Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field

Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field is a stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut. It is primarily used for football and soccer, and is the home field of the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies. It may also host the Connecticut Underground of the Freedom Football League; in the fall of 2010, it was home to the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League. The stadium, which opened in 2003, was the first stadium used primarily by an NCAA Division I-A (now FBS) team to open in the 21st century. The permanent stadium capacity is 40,000, consisting of 38,066 permanent seats with a standing-room area in the scoreboard plaza that can accommodate up to 1,934 people. It also has a game day capability to add approximately 2,000 temporary seats as it did for UConn football vs. Michigan in 2013. Connecticut played on campus at Memorial Stadium in Storrs, before 2003.

Pratt & Whitney Stadium
Rentschler Field
Pratt & Whitney Stadium
Location in Connecticut
Pratt & Whitney Stadium
Location in the United States
Former namesRentschler Field (2003–2015)
Location615 Silver Lane, East Hartford, CT 06118
Coordinates41°45′35″N 72°37′8″W
OwnerState of Connecticut
OperatorSpectra[1]
Capacity38,066 (standing room to 40,000, expandable to at least 42,704)
Record attendance42,704 (Sept. 2013)
SurfaceKentucky Bluegrass
Construction
Broke groundOctober 21, 2000[2]
OpenedAugust 30, 2003
Construction cost$91.2 million
($127 million in 2019 dollars[3])
ArchitectEllerbe Becket
Structural engineerBVH Integrated Services[4]
Services engineerDiversified Technology Consultants[5]
General contractorHunt-Gilbane Joint Venture[6]
Tenants
UConn Huskies (NCAA) (2003–present)
Hartford Colonials (UFL) (2010)
Hartford Athletic (USLC) (2019)
Toronto FC (MLS) (2020)
Website
Official Website

Rentschler Field was originally the name of the company airfield for Pratt & Whitney that formerly occupied the site. The airfield, which began operations in 1931, was named after Frederick Rentschler, who founded Pratt & Whitney in 1925 and also founded its parent company, United Technologies. It was originally used for test flights and maintenance operations, and later for corporate aviation. The 75-acre (30 ha) site was decommissioned as an airport in the 1990s, and donated to the state of Connecticut by United Technologies in 1999. A subsequent 65-acre donation by United Technologies in 2009 allowed for the construction of additional grass parking lots adjacent to the Stadium.

Pursuant to a lease agreement with the State, UConn plays all its home football games at Rentschler Field.

History

The New England Patriots considered moving to Connecticut and sharing a stadium with the UConn football team in the mid-1990s. The new stadium was supposed to be built on the Connecticut Convention Center site in downtown Hartford. However, when the Patriots completed the deal for Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, the Hartford stadium plan was scaled down and the location was moved to East Hartford. The current capacity of 40,000 can expand to 50,000 with limited rehabilitation and has the layout and design for expansion of up to 60,000 seats in the future.[7]

The stadium is owned by the State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management, while operations are overseen by the quasi-public Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA). Global Spectrum, L.P. has managed the building on behalf of CRDA since 2013. Previously, the Stadium was managed by Bushnell Management Services (2011-2013), Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)(2007-2011) and Madison Square Garden L.P. (2003-2007).

Prior to the 2013 season, a new 28 feet high by 73 feet wide and a 15HD pixel video display was installed replacing the stadiums original scoreboard.[8]

On July 16, 2015, it was announced that the stadium had been named Pratt & Whitney Stadium in a deal between Pratt & Whitney and UConn. The playing surface is still named Rentschler Field.[9] In return, Pratt and Whitney donated additional land that will be used for game day parking.

Connecticut Huskies
Rentschler Field during the North Carolina at UConn football game, 2009

The UConn Huskies football team has an all time 61–48 record at Rentschler Field.

YearRecord
20035–1
20046–1
20054–2
20063–4
20077–0
20084–2
20094–2
20106–0
20114–3
20123–3
20132–5
20142–5
20154–2
20163–4
20172–4
20181–5
20191–5

Sellouts
Date Opponent Result Seats
September 13, 2003Boston CollegeL 14-2440,000
November 8, 2003RutgersW 38-3140,000
September 11, 2004DukeW 22-2040,000
September 25, 2004ArmyW 40-340,000
September 30, 2004PittsburghW 29-1740,000
October 13, 2004#17 West VirginiaL 19-3140,000
October 23, 2004TempleW 45-3140,000
November 20, 2004BuffaloW 29-040,000
September 1, 2005BuffaloW 38-040,000
September 10, 2005LibertyW 59-040,000
October 7, 2005SyracuseW 26-740,000
October 22, 2005RutgersL 24-2640,000
November 26, 2005South FloridaW 15-1040,000
December 3, 2005#16 LouisvilleL 20-3040,000
September 16, 2006Wake ForestL 13-2440,000
September 30, 2006NavyL 17-4140,000
October 20, 2006#4 West VirginiaL 11-3740,000
November 11, 2006PittsburghW 46-453OT40,000
October 19, 2007LouisvilleW 21-1740,000
October 27, 2007#11 South FloridaW 22-1540,000
November 3, 2007RutgersW 38-1940,000
November 17, 2007SyracuseW 30-740,000
September 13, 2008VirginiaW 45-1040,000
October 25, 2008CincinnatiW 40-1640,000
November 1, 2008West VirginiaL 35-1340,000
October 17, 2009LouisvilleW 38-2540,000
November 28, 2009SyracuseW 56-3140,000
October 2, 2010VanderbiltW 40-2140,000
October 29, 2010West VirginiaW 16-13OT40,000
November 27, 2010CincinnatiW 38-1740,000
September 21, 2013#15 MichiganL 24-2142,704

[10]

Soccer

Hartford Athletic

On March 11, 2019, it was announced that the renovations at Dillon Stadium would not be completed on time for Hartford Athletic's home opener on May 4 against Charlotte Independence.[11] Hartford Athletic played seven games at Pratt & Whitney Stadium.

Date Teams Attendance
May 4, 2019Hartford Athletic 1–1 Charlotte Independence11,346
May 10, 2019Hartford Athletic 1–2 Memphis 901 FC5,045
May 25, 2019Hartford Athletic 1–1 Ottawa Fury FC5,346
June 1, 2019Hartford Athletic 1–1 North Carolina FC5,003
June 8, 2019Hartford Athletic 2–1 Saint Louis FC5,132
June 16, 2019Hartford Athletic 2–3 Nashville SC4,489
June 29, 2019Hartford Athletic 0–3 Bethlehem Steel FC5,012

Major League Soccer

On September 23, 2017, New York City FC played a home match at Pratt & Whitney Stadium, against the Houston Dynamo, in the stadium's first Major League Soccer game. The game was relocated from Yankee Stadium in New York City due to a schedule conflict with the New York Yankees.[12]

On September 11, 2020, Governor Ned Lamont announced that Toronto FC would finish their season's home matches at Pratt & Whitney Stadium due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

Date Teams Competition Attendance
September 23, 2017New York City FC 1–1 Houston DynamoMLS10,165
September 27, 2020Toronto FC 3–1 Columbus CrewMLS
Trillium Cup		–
October 3, 2020Toronto FC 2–1 Philadelphia UnionMLS–
October 14, 2020Toronto FC 1–1 New York Red BullsMLS–
October 18, 2020Toronto FC 1–0 Atlanta United FCMLS–
October 28, 2020Toronto FC 0–1 New York City FCMLS–
November 1, 2020Toronto FC 2–1 Inter Miami CFMLS1,394
November 24, 2020Toronto FC 0–1 Nashville SCMLS Cup
Playoff 1st Round		–

United States men's national soccer team

Rentschler Field has hosted several United States men's national soccer team's home games, including Landon Donovan's last game for the National Team on October 10, 2014.[14]

Date Teams Competition Attendance
August 17, 2005United States  1–0  Trinidad and Tobago2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - CONCACAF Fourth Round25,488
May 30, 2006United States  1–0  LatviaFriendly22,455
May 25, 2010United States  2–4  Czech RepublicFriendly36,000
July 16, 2013United States  1–0  Costa Rica2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup25,432
October 10, 2014United States  1–1  EcuadorFriendly36,265
July 1, 2017United States  2–1  GhanaFriendly28,754
October 16, 2018United States  1–1  PeruFriendly24,959

United States women's national soccer team

Rentschler Field has also hosted several United States women's national soccer team's home games.

Date Teams Competition Attendance
Aug. 1, 2004United States  3–1  China PRFriendly15,093
July 14, 2007United States  1–0  NorwayFriendly9,957
July 17, 2010United States  3–0  SwedenFriendly5,570
October 23, 2012United States  2–2  GermanyFriendly18,870
June 19, 2014United States  2–2  FranceFriendly14,695
April 6, 2016United States  7–0  ColombiaFriendly21,792
July 29, 2018United States  1–1  Australia2018 Tournament of Nations21,570

Other Matches Hosted
Date Teams Competition Attendance
July 27, 2004Liverpool F.C. 5–1 Celtic F.C.Champions World Soccer Series Two 200424,271
July 16, 2013Cuba  4–0  Belize2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup25,432
July 29, 2018Japan  1–2  Brazil2018 Tournament of Nations13,027

Hartford Colonials
2008
2008
Rentschler Field scoreboard in 2010 (Replaced with $1.7 mil, 28 ft X 73 ft w/ 15 HD pixel board in 2013)

The Hartford Colonials were a United Football League team that played their home games at Rentschler Field. During their (2010 UFL season), the Colonials played all four home games at Rentschler, after having played one there the previous season while they were known as the New York Sentinels. Attendance at Colonials games averaged a consistent 15,000 people, third place in the five-team league behind Omaha and Sacramento. The UFL suspended the Colonials franchise in 2011 and the franchise was officially terminated when the team's former owner (Bill Mayer) was named as the new owner of the Virginia Destroyers.[15]

Date Opponent Result Score Attendance
Saturday, September 18, 2010Sacramento Mountain LionsW27–1014,384
Saturday, October 9, 2010Florida TuskersL20–3314,468
Saturday, October 16, 2010Omaha NighthawksL14–1914,056
Saturday, November 20, 2010Las Vegas LocomotivesW27–1414,554

Lacrosse

On May 19, 2019, Rentschler Field hosted the Quarterfinals for the 2019 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship.[16] In 2021 and 2022, Rentschler Field will host the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship for Divisions I, II, and III.

Date Tournament Result Spectators
May 19, 20192019 NCAA Division I Men's QuarterfinalsPenn State 21-14 Loyola8,568
Yale 19-18 (OT) Penn

Rugby union

Rentschler Field hosted its first rugby union match on July 3, 2004, when the USA Rugby union hosted France in front of 6,000 people. France would win 39-31. On June 4, 2005, Rentschler Field hosted two rugby union matches; Wales vs USA Rugby and the 2005 U.S. Rugby Super League Championship game, between New York Athletic Club Rugby Football Club and Belmont Shore RFC in front of 8,027. Wales would defeat the US 77-3 and NYAC would defeat Belmont Shore 23 to 19.

Date Winner Score Opponent League Competition Attendance
July 3, 2004France 39-31 United StatesIRBFriendly6,000
June 4, 2005Wales 77-3 United StatesIRBFriendly8,027
June 4, 2005NYAC 23-19 Belmont ShoreUSRSLChampionship8,027

Whalers Hockey Fest

On August 24, 2010, a fan event, called Whalers Fan Fest, occurred, featuring many of the former players, draws were close to 5,000 people on a Saturday afternoon.

"Whale Bowl"

From February 11 to the 20th, 2011, the stadium hosted the Whalers Hockey Fest 2011. A hockey rink was constructed on the field much like is done for the annual NHL Winter Classic. Events included a Hartford Whalers Alumni vs. Boston Bruins Alumni game, with an appearance from the Hanson Brothers, from the film Slap Shot, a double-header featuring both UConn men's and women's hockey teams, a Hockey Legends team faced off against the Mystery, Alaska Hollywood team, along with the Hanson Brothers from the movie Slap Shot,[17] and the second edition of the American Hockey League Outdoor Classic between the host Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins. Over 15,000 fans came out to watch the so-called "Whale Bowl", while over 1,700 attended the UConn men's game.

Date League Away Team Home Team Score Attendance
February 13, 2011 Atlantic Hockey Sacred Heart Pioneers (M) UConn Huskies (M) 3-1 1,911
Hockey East Providence Friars (W) UConn Huskies (W) 4-3 153
February 15, 2011 NESCAC Wesleyan Cardinals (W) Trinity Bantams (W) 5-1 100
NESCAC Wesleyan Cardinals (M) Trinity Bantams (M) 3-1 820
February 19, 2011 Atlantic Hockey Army Black Knights (M) AIC Yellow Jackets (M) 4–1 1,142
NHL Alumni Boston Bruins Alumni Hartford Whalers Alumni 4–4 10,000
AHL Providence Bruins Connecticut Whale 5–4 (SO) 21,673

Concerts
Date Artist Opening act(s) Tour / Concert name Attendance Gross Notes
September 16, 2003Bruce Springsteen & The E Street BandThe Rising Tour51,569$3,788,325[18]
September 18, 200366,000[19]
August 26, 2005The Rolling StonesMaroon 5A Bigger Bang Tour[20]
July 31, 2007The PoliceFiction PlaneThe Police Reunion Tour32,450$3,318,015[21]
September 15, 2018A Will AwayUConn Fan Fest[22]

See also

References
  1. Doyle, Paul (July 17, 2013). "Global Spectrum Pleased With Its First Event At Rentschler". Hartford Courant. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  2. Associated Press (October 21, 2000). "Ground Broken on UConn Stadium". Record-Journal. Meriden, CT. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  3. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  4. "Rentschler Field Division I Football Stadium". BVH Integrated Services. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  5. "Rentschler Stadium". Diversified Technology Consultants. Archived from the original on September 5, 2004. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  6. Sedlak, Melissa (September 1, 2003). "Sales Records Fall at UConn Stadium". SportsBusiness Journal. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  7. |Blakeslee Building Solutions
  8. "Scoreboard Unveiled at Rentschler Field". NBC 30. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  9. Rent Being Renamed Pratt & Whitney Stadium At Rentschler Field
  10. 2015 UConn Football Media Guide (PDF). UConn Huskies. p. 121. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  11. "Hartford Athletics to start home schedule at Rentschler Field due to ongoing renovations at Dillon Stadium". Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  12. "NYCFC's Home Game vs Houston Dynamo Relocated to Pratt & Whitney Stadium". New York City FC. August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  13. "Governor Lamont Announces Toronto FC Reaches Agreement With State To Play Home Matches at Pratt & Whitney Stadium". State of Connecticut. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  14. Drehs, Wayne (December 22, 2014). "The Bitter End". ESPN The Magazine. Boone, Iowa: ESPN The Magazine.
  15. "Omaha And Sacramento To Host Opening Games Of Four-Team 2011 United Football League Season In September" (Press release). UFL Press. August 10, 2011. Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011. The UFL has suspended operations in Hartford, Connecticut, where the Hartford Colonials played the 2010 season at the city’s Rentschler Field stadium. Colonials players will join the other four UFL teams through an allocation draft to be held on Monday, August 15, while head coach Jerry Glanville will assume a new role as a consultant to the league.
  16. http://www.rentschlerfield.com/events/detail/ncaa-division-i-mens-lacrosse-quarterfinals
  17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. "Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Sept 16, 2003".
  19. "Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Sept 18, 2003".
  20. "The Rolling Stones / Maroon 5 - Aug 26, 2005".
  21. "The Police / Fiction Plane - Jul 31, 2007".
  22. "UCONN Fan Fest - Sept 15, 2018".
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