The Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium was first built to honor students who died in World War I. Its west side was built in 1925 and the east side in 1928, with further expansion in 1949, 1975, and 1980. In 1999, Athletics Director Joe Castiglione and President David Boren launched the Great Expectations Campaign for Sooner Sports, which raised over $110 million to improve athletic facilities at the university. In 2003, the campaign made possible a major renovation and expansion that brought the stadium's seating capacity to 83,000. That project depended on the generosity of Edward L. Gaylord, who in 2002, on behalf of his family, gave the largest private gift in the history of OU athletics to complete the funding. In accordance with his wishes, part of the gift created a memorial on the stadium grounds honoring OU students, faculty, and staff who gave their lives serving the country in the armed forces. The playing field is named for Benjamin G. “Bennie” Owen, one of the university's most beloved coaches. He became head football coach for the University of Oklahoma in 1905, inheriting a very young program that had earlier been managed by men including Vernon Louis Parrington, a Harvard graduate who came to teach English in 1897 and became the first official football coach before later winning the Pulitzer Prize in intellectual history. Owen first brought Sooner football to national prominence. Although he lost his right arm in a hunting accident in 1907, he continued guiding the football program through innovations such as the forward pass and led his teams to undefeated seasons in 1911, 1915, and 1918. Known for insisting on high ethical standards, he remained as director of athletics for several years after retiring as head coach. The program he nourished later produced Sooner teams that won three national championships under Coach Charles “Bud” Wilkinson in 1950, 1955, and 1956 and set a national record with forty-seven straight wins. Under Coach Barry Switzer, three more national championships were added in 1974, 1975, and 1985. In his second year as head coach, Bob Stoops led the Sooners to a seventh national championship in 2000. Owen died on February 24, 1970, leaving the field and the tradition of Sooner football as his legacy.