Qualcomm Stadium

Lore & Background

The stadium was the longtime home for two teams of the major professional sports leagues: the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) and the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Chargers played at the stadium from 1967 through the 2016 season, after which they moved to the Greater Los Angeles area to become the Los Angeles Chargers. The Padres played home games at the stadium from their founding in 1969 through the 2003 season, then moved to Petco Park in downtown San Diego.

Additionally, the stadium hosted the San Diego Sockers of the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 through the 1984 season. San Diego Stadium was the home of the San Diego State Aztecs football team from 1967 through 2019. A college football bowl game, the Holiday Bowl, was held in the stadium every December from 1978 through 2019. The stadium was home to a second college bowl game, the Poinsettia Bowl, from 2005 until its discontinuation following the 2016 edition.

In 2020, San Diego State University (SDSU) purchased the stadium site, with plans to develop the area into a noncontiguous campus expansion following the stadium's demolition, now known as SDSU Mission Valley. Snapdragon Stadium opened on the site in 2022 as the new home for the Aztecs football team. The stadium hosted three Super Bowls: XXII in 1988, XXXII in 1998, and XXXVII in 2003, being the most recent multi-purpose stadium to host the NFL's title game.

It also hosted the 1984 and 1998 World Series, the 1978 and 1992 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and games of the 1996 and 1998 National League Division Series and the 1984 and 1998 National League Championship Series. It was the only stadium ever to host both the Super Bowl and the World Series in the same year (1998), and was one of three stadiums to host the Super Bowl, World Series, and the MLB All-Star Game, along with the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

Reader's Guide

The stadium was temporarily renamed 'Snapdragon Stadium' for 10 days in December 2011 as a marketing tie in for Qualcomm's Snapdragon brand. The legality of the temporary name change was challenged at the time, since it was agreed to unilaterally by San Diego's mayor, without approval from the City Council and against the advice of the City Attorney. The Aztecs' new stadium, built in 2022 after the demolition of SDCCU Stadium, has the permanent name of Snapdragon Stadium.

Did You Know?

• The stadium was the first of the square-circle 'octorad' style, which was thought to be an improvement over other multi-purpose stadiums for hosting both football and baseball.
• The original scoreboard was replaced in 1978 by the first full-color outdoor scoreboard ever built.

A Legacy of Naming Rights

The stadium's identity shifted multiple times over five decades. It opened as San Diego Stadium in 1967. Following Jack Murphy's death in September 1980, the San Diego City Council voted 6–2 on January 6, 1981, to rename it San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. In 1997, Qualcomm Corporation purchased naming rights for $18 million, changing the name to Qualcomm Stadium.

This agreement lasted until June 14, 2017, when rights expired and were bought by San Diego County Credit Union. The new name, SDCCU Stadium, took effect on September 19, 2017, before those rights also expired in December 2020. To honor Murphy during the Qualcomm era, the city designated the site "Jack Murphy Field," though the naming agreement prohibited using that name alongside "Qualcomm Stadium." Despite this, many fans continued calling it "The Murph." Even after demolition began in late 2020, the legacy endured until the final section fell on March 22, 2021.

Home to Professional Titans

This venue hosted two major professional franchises for decades. The San Diego Chargers (NFL) played their first game here on August 20, 1967, and remained tenants through the 2016 season before moving to Los Angeles. The San Diego Padres (MLB), who replaced the minor league team in 1969, called it home until the end of the 2003 season, when they moved to downtown's Petco Park. Additionally, the stadium hosted the San Diego Sockers of the North American Soccer League from 1978 through the 1984 season. The "octorad" design was intended to optimize both sports but drew criticism for placing spectators too far from the field during baseball games. By the late 2000s, discussions arose about replacing the facility with a modern football-only stadium, but funding challenges persisted until the Chargers' departure in 2017.

Collegiate Heartland and Bowl Games

San Diego State University's Aztecs used the stadium as their home field from 1967 through 2019. The venue was also a staple of college football postseason play, hosting the Holiday Bowl every December from 1978 to 2019. It additionally hosted the Poinsettia Bowl from 2005 until its discontinuation after the 2016 edition. The final sporting event at the stadium was the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl on December 27, 2019, where Iowa defeated USC. Demolition commenced in December 2020. In 2020, SDSU purchased the site for a noncontiguous campus expansion known as SDSU Mission Valley. This project led to the opening of Snapdragon Stadium in 2022, which now serves as the new home for Aztec football.

Unrivaled Championship Pedigree

The stadium achieved a rare feat by hosting three Super Bowls: XXII (1988), XXXII (1998), and XXXVII (2003). It was the most recent multi-purpose stadium to host the NFL title game. On the baseball side, it hosted the World Series in 1984 and 1998, as well as All-Star Games in 1978 and 1992. It also hosted National League Division Series games in 1996 and 1998, and Championship Series in 1984 and 1998. In a unique historical moment in 1998, it became the only stadium ever to host both the Super Bowl and World Series in the same year. Along with the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, it is one of only three stadiums to have hosted all three major events: a Super Bowl, a World Series, and an MLB All-Star Game.