Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium

Pioneer Stadium
	Aerial view of the stadium in 2024
	Interactive map of Pioneer Stadium
Full name	Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium
Address	Platteville, Wisconsin; United States
Owner	UW Platteville
Operator	UW Platteville Athletics
Capacity	10,000
Type	Stadium
Surface	ProGrass artificial turf
Current use	Football; Soccer
Public transit	Green Orange ; Platteville Public Transportation
Construction
Opened	1972
Tenants
	Wisconsin–Platteville Pioneers (NCAA) teams:; football, soccer
Website
	letsgopioneers.com//pioneer-stadium

Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium is a stadium in Platteville, Wisconsin, on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. The venue is home to the Wisconsin–Platteville Pioneers football and soccer teams.

History

Pioneer Stadium opened in 1972 and holds 10,000 people.^[1] It is the second largest stadium in Division III collegiate football,^[1] and the largest soccer stadium. From 1984 to 2001, the stadium and other university facilities were also used as the Chicago Bears' training camp home.^[2]

The stadium is named for Ralph Emerson Davis,^[1] a geologist and "godfather of the natural gas industry," who served as the director of the Wisconsin Mining School, which would eventually merge to form the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. Davis's generous donation helped complete the $1.25 million facilities.

In 2005, stadium renovations included replacing the grass surface with a Pro-Grass in-fill surface.^[1]

On June 16, 2014, the stadium was damaged by a tornado.^[2]

References

1 2 3 4 "Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium". University of Wisconsin-Platteville Athletics. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
1 2 Erickson, Paul (July 10, 2014). "Chicago Bears to donate $50,000 to tornado relief". University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Retrieved April 11, 2016.