From 1910 to 1953, the Beavers played their home games at Bell Field, and also played as many as four games a year at Multnomah Stadium in Portland. In 1948, Oregon State president August L. Strand, athletic directorSpec Keene, and Portland businessman Charles T. Parker met to plan a replacement for Bell Field. Parker, a 1907 alumnus, kicked off the stadium fundraising campaign in 1949 and made significant contributions of his own. In 1952, construction of the stadium began. For Parker's efforts and contributions, the stadium was named in his honor. The first game was played on Homecoming, November 14, 1953, and the Beavers defeated Washington State 7–0. At that time the stadium was able to hold 28,000 people. The stadium was renovated in 1958, 1965, and 1967, reaching a capacity of approximately 40,500 seats, but the architect's full intent never came to fruition. The roof over the main southwest grandstand was approved in 1988, and with the completion of the original Valley Football Center behind the northwest end zone, capacity was reduced to 35,362 in 1990. The roof and new press box were completed in 1991. The stadium was renamed in June 1999 to honor Al and Pat Reser, owners of Reser's Fine Foods. The couple both graduated from Oregon State in 1960, and are major donors to the university and Beavers athletics, though Al died at the age of 74 in 2010. The Parker name is still honored at Parker Plaza, located between Reser and Gill Coliseum, the site of many pregame activities. The stadium is located on the southwest corner of the Oregon State campus at the intersection of SW 26th Street and SW Western Boulevard in Corvallis. In addition to football, intramural and club sports also use the facility occasionally. Reser Stadium alternates with Autzen Stadium at the University of Oregon in hosting the Civil War game. Since 1954, the games in even-numbered years have been played in Corvallis, odd-numbered in Eugene.
Playing surface
Through the 1968 season, the stadium's playing surface was natural grass. AstroTurf was installed in 1969, and replaced in 1974 and 1977. The brand was switched to All-Pro artificial turf in 1984, which was in place for 15 seasons, replaced in 1999 with AstroTurf 12/2000. Infilled FieldTurf debuted in 2005, and was replaced prior to the 2012 season.
Expansion and upgrades
Through the 2004 season, the official capacity of the stadium stood at 35,362. In 2003 the Raising Reser campaign was initiated, which resulted in an increase of seating capacity to 43,300 for the 2005 season by way of constructing a new grandstand along the northeast sideline, with plans to eventually reach 55,000 seats through three phases of renovation. "Phase Two" of the Raising Reser project was completed between the 2006 and 2007 football seasons; it enclosed the horseshoe in the southeast end zone with continuous seating in the corners. This addition raised total seating capacity to 45,674 and included the ProStar Digital VideoPlus Display screen. During the planned Phase Three, the upper level will extend through the southwest grandstand. The north end zone is also home to the Valley Football Center, which houses a large weight room, offices and meeting facilities, reserved primarily for coaches and administrators within the football program. In December 2014, Victory Through Valley, an expansion to the stadium and Valley Football Center was announced as part of $42 million in upgrades. The renovations were scheduled to begin in Fall 2015 and were completed by the beginning of the 2016 football season. Victory Through Valley upgrades included a new auditorium, coaches offices, team room, locker room, rehab facilities, and hall of fame. The new additions and upgrades have helped with recruiting, competitiveness, and functionality.
Attendance records
Non-athletic uses
Apart from use from the Athletic Department, Reser Stadium is occasionally also used for various non-athletic events, particularly events such as commencement, held every June. This has allowed the stadium to hold notable speakers such as astronaut John Glenn and former First Lady Michelle Obama.
