During the Summer of 2006 the playing surface of the stadium was redone. Wagner College Stadium now features Field Turf, a synthetic grass surface that is now used by the football team along with the men's and women's lacrosse and soccer programs. (Field Construction Photo Gallery)

A completely reconstructed Wagner College Stadium opened for the 1997 season.

Financed entirely through fund-raising efforts by the college, the $2.5 million stadium was part of a $13 million project which included the construction of the Spiro Sports Center - a 93,000 square-foot multi purpose athletic facility.

Football Stadium

The construction of new bleachers increased the Stadium's seating capacity to 3,300 including 400 seatbacks located at midfield. Below the stadium is a fieldhouse featuring several locker rooms, training room, equipment room and public facilities. Surrounding the field is a six-lane synthetic running surface, allowing the college to play host to many track and field meets.

Originally opened for the 1967 season, Fischer Memorial Field (original name) was inaugurated with a 25-8 win over Western Maryland before an opening day crowd of 4,700 on September 23, 1967. During their first season at Fischer, the Seahawks went 5-0-0 en route to a perfect 9-0-0 record under head coach Bob Hicks.

View the Verrazano Bridge from the Stadium

Since 1967, Wagner has gone undefeated and untied at home seven times, including 1997, with the only back-to-back perfect showings coming in 1980-81.

Current Seahawk head coach and director of athletics Walt Hameline coached that 1981 group and has gone on to win more Seahawk games both on and away from Wagner College Stadium than anyone in Wagner history.

Wagner College Stadium has been the site of three NCAA playoff games, in 1982, 1987 and 1988. It last hosted a postseason game when Wagner claimed the 1992 ECAC Southeast Championship with a 48-6 win over St. Francis College of Pennsylvania.

As for where it all began -- Wagner College Stadium was originally used as a practice field while Dr. Bill Willets Field, currently the home of Seahawk baseball, served as Wagner's game field. Charlotta Fischer Palmer, mother of John Palmer (Wagner '62), donated money to the College so that the practice field could be doubled in size. The ground on which the field now stands was enlarged and because John Palmer was a former track star, Mrs. Palmer stipulated the money would be given if a track were built surrounding the field.