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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Albi Stadium

Field has hosted college teams and rock royalty

1951: The stands are packed with spectators during a football game at Memorial Stadium, now known as Joe Albi Stadium.

It began as Memorial Stadium and has hosted Washington State University, the University of Idaho and Eastern Washington University football games – not to mention Elvis. But Spokane’s Joe Albi Stadium is best known as the home of Greater Spokane League football and soccer battles over the past 60 years. A longtime sports booster, Albi’s name was placed on the stadium in 1962. The stadium seats more than 25,000 people, and when Greater Spokane League titans like Ferris or Mead play on Friday nights, fans and pep bands can be loud. But it was probably loudest Aug. 30, 1957. Music fans Paul and Charlotte Cooper told Nostalgia Magazine: “It was so jam-packed that we couldn’t get to our seats. … All of a sudden all the lights went out, and the stadium was completely dark. When the lights came on there he was: The King.

Elvis! Then the screams really got loud. … It was quite a sight – and a good concert when you could hear him.”

On the Web: Find more historic photos and present-day comparisons at spokesman.com/then-and-now.

Jesse Tinsley