Plaster Stadium is a 17,500-seat football stadium located in Springfield, Missouri. It is home to the Missouri State University Bears football team.HistoryThe stadium was built in 1941 as SMS Stadium, a Works Progress Administration project at a cost of only $60,000, before World War II broke out. Its original seating capacity was 8,500. In 1970 it was renamed Briggs Stadium after Arthur Briggs, the school's all-time winningest coach.RenovationsIn 1991, the stadium was renamed the Plaster Sports Complex in honor of Robert W. Plaster, chairman of Evergreen Investments of Lebanon, Missouri. Mr. Plaster donated funds for major renovations of the stadium, including expansion of the stadium to its current capacity, including the addition of an upper deck which seats 8,500, 24 luxury suites holding 10 each, a 40-seat luxury box and a new press box. In addition, a new running track and new artificial turf were installed.The artificial turf was replaced in 2001 with a FieldTurf surface and new field turf was installed in 2006. A new scoreboard was added in 2008. It was determined that at the conclusion of the 2013 football season, the aging student (east) bleachers would be torn down. After the student body passed the B.E.A.R. Fee, money was in place to rebuild the bleachers. This stadium renovation will also include the removal of the track as well as the repositioning of the field with a new playing service.
