Houck Stadium is an 11,015-seat multi-purpose stadium in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. It opened in 1930 and was named after famous Missouri resident Louis Houck. Today it is home to the Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks football team and women's soccer team.

Houck Stadium
Map
Location1117 Broadway Street
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
Coordinates37°18′34″N 89°31′52″W / 37.30944°N 89.53111°W / 37.30944; -89.53111
Public transitBus interchange Cape Girardeau Transit Authority
OwnerSoutheast Missouri State University
OperatorSoutheast Missouri State University
Capacity11,015
SurfaceFieldturf
Construction
Broke ground1929
OpenedOctober 3, 1930[1]
Construction cost$150,000
($2.74 million in 2023 dollars[2])
Tenants
Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (NCAA) (1930–present)

The stadium used to be open on both the east and west side. Today, it is open only on the east side. On the west end of the stadium, where KRCU once stood, is a brand new, 5-story residence hall for Southeast students, with some of the rooms looking out over the stadium. The stadium is flanked on the southwest side by Houck Fieldhouse, which houses the Southeast Missouri State volleyball team.[citation needed]

History

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Houck Stadium was constructed in 1930 at a cost of $150,000. It was built on the site of a former rock quarry, which was purchased for $11,000 in 1925. It was dedicated on October 3, 1930 before a crowd of over 6,000 people. Southeast Missouri defeated Southern Illinois University that day 12–6. Houck Stadium originally consisted of 5,240 seats on the south side of the field. It was named for Louis Houck, who served 39 years as a regent for the University and as President of the Board for 36 years.

Seating on the north side of the stadium was added prior to the 1963 season. A press box was constructed on the south side of the stadium in 1979. Nearly 400 chairback seats were added in 1992 on the south side.

In 2021, the university announced that Houck Stadium would undergo major renovations, starting with the replacement of seating on the south side of the stadium. This phase was completed in 2023, and the Redhawks would play their first game in the newly renovated stadium on September 9, 2023. On October 13, during a fan event, university president Carlos Vargas confirmed that a second phase of renovations would occur, focusing on adding a brand new press box to the stadium.

Single game attendance records

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Game Date Attendance
1 UT Martin (Win 24-17) October 30, 2010 (homecoming) 11,126[3]
2 Cape Central vs. Jackson (Jackson 21-0) October 22, 2010 11,000+ (estimated)
3 Southern Illinois (Loss 7-28) September 6, 2003 11,100
4 Eastern Kentucky (Loss 28-37) October 2, 1999 11,015
5 Tennessee State (Win 19-17) October 9, 2010 10,316
6 Western Kentucky (Loss 14-38) September 23, 2000 10,222
T7 Murray State (Loss 35-45) October 20, 2001 10,100
T7 Southern Illinois (Loss 23-58) September 1, 2005 10,100
8 Murray State (Loss 28-38) October 21, 2000 10,028
9 Murray State (Tie 21-21) September 1, 1979 10,000
10 Southern Illinois (Loss 27-30) August 31, 1995 9,827
11 Southern Illinois (Win 24-5) September 8, 2001 9,822

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Lynch, Fred (September 4, 2013). "Houck Stadium Under Construction". Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "UT Martin vs Southeast Missouri (10-30-10)". Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.