Kembali
The new year will bring a change to the University of Washington's football stadium. Out with the old — Husky Stadium — and in with the new: Columbia Bank Stadium.
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2027, UW football fans will now enter the gates of Columbia Bank Stadium to watch the Huskies take the field. The University's Board of Regents approved the naming rights deal on Nov. 12 and the University of Washington and Columbia Bank announced the name change, part of a 10-year naming rights deal, in a statement later that day.
The Seattle Times and On Montlake have both reported that the deal is worth $70 million, and marks the first time UW's stadium will be named after a corporate sponsor. The $7 million per year deal is the largest annual naming rights deal in college football, according to the Sports Business Journal.
"This is the kind of partnership great public universities should be building," said Robert J. Jones, University of Washington's president, in the statement. "It brings together two institutions with deep roots in Washington and creates opportunities that extend well beyond Athletics."
According to the statement, Columbia Bank will join Alaska Airlines, PepsiCo and Starbucks as the university's fourth "Signature Partner" and the agreement also makes Columbia Bank an exclusive partner of Washington Athletics and the UW Alumni Association.
UW's deal with Columbia Bank, which is based in Tacoma, also includes financial literacy resources for students and other community initiatives like internships and career development programs on campus. Columbia Bank is one of the largest banks on the west coast with locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
"UW leadership has a clear vision for expanding educational access and opportunity for students that our partnership will help advance," said Chris Merrywell, Columbia Bank President. "Over the next decade, we want to build something that creates lasting value for the University and Columbia, connecting our bank to the next generation of students, professionals and business leaders."
The first game hosted at UW's football stadium came in 1920, when the field was known as "Washington Field," according to the university's magazine. In the 1930s, thousands of seats were added to the south grandstand and that part of the stadium was dubbed "Cassill's Castle" after Harvey Cassill, UW's Athletic Director at the time.
UW's football team was originally known as the "Sun Dodgers" and later changed the school's mascot to a husky in the 1920s.
The UW football stadium can seat more than 72,000 fans, according to the university's athletics department, making it the largest college or professional stadium (Lumen Field has 68,000 fixed seats and can increase to 72,000) in the region.
UW's football stadium overlooks Lake Washington on the south side of the university's campus. The views of the lake, the Cascades and Mount Rainier have led many to refer to UW's football setting as the "greatest setting in college football."
UW will play three more games this season, one of which will be played at Husky Stadium before the name changes in 2027.
Nov. 14: at Michigan State, 1:15 p.m. PT
Nov. 28: at Oregon, time TBD