A Stadium is Born
The rise in Cal Football’s success and popularity in the early 1900s was a core motivator for building a permanent stadium on campus. In order to finance the construction project, the Associated Students of the University of California launched a subscription drive. For every $100 donated, the subscriber would receive a “scrip,” or voucher, that could be used to buy discounted Big Game tickets for the next ten years.
Construction began in December 1922. After eleven months, California Memorial Stadium officially opened its doors in time for the 1923 Big Game. A crowd of 73,000 poured into CMS for the first time and Cal defeated Stanford, 9-0. The stadium was dedicated to students, alumni and other Californians who lost their lives in World War I.
Designed by world-renowned architect John Galen Howard and co-designers G.F. Buckingham and E.E. Carpenter, the stadium is a tribute to their architectural talents. Fans who attend games today still marvel at the beauty of the structure, modeled after the Colosseum in Rome, and comment about the easy viewing for spectators from all angles within the stadium.