Goodbye Ol' "Murph", We Will Miss You And The Memories

Check out these photos! The last section of the stadium in San Diego's Mission Valley still stands, but not for long! Very soon, the "Murph," the "Q," and San Diego's iconic stadium will be gone for good.

An SDSU spokesperson said both projects are on schedule, with 53-year old stadium's demolition wrapping up in the next few weeks, and the new stadium slated to host college football by the 2022 season.

About the San Diego Stadium.

Funding for the stadium came in 1965 when a $27 million dollar bond was passed for the construction of a multipurpose stadium with a capacity of 50,000. The structure, which opened in 1967, was originally called the San Diego Stadium. In 1980 the stadium became the San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, (affectionately known as "The Murph" to locals) in honor of local sportswriter Jack Murphy, who was instrumental in gaining support for its construction in the 1960s.

The Chargers (originally with the American Football League) were the first tenants of the stadium, playing their first game there on August 20, 1967 and every home game that followed until their departure from San Diego in 2017.

In 1968 the AAA Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres began playing at the stadium. The following year Major League Baseball expanded, and brought what is now the San Diego Padres to the city, the team played at the stadium from 1969 to 2003.

In 1997 the stadium underwent a major expansion as it prepared to host the 1998 Super Bowl XXXII. The stadium's original horseshoe shape became more enclosed and the seating capacity was enlarged to 70,561.

1997 also brought a name change to the stadium as telecommunications giant Qualcomm paid $18 million for naming rights. It remained Qualcomm Stadium until June 14, 2017 and a few months later, San Diego County Credit Union purchased the naming rights making it the San Diego County Credit Union Stadium on September 19, 2017.

Photo Credit: Jim Grant

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content