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Carnie Smith Stadium
Welcome to the Jungle!
Brandenburg Field at Carnie Smith Stadium
Pittsburg State University plays its home football games at Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium, widely recognized as one of the finest venues in NCAA Division II.
Affectionately referred to as both “The Pitt” and “The Jungle” by Gorilla players and fans, Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium provides one of the strongest home field advantages in college football.
The facility was originally named Brandenburg Stadium, in honor of William Aaron Brandenburg, the first president of the University. It was built in 1923 with volunteer labor and money donated by students, alumni, faculty and citizens of Pittsburg.
In 1987, the University announced that the field would continue to bear the name of PSU’s first president, but the stadium would be called Carnie Smith Stadium, in honor of the legendary PSU football coach who led the Gorillas to two NAIA national championships (1957 and 1961) and six conferences titles during his tenure from 1949-66.
Construction of the facility began with volunteer labor during the summer of 1923, after a successful fund drive raised the necessary $100,000 to build the stadium. To ensure its completion by the start of the 1924 season, PSU faculty members were required to help work up to eight hours per week.
On October 11, 1924, the first varsity football game was played at the new facility between PSU (known as Kansas State Teachers College) and Baker University, in front of approximately 4,000 fans. The team didn’t disappoint all of those who worked so hard to build the new facility, earning a 6-0 victory. KSTC went on to post a 7-0-1 record that year earning the Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) title under head coach Garfield W. Weede.
Entering the 2020 campaign, Pittsburg State has won 156 of its last 185 regular season home games, posting a 156-28-1 record (.846) over the last 335seasons. The Gorillas have won 72 percent of their home games during the 96-year history of the facility, with a 356-134-12 all-time home record since the facility opened in 1924.
PSU’s home field advantage strengthened in 2001 with the completion of a $5.7 million expansion project to Carnie Smith Stadium. With the improvements, all made possible by private funding, an additional 2,300 seats were added to Carnie Smith Stadium, including new club seating on both the East and West stands. The stadium capacity grew from 5,611 permanent seats to 7,950.
Additionally, 16 luxury sky boxes were added to the East side of the stadium. New restroom, concession stand and ticket booth facilities were created, an elevator, handicap accessibility and other ADA improvements were made.
Both the home and visitor locker room facilities underwent major improvements, and a new media room was added to the East side for PSU players and media personnel to utilize. An additional eight luxury sky boxes and elevator service were added to the West side in the summer of 2006. The $2.5 million project was made possible by private funding.
In 2008, PSU unveiled its new “Jungletron” video scoreboard – the largest replay board in Division II – in the south end zone of the stadium. This $1.7 million project was made possible entirely by private funding and provides fans with 2,800 square-feet of vibrant LED video and scoring updates.
Stadium Records/Milestones (1924-present)
Overall Home Record: 356-134-12 (.721)
Regular Season Play: 331-127-12 (.717)
Post Season Play: 25-8 (.758)
Win No. 1: vs. Baker (6-0), Oct. 11, 1924
Win No. 100: vs. Washburn (27-6), Oct. 29, 1960
Win No. 200: vs. Arkansas-Monticello (23-7), Dec. 3, 1988
Win No. 250: vs. Missouri Southern (21-7), Oct. 19, 1996
Win No. 300: vs. Panhandle State (87-0), Sept. 9, 2006
Decade By Decade
1920s: 12-13-0 (.480) 1970s: 26-22-3 (.539)
1930s: 29-17-1 (.628) 1980s: 50- 7-0 (.877)
1940s: 24-16-6 (.587) 1990s: 58- 5-1 (.914)
1950s: 31-15-0 (.674) 2000s: 54- 7-0 (.885)
1960s: 34-12-1 (.734) 2010s: 38-20-0 (.655)
Consecutive Home Wins: 24 (Oct. 5, 1991 to Nov. 5, 1994)
Consecutive Home Losses: 9 (Oct. 6, 1928 to Oct. 3, 1930)
Undefeated Seasons at Home: 25
(1924, 1932, 1934, 1942-43, 1951, 1957, 1960-62, 1971, 1980-82,
1986, 1988, 1990,1992-93, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008)
Most Lopsided Home Win: 87-0, vs. Panhandle State, Sept. 9, 2006
Most Lopsided Home Defeat: 63-14 vs. Missouri Wester, Oct. 20, 2012
Best Home Record (season): 9-0-0, 2004
Carnie Smith Stadium Attendance Figures
During the last 21 seasons, Pittsburg State University has averaged 8,372 fans per home game (1,163,758 fans in 139 games). Last year, PSU averaged 7,704 fans in six home games, ranking eighth nationally in attendance – PSU’s seventh straight season in the top 10.
Top Home Game Attendance
(1961-present)
1. MWSU, Oct. 20, 2012 • 11,910
2. NWMSU, Oct. 13, 2001 • 11,862
3. NSU, Sept. 17, 2017 • 11,495
4. FHSU, Sept. 27, 2014 • 11,489
5. WU, Sept. 19, 2015 • 11,383
Top Single Game Attendance
(Home, Away, Neutral)
1. vs. NWMSU, Oct. 17, 2002......26,695
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
2. vs. NWMSU, Nov. 6, 2004.......25,542
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
3. vs. NWMSU, Nov. 4, 2006.......22,561
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
4. vs. NWMSU, Oct. 4, 2008.......21,316
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
5. vs. NWMSU, Oct. 29, 2005......21,044
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
