Demolition continues on San Diego's stadium in Mission Valley through January of 2021.
Demolition began on the stadium in San Diego on December 8, 2020 and the images might make you a little emotional. For those who've lived in San Diego for a while, the stadium was where we cheered on local sports teams, enjoyed off-road spectacles, rocked out to epic concerts, tailgated with friends, and sat in awe of pyrotechnic displays like the KGB Sky Show.
A new multiuse facility is in the works for San Diego, but for many, the stadium's demolition marks the end of an era. The video below was posted by Ernesto De La Cruz captures the stadium's demolition.
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.
During its lifetime, the stadium hosted major concert tours, including: The Rolling Stones, The Who, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Pink Floyd, ZZ Top, Eagles, Bill Joel & Elton John, *NSYNC, Bob Dylan, One Direction, Stone Temple Pilots, Beyonce, and U2.
The stadium also hosted three NFL Super Bowl games, two MLB All Star Game Series, and was home to the annual NCAA Holiday Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl.
- 1978 - MLB All Star Game
- 1988 - Super Bowl XXII - the Washington Redskins beat the Denver Broncos 42-10
- 1992 - MLB All Star Game
- 1998 - Super Bowl XXXII - the Denver Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers 31 - 24
- 2003 - Super Bowl XXXVII - the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders 48-21
Photos: Public Domain via Wiki Commons