Walter J. Zable Stadium at Cary Field

01/01/00

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Zable Stadium Interactive Seating Chart

Directions to Zable Stadium:

From The North/West: Take I-64 East to Lightfoot Exit 234 (Route 199 East). At top of exit ramp, take a right onto Route 199 East. Stay on 199 East until Monticello Avenue exit. Exit at Monticello Avenue, bear left on exit ramp. At bottom of ramp, turn left at light onto Monticello (pass under 199). Continue on Monticello through three stoplights. At the fourth light, turn right onto Richmond Road. Continue on Richmond Road until the first stop light. Take a right at the light into the Zable parking lot.

From the South/East: Take I-64 West to Exit 242A (Route 199 West). Follow 199 to fourth light. Take a right onto Jamestown Road. Follow Jamestown Road approximately two miles until reaching a 4-way intersection. Turn to the extreme left onto Richmond Road. Continue on Richmond Road until the first stoplight. Take a left into the Zable parking


Description

Walter and Betty Zable, classes of 1937 and 1940 respectively, made a commitment of $10 million to the Campaign for the Fourth Century in the fall of 1990. The money will be used for athletics, graduate student aid and other various needs.

In appreciation of this large gift, the College's Board of Visitors approved the naming of the football stadium at Cary Field the Walter J. Zable Stadium. A formal dedication was held Nov. 3, 1990, prior to kickoff of that season's 38-28 homecoming victory over Furman (Pictured at Right).

A three-year letterwinner for the Tribe's football team (1934-36), Zable is more than familiar with college athletics. He also lettered in baseball, basketball and track, and was an honorable mention All-America on the gridiron. After graduation Zable enjoyed a professional football career with the Richmond Arrows and the New York Giants.

Besides being named to Sports Illustrated's Silver Anniversary All-America team, he was a National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame Gold Medal recipient in 1980, and received the "Teddy" Award from the NCAA in 1987, which is presented annually to a distinguished citizen of national reputation and outstanding accomplishment who has earned a varsity award in college.

Constructed in 1935 at a cost of $138,395, Zable Stadium at Cary Field has been home to a solid winning tradition for the Tribe gridders. The first contest there ended in a 0-0 deadlock with state rival Virginia in the 1935 season opener.

Zable Stadium was financed by a grant for construction through the Public Works Administration during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. Improvements in the past decade have boosted Zable Stadium's capacity to 12,259. However, in the 1985 Homecoming victory over Richmond, a record crowd of 18,054 packed the stadium and grounds.

Heading into the 2007 season, William and Mary owns a cumulative 189-109-6 (.632) record at Zable Stadium.

• Zable Stadium Quick Facts •

Official Name
Walter J. Zable Stadium at Cary Field

Seasons
71, Opened in 1935

Original Cost
$138,395 - Financed by a grant through the Public Works Administration

Capacity
12,259

Surface
FieldTurf Pro

First Game
Sept. 21, 1935
vs. Virginia (Tied, 0-0)

First Win
Oct. 19, 1935
vs. Guilford (44-0)

First Playoff Game
Nov. 29, 1986
vs. Delaware (Lost, 51-17)

First Playoff Win
Nov. 24, 1990
vs. UMass (Won, 38-0)

All-Time Record
189-108-6 (.634)

W&M vs. Yankee/A-10/CAA
38-20 (.655)

Laycock’s Record at Zable
98-39-1 (.714)

Largest Crowds
Estimated 19,000 vs. UNC on Nov. 5, 1949; 18,054 vs. Richmond on Nov. 16, 1985

Longest Winning Streak
14 , 11/23/91-10/15/94

Largest Margin of Victory
61, 61-0 vs. GW, 1942; 61-0, vs. Ft. McLelland, 1946

Largest Margin of Defeat
49, 55-6 vs. West Virginia on Nov. 15, 1958

Zable Stadium Timeline

1906-07
The first Cary Field is built, near the current location of Blow Memorial Hall.

Late 1920s
Cary Field is moved farther west on campus, approximately to the current site of the Bryan residence complex.

September 21, 1935
The “New” Cary Field opens at the stadium’s current location with a wooden baseball-style bleacher capacity of 10,000. Although the stadium is not fully constructed, W&M and Virginia battle to a scoreless tie. Later that season, W&M records its first victory in the stadium, a 44-0 decision over Guilford.

November 5, 1949
An estimated crowd of more than 19,000 packed the Cary Field Stadium to witness North Carolina earn a hard-fought, 20-14, victory over W&M. It was the College’s only loss at Cary Field that season.

1979
A $1 million renovation project at Cary Field replaced the wooden seats, repaired masonry, renovated locker rooms and provided the first enclosed press box.

November 16, 1985
An official Homecoming crowd of 18,054 watched the Tribe defeat Richmond, 28-17, in the season finale, completing the first undefeated season at Cary Field under Jimmye Laycock.

November 29, 1986
W&M hosted Delaware in the first NCAA Playoff game at Cary Field, falling 51-17.

November 3, 1990
The stadium at Cary Field is officially dedicated, Walter J. Zable Stadium, before the Homecoming game against Furman.

September 25, 1993
W&M defeated Harvard, 45-17, on the 100th anniversary of the College’s first football game.

SUMMER 2003
Open-air skyboxes are added above the grandstands in the North end zone.

December 10, 2004
The College hosted state-rival James Madison in the NCAA Semifinals in the first night game at Zable Stadium. Temporary lighting was brought in to accommodate a national Friday-night broadcast of the sold out contest on ESPN2.

June 17, 2005
The W&M Athletics Department announced it received $650,000 in anonymous gifts for the installation of permanent lights at Zable Stadium. The lights were installed later in the summer and debuted on Nov. 5, when the Tribe hosted James Madison in the first regular season night game at Zable Stadium.

Summer 2006
The College completed a $840,000 project to replace Cary Field’s natural grass playing surface with a brand new, top-of-the-line artificial surface, FieldTurf Pro, which is used in over 20 NFL stadiums.

JUNE 25, 2007
W&M announces a new state-of-the-art scoreboard with video replay capabilities will be installed in time for the 2007 season. The scoreboard, financed through private donations at a cost of approximately $800,000, will be 53’-3” wide x 27’-5” high, and will be located in the same area as the old scoreboard. It will be supported by brick columns that will compliment the campus surroundings. The scoreboard will have space for six sponsorship panels and will be separated into two sections, one holding a video screen, the other will contain game information.