Kidd Field

Built in the early 1930s, Kidd Field has been home to several All-Americans, national champions, national record-holders and Olympians.

Named after UTEP (then Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy) professor and athletic booster John W. Kidd, the facility was shared with the UTEP football team until 1962, when the facility became sole home to the track and field team.

The track features a recently finished, eight-lane Mondo Track, the same surface used for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. The track was made possible by generous donations from Wayne and Russ Vandenburg of EPT Management and Mark Fry.

In 2003, UTEP renovated its offices and locker room and also added a student-athlete lounge.

The lit facility also houses throws and jumps arenas, making Kidd Field one of the top track-only complexes in the country. Improvements continue to reshape the complex, as new aluminum bleachers have been added in 2002.

Kidd Field will be the site of two home meets this season. The Miners will open the outdoor campaign with the Springtime Invitational on April 2 and then will host the highly-regarded Spira Invitational on April 16.

Record times have always been synonymous with Kidd Field. At the 1994 UTEP Invitational, former Miner Olapade Adeniken set the Kidd Field 100-meter record, a blazing 9.95 seconds. Obadele Thompson, then just a freshman, set the world junior 100 record in the same race with a time of 10.08.

In 1996, Thompson topped his mark in the 100 with a wind-aided 9.69, the fastest performance under any conditions in history.

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