Drachman Stadium

History: In 1981, the Wildcats track and field program moved from Arizona Stadium to Roy P. Drachman Stadium on the corner of 15th Street and Plumer Avenue. The facility first took the name of Rincon Vista Stadium. Shortly after, the generous donations allowed the facility to be upgraded. The Arizona Athletics Department then renamed the Wildcats' home to Roy P. Drachman Track and Field Stadium. Roy P. Drachman was a famous Tucson native who found great success in the development of Tucson. Viewed by many as one of the greatest real estate minds Arizona has produced, Drachman was also a profound supporter of the University of Arizona. With his help through various donations it helped create and upgrade the Arizona Track and Field stadium.

This stadium is still considered one of the fastest and most functionally designed complexes in the country, the stadium hosts many important track and field meets in high school, collegiate and professional levels. Most notably, the list includes the 2019, 2003, 1995 and 1985 Pac-12 Championships, the 1987 TAC Junior and Intermediate Championships, the 1983 WCAA Championships and the annual Arizona Jim Click Invitational and Willie Williams Classic, as well as many other track and field events throughout the year.

The stadium was completely redone during the fall of 2006. With the last current upgrades it is a facility with a nine-lane Tartan track and the latest design in field event competition areas. Many of things were updated during this overhual such as the high jump apron has been expanded and all the runways were resurfaced with a Tartan surface. The entire facility is now hard-wired with a flawless Hy-Tek electronic timing system which produces accurate electronic times. In 1989, an electronic scoreboard was installed at the southeast corner of the track. This scoreboard would include a timing clock, message board and capabilities to generate updated team and individual results. The seating capacity of Drachman Stadium is over 5,000.

The largest crowd to attend an event at the complex was a standing-room only crowd estimated at more than 6,000 people at the 1998 Tucson Elite Classic.

Notable Track and Field Olympians

Pau Tonnesen
Edgar Rivera
Luis Rivera-Morales
Dominic Johnson
Esko Mikkola
Abdi Abdirahman
Jean Patrick
Nduwimana Klaus Ambrosch
Matt Giusto
Marc Davis
Aaron Ramirez
Michael Bates
Aldo Canti
Peter Okodogbe
Felix Imadiyi
Ed Mendoza
Dwayne Evans
George L. Young

Four Notable Medalists:

Michael Bates - Bronze (‘92)
Dwayne Evans - Bronze (‘76)
George L. Young - Bronze (‘68)
Ed Caruthers - Silver (‘68)

Why is Roy P. Drachman Stadium Important

The University of Arizona is home to many Division 1 sports. This includes men's football, men's/women's basketball, men's/women's golf, men's/women's swim & dive, men's baseball, women's softball, track and field along side many more. The track and field program at the University of Arizona is known across the country to be a consistently top 20 program. Having a state of the art stadium provides these track and field athletes the opportunity to practice and compete to get to the professional level. The stadium is closed off during practice hours but that does not stop fans from pulling up seats to watch these athletes compete. Bringing in thousands of fans per event this stadium shines brightest when records are shattered. Schools around the nation strive to have the stadium that Arizona has.

Who is Roy P. Drachman

Roy P. Drachman spent a long and rewarding lifetime contributing to sports in Pima County, both on and off the field. The shortstop for the 1924 Arizona State Championship baseball team at Tucson High School attended the University of Arizona from which he received an honorary Doctor of Law Degree in 1985. A semi-pro baseball manager for 5-years (1927-31), Roy also played on the Southern Pacific “Rails” team in the late ’20s and early ’30s. He even spent some time in the late 20’s as official scorekeeper for the Tucson Cowboys of the Arizona-Texas League (Class C).

Interestingly enough in 1940, he became co-owner of the Cowboys. In 1946 Roy was largely responsible for convincing Bill Veeck and Horace Stoneham to move the Cleveland Indians’ and NY Giants’ spring training to Arizona. Roy organized and was president of the City Baseball League during World War II and helped keep baseball alive while the minor leagues were shut down for the duration. For five years, six local semi-pro and service teams played 6-nights a week.

He was a former member of the Tucson City Baseball Commission and in the early ’30s, switched playing fields long enough to twice become City Golf Champion. He organized and was first president of the Tucson Conquistadores, which sponsors the Tucson Open to raise funds in support of youth sports, and Olympic athletes. A tireless and dedicated giver of both time and financial support, Roy was three-time president of the Towncats, helping to raise funds to support Arizona Wildcat football teams. Roy donated over $400,000 to finance the University of Arizona Track Stadium.