-4.
"Obviously we’re rated one of the most beautiful campuses in the United States because of the climate that Stadium Bowl gives,” said Kevin Ikeda, Stadium High School’s principal. “When you see a night game and you see the backdrop of Commencement Bay, with a competition game filled with Friday night lights, the climate is electrifying."
Stadium Bowl celebrated its first game 109 years ago, as students and attendees showcased Tacoma pride in a several-day festival of its opening. Artists including Bob Hope and Louis Armstrong played there over the years, as well as football teams from across the nation.
The school’s site was built in 1906 and was formerly called Tacoma High, before being renamed in 1913. An unfinished hotel structure formerly stood in the school’s place, but was burned in a fire back in the 1890s.
Stadium Bowl’s history hasn’t always been smooth. Several major flood events have washed over the stands throughout the years, including a serious one induced by heavy rainfall back in 2015.
Still, Stadium Bowl stands today — well over a century old — as a cultural landmark for Tacoma.
