Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium - Incarnate Word Cardinals
- Eric Moreno
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Photos by Eric Moreno, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.14
Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium 4301 Broadway San Antonio, TX 78209
Year Opened: 2008
Capacity: 6,000
UIW Cardinals – Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium
Founded in 1881 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) is the largest Catholic university in Texas. The 150-plus acre campus is home to close to 9,000 students and is located on a prime spot in one of the most scenic locations in San Antonio, while also being under a five-minute drive from the city’s vibrant Downtown area.
In 2008, the leadership of UIW ventured into the world of college football. They fielded their first recruiting class that fall, taking the field as an NCAA D2 independent team with the late Mike Santiago as their inaugural head coach.
While moving up the ranks, the UIW Cardinals settled at the NCAA FCS level as members of the Southland Conference. Beginning in 2018 the team has gone on a tear, winning four Southland Conference championships, the first under current Oklahoma State Cowboys Head Coach Eric Morris, the next two helmed by current Texas State Bobcats head man G.J. Kinne, and the final – in 2024 – under current coach Clint Killough.
The Cardinals’ winning ways have led them to the FCS playoffs on all four occasions, twice reaching the quarterfinals. Through it all they have called one place home: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium. Named after university patriarchs and longtime owners of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, the on-campus stadium has given the Cardinals a distinct homefield advantage. Read all about it below.
Food & Beverage 3
Currently there are three concession stands open for fans at Benson Stadium. Two are behind the home team stands; these tend to bottleneck pretty significantly during games, as there is not a ton of room underneath the bleachers where these stands are.
The good news is that UIW tends to have three separate windows open for orders, so things tend to move as quickly as possible. However, if it’s a crucial time in the game and you’re sitting on the home side, make your way to the stand closest to the fieldhouse; this tends to be the least crowded. For visitors, the concession stand that sits near Sullivan Field is your only option.
As for food items, it’s your traditional game day fare: hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, candy, and bottled drinks. They also offer walking tacos (a.k.a. Frito Pie), which seem to be everywhere these days. The home side does offer a separate beer stand for those wanting an adult beverage or two. Nothing groundbreaking here for food and drinks, but things are solid and relatively inexpensive.
Atmosphere 3
One of the main draws of UIW is its campus. It is, quite frankly, gorgeous. The red bricks, the tree-lined paths, the stream that runs through the campus, the iconic clock tower, all of it is just postcard perfect. It’s what I imagine one of the historic colleges or universities back east looks like. Public art also dots the campus, which provides a fun diversion before or after Cardinal games at Benson Stadium.
Heading to the game, you’ll notice that all the athletics facilities – Benson Stadium, Sullivan Field, and Alice P. McDermott Convocation Center – are all in the same section of campus. This is not only convenient, but it adds to the atmosphere.
Inside the football stadium, the visitors side of the field is plastered with the successes of Cardinals teams of the past, such as their conference titles and the names of All-Americans – which includes the number one pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Ward. There are also two merchandise tents for fans, one near the Convocation Center and one on the home team side, which offer up items such as t-shirts, jerseys, and stuffed animals for fans.
The athletics complex sits at the bottom of a hill, setting it apart from all the hustle and bustle of both everyday campus life and the noise and energy of the seventh-largest city in the country. It really feels like a small-town college campus, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Neighborhood 5
As mentioned, the UIW campus sits in one of the most auspicious locations in the city, five minutes from the Alamo, Hemisfair Park, the San Antonio River Walk, Tower of the Americas, the Alamodome, and the Historic Pearl entertainment district.
It’s even closer to sites like the award-winning San Antonio Zoo and Witte Museum. Restaurants such as Smoke Shack, Cheesy Jane’s, and Hung Fong are also all almost within eyesight of the school.
Basically anything and everything that San Antonio has to offer visitors is available near UIW’s campus, and most should be open either before or after Cardinals games, so you can visit at your leisure.
Fans 3
Throughout their history, the Cardinals have typically drawn anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 fans per game, but this all depends on the opponent for each game. The Southland Conference, fortunately enough, is littered with Texas schools and assorted Louisiana ones that are within an easy driving distance from San Antonio. Those games tend to fill Benson Stadium and have great energy.
The fans that head to Cardinals games are usually dressed in UIW black and white and are engaged. They’ve been spoiled by the team’s prolific success – especially on offense – in the last decade. While the current team is still young, I firmly believe that as soon as they turn the corner in terms of playoff success, you’ll see consistently larger crowds – San Antonio loves nothing more than backing a winner.
Access 2
The score for this section is a little muddled for me. As mentioned, the campus’ proximity to downtown San Antonio means Benson Stadium is within a 30-minute drive from anywhere in the city. The facility is also only about 15 minutes from San Antonio International Airport, which has daily flights to almost any and all spots on the globe. There is also signage directing visitors to campus from US 281, which parallels the school; you can see the university buildings clearly from the highway.
What makes this section’s score low was the parking difficulty I experienced on my most recent visit. Entrances to campus from the thoroughfares surrounding the school were all closed to the public, and there were no other visible markings telling fans where to go. By happenstance I found the entrance to the only open parking available to the general public, off a side street on the feeder road from the highway.
Even then, parking was cash only, which greatly backed up traffic. I will shoulder some of the blame as I didn’t read that online before attending. However, this wasn’t my first game there and took me by complete surprise. On the plus side, you are afforded the opportunity to park in a covered garage once you’re onsite; this comes in handy early in the season when the south Texas sun is baking everything from dawn till dusk.
Return on Investment 3
Single game tickets for UIW Cardinals football can be had for as little as $13 per person ($15 with fees). I would highly recommend going directly through the school’s ticketing office, as the same tickets I bought were marked up exceptionally high on all the secondary ticket market sites.
Parking is just $10 (cash only; some passes can be bought online ahead of time, however) and you get a covered spot, which you will be grateful for if you visit anytime before mid-October. The concessions are also fairly reasonable; no item except alcohol runs higher than $10. That’s really a good bargain in this day and age, especially for D1 sports.
Extras 3
There isn’t much still in the way of extras at UIW games, but the Cardinals have all the bells and whistles of most college teams, such as their mascot Red the Cardinal, the Marching Cardinals band, the Cardinal Dancers, and the cheer squad.
The team also does a fun job with their entrance, as the whole squad runs through the inflatable cardinal head with red and black smoke billowing and music blasting. It’s a nice touch.
Final Thoughts
It has been fun to watch the growth of the UIW Cardinals football program. Seeing where they are now from where they came from has been something special to see. However, the program is still in its infancy, so there’s no telling where they will end up, given time.
While Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium will never be confused with some of the great cathedrals of Saturday, the Cardinals more than make up for any deficiencies the stadium might have with their performance on the field. If you’re a fan of fun college football, add this spot to your bucket list. And while you’re in town for the game, take a stroll around the UIW campus – I think you’ll be glad you did.
Follow Eric Moreno's Stadium Journey on X at @EricMoreno6477.
