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| - From 1910 to 1953, the Beavers played their home games at Bell Field (now the site of the Dixon Recreation Center), and also played as many as four games a year at Multnomah Stadium (now Jeld-Wen Field) in Portland. In 1948, Oregon State president August L. Strand, athletic director Spec Keene, and Portland businessman Charles T. Parker met to plan a replacement for Bell Field. In 1949, Parker kicked off the stadium fundraising campaign and made significant contributions of his own. In 1952, construction of the stadium began.
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abstract
| - From 1910 to 1953, the Beavers played their home games at Bell Field (now the site of the Dixon Recreation Center), and also played as many as four games a year at Multnomah Stadium (now Jeld-Wen Field) in Portland. In 1948, Oregon State president August L. Strand, athletic director Spec Keene, and Portland businessman Charles T. Parker met to plan a replacement for Bell Field. In 1949, Parker kicked off the stadium fundraising campaign and made significant contributions of his own. In 1952, construction of the stadium began. For Parker's efforts and contributions, the stadium was named in his honor, and the first game was played on Homecoming, November 14, 1953, with the Beavers defeating Washington State 7-0. The stadium was renovated in 1958, 1965, and 1967, reaching a capacity of approximately 40,500 seats, but the architect's full intent never came to fruition. In 1990, with the construction of the original Valley Football Center behind the northwest end zone, capacity was reduced to 35,362. The stadium was renamed in 1999 to honor Al and Pat Reser, owners of Reser's Fine Foods. The couple both graduated from Oregon State in 1960 and are major donors to Beavers athletics and OSU, though Al died at the age of 74 in 2010. The Parker name is still honored at Parker Plaza, located between Reser and Gill Coliseum, the site of many pregame activities. The stadium is located on the southwest corner of the Oregon State campus at the intersection of SW 26th Street and SW Western Boulevard in Corvallis. In addition to football, intramural and club sports also use the facility occasionally. Reser Stadium alternates with Autzen Stadium at the University of Oregon in hosting the Civil War game. Since 1954, the games in even-numbered years have been played in Corvallis, odd-numbered in Eugene.
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