Between innings the grounds crew wore spacesuits and helmets and cleaned the diamond with vacuums. Elvis filled the place more than once. Refugees from Katrina washed up here in the hurricane summer of Like Ellis Island, and not without controversy, it briefly held, housed, then redistributed thousands of them.
By then it was long since clear that the Astrodome was an anachronism. Its replacement since , a gigantic pole barn now called NRG Stadium—get it? King trounced Riggs in straight sets, , , The event received front-page coverage in numerous newspapers. Tennis also benefited commercially, gaining increased popularity as a result of the spectacle. Not all sports worked, however.
Hofheinz brought midget auto racing to the Astrodome in March The drivers complained about the conditions, and a crash into the wall caused A. Foyt to lose a dental filling.
The United Soccer Association team was able to draw more than 30, in its opening game, but after struggling with attendance it folded after the season. The Astrodome later served as home to the Houston Hurricane, a North American Soccer League team that began play in , but folded three years later. However, boxing did have a degree of success within the Astrodome, with several fights featuring Muhammad Ali.
Cobb took the champion the full 15 rounds, yet was brutally beaten and bloodied. The Astrodome hosted numerous trade shows and other events, including circus performances and religious revivals. The Ringling Bros. Judy Garland was the first major artist to appear, performing on December 17, , with the Supremes as the opening act.
The unprecedented size of the venue was intimidating for some performers. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was responsible for bringing many other top musicians to the Astrodome.
Many of them provided several performances over a multi-year period. An October 28, , Rolling Stones concert was marred by a fatal stabbing. Their move to the Astrodome propelled the multi-week Livestock Show and Rodeo to surpass one million in attendance. They continued to bring record-breaking crowds until the event was moved to nearby NRG Stadium in , where, in time, its cumulative attendance exceeded 2 million. As the Astrodome neared completion, the organization built a less elaborate structure, dubbed Astrohall, next to the Astrodome.
The building housed Livestock Show offices, administrative resources, and space for several agricultural events that might not draw huge crowds. Hofheinz later constructed AstroWorld, an elaborate theme park, near the Astrodome. It attracted large and enthusiastic crowds. Nevertheless, Hofheinz struggled to manage his finances amid the economic uncertainties of the s, so he sold AstroWorld to the Six Flags Corporation.
The facility continued to operate under the Six Flags brand from until it was closed in The Astrodome was expected to host professional football when it opened in , but Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams instead steered clear of the Astrodome until he reached a lease agreement before the season. Adams was a founding member of the American Football League, an upstart rival to the more powerful National Football League.
The University of Houston played in the Astrodome through , though by the Cougars had moved some of their games elsewhere, including nearby Robertson Stadium on its campus; eventually it shifted all its home games to that location.
In Houston trounced Tulsa, , perhaps providing revenge for the opening loss in , with Larry Gatlin, who would later perform in the Dome as a country music star, scoring a touchdown late in the game. The Astrodome also hosted the Bluebonnet Bowl, beginning with a rebranding of the event as the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl in In the first contest, Southern Methodist beat the Oklahoma Sooners The game was moved to Rice Stadium in and Amid financial struggles, a swan song between Texas and Pittsburgh unfolded in the Astrodome in , with the Longhorns winning The annual game was canceled in Despite winning league championships during the and seasons, the Oilers struggled for respectability during their first decade in the Astrodome.
Their first game there was played on August 1, , a exhibition-game victory over the Washington Redskins. Three heart-transplant survivors were introduced to the crowd, showcasing cutting-edge medicine as it evolved in Houston. To the disappointment of Roy Hofheinz, whose financial struggles and health issues limited his negotiating abilities, it was not played in the Astrodome.
The Oilers improved dramatically in when they drafted Earl Campbell, a heralded running back from the University of Texas. Before entering college or the professional ranks, Campbell played in the Astrodome in , leading his John Tyler High School team to a Texas state championship.
In his rookie season, Campbell was the first running back ever to score four touchdowns on Monday Night Football , thrilling 50, fans with a yard performance. The loss, by a score of , included a controversial call on a pass by Dan Pastorini to Mike Renfro that would have tied the score at if ruled complete and possibly shifted the momentum of the game.
After that defeat, the Oilers returned to Houston, and were led by police escort into a packed Astrodome that was filled with 60, appreciative supporters. Those playoff failures cost Phillips his job, and the Oilers did not return to the playoffs until January 3, , when quarterback Warren Moon led the Oilers to a overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks in front of 50, Astrodome fans.
However, the team lost the following week in Denver. During that season Oilers owner Bud Adams indicated that he was unhappy with the Astrodome, and he threatened to move to Jacksonville if the stadium situation did not improve. The original scoreboard was dismantled and removed to make room for some of those seats. The Oilers were a competitive team, with a passionate fan base, so the expectation was that the renovation would keep Adams in the Astrodome for at least 10 years.
The Oilers next hosted a playoff game in a newly expanded Astrodome on December 31, , losing again to their perennial nemesis, the Steelers, , in overtime. A crowd of 59, watched Gary Anderson kick a yard game-winning field goal.
Two seasons later, Warren Moon tossed two touchdown passes as Houston defeated the New York Jets, , in front of 61, in the wild card game, again in the Astrodome, but the Oilers were defeated by the Broncos in Denver a week later.
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