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Meadowlands Sports Complex
The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). It is named for the New Jersey Meadowlands, upon which it was built.
The complex currently consists of MetLife Stadium, which is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League; the Meadowlands Racetrack, a famous harness racing circuit (which is home of the annual Hambletonian Stakes); and the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, which is the Giants' practice facility.
The complex is also home to the American Dream retail and entertainment venue, which was home to the Metropolitan Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation, and the now-closed Meadowlands Arena, which served as a home for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League, Seton Hall University's men's basketball team, and the team the arena was built for, the now–Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association.
In the mid-1960s, civic leaders in New Jersey began calling for a sports complex in the New Jersey Meadowlands that would be able to lure an NFL team from New York City. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Law was passed by the New Jersey Legislature in 1971 and signed by then–Governor of New Jersey William T. Cahill. The first chairman of the NJSEA was David A. "Sonny" Werblin, former president of the NFL's New York Jets. By year's end, Werblin had secured a deal for the New York Giants, who were then playing in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, to move to the Meadowlands. Ground was broken on Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Racetrack on November 19, 1972.
To accommodate the new facility, access roads were improved. The New Jersey Turnpike, which had been suffering the burden of increased traffic volumes near its northern terminus in Ridgefield Park, built a new alignment, the "western spur", with an exit, interchange 16W, leading directly to the sports complex as well as to Route 3. Routes 3 and 20 (now 120) also received improvements.
On September 1, 1976, the Meadowlands Racetrack became the first complex venue to open, featuring harness racing. The track drew a capacity crowd of 42,133 for its initial date. Giants Stadium opened on October 10, 1976, as 76,042 fans watched the New York Giants lose to the Dallas Cowboys, 24–14.
By 1977, plans were in the works to expand the complex. A new arena was to be built on the opposite side of Route 20 from the stadium and racetrack, connected by vehicle ramps and a pedestrian bridge. Brendan Byrne Arena, named for the sitting governor, opened July 2, 1981, with the first of six sold-out shows by musician Bruce Springsteen. The arena was renamed for its corporate sponsor, Continental Airlines (now part of United Airlines), as Continental Airlines Arena, in early 1996, since the airline had a hub at nearby Newark Liberty International Airport. It was renamed again in 2007 for Izod as Izod Center. The first tenant in the arena was the New Jersey Nets in 1981. A year later, the New Jersey Devils of the NHL and the Seton Hall University men's basketball team joined the Nets.
The Nets played their first game at the arena on October 30, 1981, and lost to their cross-river rivals, the New York Knicks by a score of 103–99. The Devils played their first game on October 5, 1982, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The game ended in a 3–3 tie.
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Meadowlands Sports Complex
The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). It is named for the New Jersey Meadowlands, upon which it was built.
The complex currently consists of MetLife Stadium, which is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League; the Meadowlands Racetrack, a famous harness racing circuit (which is home of the annual Hambletonian Stakes); and the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, which is the Giants' practice facility.
The complex is also home to the American Dream retail and entertainment venue, which was home to the Metropolitan Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation, and the now-closed Meadowlands Arena, which served as a home for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League, Seton Hall University's men's basketball team, and the team the arena was built for, the now–Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association.
In the mid-1960s, civic leaders in New Jersey began calling for a sports complex in the New Jersey Meadowlands that would be able to lure an NFL team from New York City. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Law was passed by the New Jersey Legislature in 1971 and signed by then–Governor of New Jersey William T. Cahill. The first chairman of the NJSEA was David A. "Sonny" Werblin, former president of the NFL's New York Jets. By year's end, Werblin had secured a deal for the New York Giants, who were then playing in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, to move to the Meadowlands. Ground was broken on Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Racetrack on November 19, 1972.
To accommodate the new facility, access roads were improved. The New Jersey Turnpike, which had been suffering the burden of increased traffic volumes near its northern terminus in Ridgefield Park, built a new alignment, the "western spur", with an exit, interchange 16W, leading directly to the sports complex as well as to Route 3. Routes 3 and 20 (now 120) also received improvements.
On September 1, 1976, the Meadowlands Racetrack became the first complex venue to open, featuring harness racing. The track drew a capacity crowd of 42,133 for its initial date. Giants Stadium opened on October 10, 1976, as 76,042 fans watched the New York Giants lose to the Dallas Cowboys, 24–14.
By 1977, plans were in the works to expand the complex. A new arena was to be built on the opposite side of Route 20 from the stadium and racetrack, connected by vehicle ramps and a pedestrian bridge. Brendan Byrne Arena, named for the sitting governor, opened July 2, 1981, with the first of six sold-out shows by musician Bruce Springsteen. The arena was renamed for its corporate sponsor, Continental Airlines (now part of United Airlines), as Continental Airlines Arena, in early 1996, since the airline had a hub at nearby Newark Liberty International Airport. It was renamed again in 2007 for Izod as Izod Center. The first tenant in the arena was the New Jersey Nets in 1981. A year later, the New Jersey Devils of the NHL and the Seton Hall University men's basketball team joined the Nets.
The Nets played their first game at the arena on October 30, 1981, and lost to their cross-river rivals, the New York Knicks by a score of 103–99. The Devils played their first game on October 5, 1982, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The game ended in a 3–3 tie.