When the stadium was first conceived back in the mid 1960s, it was originally to be called All-American Stadium. But by the time it was completed in 1967 (designed by architect Gary Allen of Frank L. Hope and Associates at a cost of $27.5 million), the 53,000 seat San Diego Stadium would be its simple and straightforward moniker. San Diego Stadium was built in an era of the multipurpose stadium facility, where football and baseball would share the field during their respective seasons. But unlike the cookie-cutter, flying saucer monoliths that sprouted up in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and elsewhere in the country, San Diego Stadium's architecture projected a simple elegance that has stood the test of time. To wit, Riverfront, Three Rivers and Veterans stadiums have been or are slated to be demolished and give way or have given way to new stadiums.
The facility is the home field for the NFL's San Diego Chargers, Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres and San Diego State University's Aztecs football team, not to mention the occasional rock concert and monster truck show. So over the years, the stadium has been a workhorse. In 1984, the stadium's name was changed to Jack Murphy Stadium in honor of the former San Diego Union sportswriter who was so instrumental in bringing major league sports to the city. At the time, the citizens of the city weren't entirely favorable to the name change, but over the years they warmed up to seeing games at "the Murph," as it was often referred to by the sports media.
In 1997, Qualcomm, a large wireless communications company based in San Diego, ponied up $18 million for naming rights and to complete an expansion of the stadium to 71,000 seats. The expansion of now Qualcomm Stadium allowed the city to host the 1998 Super Bowl as well as this year's extravaganza, although personally, I think the closing off of the stadium's open east end took away the architectural appeal and made it much too large for baseball game viewing. And as before, San Diegans were a bit cool to having to call their stadium a new name but as always, with time comes acceptance. We San Diegans now simply refer to Qualcomm Stadium as "the Q."
But all this is about to change. In 2004, the Padres vacated the Q and moved to their new ballpark in downtown San Diego (which is a whole different story in itself). And despite an expanded and still viable stadium (in my humble opinion), the Chargers are making rumblings that they, too, need a new stadium for financial viability lest they roam to the greener pastures of Los Angeles. Plus, despite the city's overwhelming successes with previous Super Bowls, word is from the NFL that Super Bowl XXXVII was San Diego's last unless a new facility is built. The city has put together a Stadium Task force to explore this avenue. But if you were to ask the fan on the street, they would say the Chargers should concentrate on trying to win games than to try and force the city to build a new stadium.
So, it appears there will be more changes for San Diego/Jack Murphy/Qualcomm Stadium down the road. Maybe it will survive, maybe it will cease to exist. But the memories will always be present.
