Aztec Bowl (stadium)

This article is about the former stadium at San Diego State University. For the college football bowl game, see Aztec Bowl (game).

Aztec Bowl was an outdoor stadium in San Diego, California, located on the campus of San Diego State University (SDSU). The stadium was the home of the San Diego State Aztecs football team.

Aztec Bowl

Viejas Arena, situated in the former Aztec Bowl stadium in 2005
Location	5500 Canyon Crest Dr., San Diego, California
Owner	San Diego State University
Operator	San Diego State University
Capacity	10,000 (1936–1948) 12,592 (1948–1995)
Surface	Natural grass
Construction
Broke ground	1933
Opened	October 3, 1936; 88 years ago (1936-10-03)
Expanded	1948
Closed	March 1995
Construction cost	$476,863 ($10.9 million in 2024 [1])
Tenants
Aztec football (NCAA) (1936–1966) Aztec rugby -men (USA Rugby) (1958–1995) Aztec rugby -women (USA Rugby) (1975–1986) Aztec soccer -men (NCAA) ( –1995) Aztec soccer -women (NCAA) ( –1995) San Diego Jaws NASL (1976)
Aztec Bowl
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
California Historical Landmark No. 798[2]
Coordinates	32°46′28″N 117°4′29″W
Architectural style	Mission/Spanish Revival
Part of	San Diego State College (ID97000924[3])
CHISL No.	798[4]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 19, 1994 (1994-05-19)
Boundary decrease	September 4, 1997 (1997-09-04)
Designated CHISL	September 16, 1964 (1964-09-16)[5]
Removed from NRHP	May 30, 2012
Delisted CP	September 4, 1997[6][7]

History

Construction of a 10,000 seat stadium began in 1933 following the first of two Works Progress Administration (WPA) grants. 2,592 more seats were added in 1948.

Aztec Bowl hosted the San Diego State Aztecs football team until they moved to San Diego Stadium in 1967. The stadium was used for soccer matches and as a musical venue for the San Diego Symphony, the Grateful Dead in 1969, the Police in 1983 and Lollapalooza in 1994.^[8]

John F. Kennedy, then the president of the United States, gave a commencement address and received the first honorary doctorate given by a California State University at the stadium on June 6, 1963.^[9][10][11] Then-mayor Pete Wilson's 40th birthday party was held there in 1973.^[12]

Viejas Arena, the school's basketball arena, has been sitting on the site of the stadium since 1997. The arena was built directly into the canyon hillside, enclosing one end of Aztec Bowl. Two sections of the stadium's original concrete bleachers and cobblestone walls remain visible.

The stadium was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.^[13] A request was made to remove the stadium from the National Register of Historic Places,^[14] and was removed on May 30, 2012.^[15]