The Pine Bowl: The Home to Whitworth's Football Team, and Pine Cones
Spokane's oldest gridiron.
Text
The Pine Bowl, tucked away into the southwest corner of the Whitworth campus, hosts the track and field and football sports teams, and, starting in 2019, Whitworth's first women's lacrosse team.
One visit to the Pine Bowl and you can see where the venue gets its name. Like much of the Whitworth campus, the Pine Bowl is surrounded by majestic pine trees that reflect the beauty of the inland Northwest. The Pine Bowl provides visitors with scenic views and a family friendly atmosphere, but on the field, the Bucs have been known to be much less friendly to their foes.
Ever since Whitworth’ moved to Spokane in 1914, the football field has been located in its current location. Records are sketchy, but the Pirates went undefeated in 1916. We believe it may be the oldest continuously used football field in Spokane.
Over the years, Whitworth football teams have competed at the NAIA level and Division III of the NCAA.
Whitworth has won multiple conference championships and produced numerous all-Americans and a handful of players who have played at the professional level.
Major renovations over the last fifty years have continued to improve the field with the most recent one coming in 2017 when the traditional grass surface was replaced with Field Turff. A second renovation is planned for the future with an updated press box and viewing area, as well as new restrooms.
The new renovations serve as an example of the dedication the university has given to athletics and their student-athletes. Whitworth has been the most successful athletic department in all of the Northwest Conference since the turn of the century. Whitworth has won the past eleven Northwest Conference McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophies, further proving the university's dedication to athletics. To go along with the All-Sports trophy, Whitworth's Track and Field team has won the past six NWC championships, with head coach Toby Schwarz winning the past six Coach of the Year awards. While Whitworth is usually known for its commitment to faith and outstanding academics, the Pine Bowl reminds us of the rich tradition within the university's athletic programs.
