McArthur Field

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One of the better venues for small college football and track and field in the west lies in Monmouth on the campus of Western Oregon University. McArthur Field, renovated in 1987, is the home of the Wolves and is one of the premier football surfaces and track facilities in the nation.

The facility is named for the late NAIA Hall of Fame coach Bill McArthur, Western Oregon's all-time winningest football coach. He was elected into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1983 and into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. He passed away at the age of 88 on April 27, 1997.

The field's design was one of the first of its kind in the United States. Its most obvious feature is lack of a crown, thanks to an elaborate underground drainage and irrigation system. Both the drainage and irrigation are self-regulated by computerized sensors that measure the moisture level in the bed of sand in which the grass is planted.

During the heat of summer, the field is watered from beneath the turf and sand through a gridwork of plastic pipe. The sand and pipe rest in a plastic membrane that collects the water, making the field much like a huge potted plant.

During the rainy season the process is reversed, and the system can then drain up to nine inches of water per hour, vastly improving playing conditions for the Wolves and their opponents. By November, while other grass fields in the northwest are half mud and half grass, McArthur Field remains in excellent shape.

The field is ringed by an international-standard track that itself is a prototype. The 400-meter oval features 48-inch-wide lanes, a wider radius on the curves conducive to record performances. The track was also resurfaced in the summer of 2005.

The design was the first of its kind in North America. McArthur Field is the annual host for the Oregon state 1A/2A/3A high school meet, the Valley League Championships, the Junior Olympics regional meet and has also hosted numerous collegiate conference and regional Championships. The stadium has hosted the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on 11 occasions (2004, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).

ATTENDANCE FIGURES
Top 10 Largest McArthur Field Football Crowds
4,100 Linfield, 1994
3,800 Linfield, 2007
3,692 Southern Oregon, 1999
3,500 Central Washington, 1997
3,500 Oregon Tech, 1977
3,429 Simon Fraser, 1999
3,350 Southern Oregon, 1998
3,300 Southern Oregon, 1993
3,227 Western Washington, 2000

Top 10 Largest Football Crowds (away)
24,984 Montana, 2011
15,004 Grand Valley State, 2011
10,357 Texas A&I, 1975
10,078 UC Davis, 2009
8,837 Cal Poly, 2007
8,239 Portland State, 2008
7,811 Sacramento State, 2010
7,500 Texas A&M Kingsville, 2007
7,260 UC Davis, 2001
7,110 Eastern Washington, 2005

Top 10 Home Attendance Since 1985
1999 15,452 (3,090 avg.)
1997 8,817 (2,939 avg.)
1994 11,300 (2,825 avg.)
1998 13,850 (2,770 avg.)
2001 10,705 (2,676 avg.)
2000 12,396 (2,479 avg.)
2004 9,700 (2,425 avg.)
1993 11,810 (2,362 avg.)
2003 11,800 (2,360 avg.)
1992 11,761 (2,352 avg.)

WESTERN OREGON AT HOME
2011 4-0
2010 3-1
2009 3-1
2008 2-2
2007 4-1
2006 3-1
2005 3-3
2004 1-3
2003 2-3
2002 2-2
2001 3-1
2000 3-2
1999 3-2
1998 1-4
1997 3-0
1996 1-4
1995 2-2
1994 2-2
1993 3-2
1992 3-2
1991 0-5
1990 0-4
1989 1-4
1988 3-1
1987 4-1
1986 4-1
1985 4-1
1984 1-3-1
1983 1-4
1982 2-2
1981 3-2
1980 3-2
1979 3-0-1
1978 5-0
1977 3-1
1976 5-0
1975 4-0
1974 2-1-1
1973 3-1
1972 4-0
1971 4-0
1970 4-1
1969 3-2
1968 4-0
1967 2-3
1966 4-0
1965 3-0
1964 1-3
1963 2-2
1962 3-1
1961 2-2
1960 1-4
1959 1-3
1958 2-2
1957 4-1
1956 1-3
1955 3-1
1954 3-1
1953 1-2
1952 1-1
1951 3-0
1950 3-1
1949 4-0
1948 2-2
1947 1-1
1946 2-1
1942 1-2
1941 2-0
1940 3-0
1939 1-2
1938 1-2
1937 2-1
1936 1-3
1935 4-1
1934 4-1
1933 2-0
1932 3-0
1931 4-0
1930 3-0
1929 2-1-2
1928 2-1
1927 2-2
1926 0-3
1925 1-2-1
1924 3-0
1923 0-1

Home Total: 205-126-6 (.606)
Longest home win streak: 15 (1930-34)
Unbeaten seasons at home: 19