It is not too uncommonly known that Oregon State lent alumni to its little brother to build a football stadium and in the naming of that stadium's field (the reason why Oregon's stadium is named after an Oregon State grad, and an OSU football player became the UO coach for which the field is named), but did you know they almost had to share a stadium too? In June of 1952, over $300,000 had been raised to build a new stadium next to the impressive Gill Coliseum. Old Bell Field was worn out, and the football team--and its fans-- desperately needed a new home, so the money was raised to build it. Such a large fundraising effort was very impressive for 1952, and fans eagerly awaited the new stadium, but then, before the dream became a reality, disaster almost struck. A proposal mulled around with the Board of Trustees (the article was fairly vague-- this was perhaps for the Oregon University System) about the possibility of building a joint stadium for the two schools, perhaps in Junction City, halfway between Corvallis and "the landfill" (highlight the blank spot if you want to see what the landfill is actually called --> eugene). On paper, it seemed like a good idea; one facility could house ten or eleven games per year rather than just four or five, potentially saving the state a lot of money. Furthermore, one facility meant half as much maintenance required. Fortunately for everyone, reason won out when, added to the disgust of forcing each team and student sections to travel for "home" games each week, the funding was not transferable-- funding raised for Parker Stadium was earmarked for a stadium next to Gill, so building in an alternative location would instantly dissipate $300,000 already raised, a figure daunting enough to cancel the plan.
All information regarding the plans for a new stadium was gleaned from an article in the Barometer in June of 1952 which joyfully reported the demise of the proposal.
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