Aztec Bowl (stadium) facts for kids
Aztec Bowl
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| Location | 5500 Canyon Crest Dr., San Diego, California |
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| Owner | San Diego State University |
| Operator | San Diego State University |
| Capacity | 10,000 (1936–1948) 12,592 (1948–1995) |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1933 |
| Opened | October 3, 1936 |
| Expanded | 1948 |
| Closed | March 1995 |
| Construction cost | $476,863 ($10.2 million in 2022 ) |
| Architect | unspecified |
| Tenants | |
| Aztec football (NCAA) (1936–1966) Aztec rugby -men (USA Rugby) (1958–1995) Aztec rugby -women (USA Rugby) (1975–1986) Aztec soccer -men (NCAA) ( –1995) Aztec soccer -women (NCAA) ( –1995) San Diego Jaws NASL (1976) |
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Aztec Bowl
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in California
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| Architect | multiple |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival |
| Part of | San Diego State College (ID97000924) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 19, 1994 |
| Boundary decrease | September 4, 1997 |
Aztec Bowl was a historic football stadium located on the San Diego State University campus in San Diego, California. It was built as a special project to create jobs during the 1930s.
History of Aztec Bowl
The Aztec Bowl was the home field for the Aztecs football team. They played there from 1936 until 1966. After that, the team moved to a bigger stadium called Qualcomm Stadium.
The stadium officially opened on October 3, 1936, with about 7,500 people watching. It cost around $500,000 to build. When it first opened, it could hold 10,000 fans. In 1948, it was made a bit bigger, increasing its seating to 12,592 people. There were plans to make it much larger, possibly for 45,000 seats, but that never happened.
What is there now?
Today, the Viejas Arena (which used to be called Cox Arena) stands where the Aztec Bowl once was. This arena is where the school's basketball games are played.
A Special Place in History
The Aztec Bowl is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historical places in the United States. Even though the stadium is gone, some of its original concrete bleachers were not torn down when the new arena was built.
A very important event happened at Aztec Bowl: John F. Kennedy, who was the President of the United States of America at the time, gave a graduation speech there on June 6, 1963. He spoke about how important education is for the future of the country and for freedom.
As a nation, we have no deeper concern, no older commitment and no higher interest than a strong, sound and free system of education for all. In fulfilling this obligation to ourselves and our children, we provide for the future of our nation-and for the future of freedom.
(Historical Video)—John F. Kennedy, President of the United States of America, Graduation commencement address to San Diego State College (San Diego, California), June 6, 1963
The Viejas Arena was built right on top of the steps where people listened to President Kennedy's speech. You can still see parts of the old bleachers from the arena's parking lot outside, and even in some storage areas inside the arena. There has been a request to remove the stadium from the National Register of Historic Places.
See also
In Spanish: Aztec Bowl (San Diego) para niños
