NFL's Best Stadium to Host Sooners

Daily Coverage | Gameday Central | Fan Primer | Bowl Guide

NORMAN | SoonerSports.com will provide complete coverage of Oklahoma's trip to the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl from the team's departure for Arizona through post-game reaction.

Leading up to bowl week, the site will provide content featuring different aspects of the bowl experience. Once the team arrives in Arizona, Sooner fans will enjoy unprecedented access to the week's events with blogs, interviews, player features, photos and video coverage.

Check Sooner Fiesta Bowl Gameday Central for broadcast options and important information for OU fans attending the game.

OU BOWL EXPERIENCE | The Stadium
Oklahoma's players, coaches and fans will enjoy a state-of-the-art facility for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day. OU will meet Boise State on the field inside University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Video Coverage | Eye on Boise State | Oklahoma Tradition

Home of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, the stadium was completed in 2006 at a cost of approximately $450 million. The facility was named the best in the NFL by Street & Smith's Sportsbusiness Journal and Sportsbusiness Daily and one of the 10 best stadiums in the world by BusinessWeek.

A few interesting facts about the facility:

  The grass field rolls out of the stadium on a 12-million pound tray, residing outside of the stadium except for football and soccer events. It's the first of its kind in North America.

  The translucent “Bird-Air” fabric roof will allow the stadium to have an open, airy feel even when the roof is closed. The roof has two large retractable panels that will uncover the entire playing field while providing maximum shading for fans. The roof can be closed and the facility air conditioned in the hot months, while the roof can be opened to take advantage of the Valley's world-famous climate in cooler months. Watch a time lapse of the roof opening.

  The stadium seats, if set in a straight line, would stretch for approximately eighteen (18) miles or the equivalent of one hundred and eleven (111) football fields.

Visit the official site of University of Phoenix Stadium for more facts.

Glendale, Ariz., provides useful information for fans on its site: Glendale's Got Game. Be sure to check out the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl FAQ for information on parking, shuttles, traffic and local conditions.

Multimedia Tours
The Phoenix newspaper, the Arizona Republic, offers an interactive image of the stadium. You must have Real Player installed to fly around and inside the stadium via the virtual tour. View photos of the design process at the Arizona Cardinals' site. A full gallery of photos is also provided here.

Stadium Design
In addition to an exterior that is surprisingly bold for a U.S. professional sports facility, the $450 million stadium has several attention-grabbing high-tech features. The natural turf field, contained in a gigantic “cake tray,” can be rolled out of the building through an opening beyond the south end...
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Stadium History
The 63,500-seat stadium (expandable to 72,800) opened on August 12, 2006 when the Cardinals defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-13, in a preseason game. The first regular season game was played September 10 against the San Francisco 49ers and the Cardinals won 34-27...
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Additional Links
  Official Stadium Site
  Stadium Guide, A to Z
  Tostitos Fiesta Bowl FAQ
  Seating Chart | Printable Chart (PDF)
  Driving Directions
  Visitor Information

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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