Amon G. Carter Stadium is an open-air football stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. It is the home stadium of the TCU football team, the Horned Frogs. It also hosts the annual Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, which has been played since 2003. It was named after Amon G. Carter, a prominent Fort Worth businessman, newspaper publisher, and city booster.

	Capacity		46,083
	Opened		October 11, 1930
	Owner		Texas Christian University
	Operator		Texas Christian University
	Surface		Bermuda Grass
	Location		2850 Stadium Dr Fort Worth, TX 76129

The stadium was opened in 1930, with a seating capacity of 22,000. It was built to replace Clark Field. Dedication of the stadium was on October 11, 1930. TCU defeated the University of Arkansas, 40-0. Several different expansions of stadium’s end zone and east grand stands took place in the 1940s and 1950s. The first of which took place in 1948, with construction raising the capacity by 8,500 to 30,500. In 1951 and 1953, 2,500 and 4,000 more seats were added to the sections giving the facility 37,000 seats.

An upper-deck and two-level press box were added to the structure in 1956. They were placed above the southwest grandstands. Improvements were made to the seating in 1985 and 1991. First the seats in the lower grandstands were removed and aluminum seats were put in their place. Then the upper-deck seats were replaced with the aluminum seats. In 1992, the artificial turf, which had been in place since 1973, was replaced with natural grass. Today the stadium seats 46,083 spectators.

Amon G. Carter Stadium most recently sold out on September 16, 2006 when TCU defeated Texas Tech, 12-3. The previous time the stadium sold out was November 17, 1984. That day 12th-ranked TCU fell to 10th-ranked Texas in a nationally televised contest on CBS.

The stadium, which now stands to the northwest of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, has been home to such greats as Sammy Baugh, Davey O’Brien, Jim Swink, Bob Lilly, and LaDainian Tomlinson.

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University Stadium is a stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico used primarily for American football as the home field of the University of New Mexico Lobos. It opened in 1960 and holds 38,634 people.

	Capacity		38,634
	Opened		September 17, 1960
	Owner		University of New Mexico
	Operator		University of New Mexico
	Surface		Grass
	Location		Avenida Cesar Chavez & University Blvd Albuquerque, NM 87131

The stadium replaced Zimmerman Field, a 16,000-seat stadium which was located just south of the current library. Needing more room for campus facilities, the school purchased land south of campus near the corner of Avenida Cesar Chavez and University Boulevard. This land became the “south” campus, which, in addition to more campus buildings, includes The Pit and Isotopes Park and the football stadium. When the stadium opened with a blowout of the National University of Mexico on September 17, 1960, it only consisted of the east and west stands in the natural bowl stadium. It was expanded in 2001 with stands in the northern end zone, and bleachers donated by the city of Albuquerque in 2004. Also in 2001, the L.F. “Tow” Diehm Athletic Facility, a field house and athletic training facility, is located in the southern end zone, capped by “LoboVision,” the giant, state-of-the-art scoreboard. Expansion is continuing, and by the time it is completed, the stadium will seat 42,000.

The stadium is also used for the university’s spring commencement ceremonies. In December of 2006, it was the site of the first-ever New Mexico Bowl, funded by a $2 million line of credit from ESPN, and featuring members of the Mountain West Conference and Western Athletic Conference. This was the first bowl game ever played in the state of New Mexico.

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Hughes Stadium is a stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Colorado State University Rams. The seating capacity is 34,000. It has a state of the art video board along with club seats and 12 luxury suites completed in 2005. In 2006 a state of the art FieldTurf football field was installed, making Hughes Stadium one of the best in terms of ameneties in the Mountain West Conference.

September 28, 1968

	Capacity		34,000
	Opened
	Owner		Colorado State University
	Operator		Colorado State University
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		S Overland Trail Fort Collins, CO 80526

In the stadium’s first game, the Colorado State Rams lost to North Texas 17-12, on September 28, 1968. From October 21, 1989 to August 21, 1991, the Rams won 8 straight games at Hughes Stadium, a school record.

The stadium was built in 1968 on a plot of land on the edge of Fort Collins, approximately four miles west of the school’s campus. It replaced the old Colorado Field, a 12,000-seat on campus stadium. It sits in a natural oval bowl, with seats on three sides and an open grass berm (not open for seating) behind the south endzone. The west (home side) stands are expanded out of the bowl and capped by a press box. It is named for Harry Hughes, a longtime coach at then-Colorado Agricultural in the early 20th century. The field itself was renamed in 2003 in honor of coach Sonny Lubick.

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	Capacity		45,017
	Opened		1927
	Owner		University of Utah
	Operator		University of Utah
	Surface		FieldTurf (since 2002)
	Location		451 South 1400 East, Ste. 600 Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
	Construction cost		$133,000 USD

Rice-Eccles Stadium is the football stadium for the University of Utah Utes, located on the university’s campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was originally built in 1927 at a cost of $133,000 USD. The 2002 Winter Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies were held at the stadium, renamed temporarily as “Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium”.

The stadium was orginially named Ute Stadium, and opened on October 1, 1927, with a Utah victory over Colorado Mines, 40-6, and was dedicated on October 22 against Colorado. The seating capacity was 20,000. An additional 10,000 seats were added to the north end in 1947. Bob Rice gave $1 million USD to the university to renovate the stadium in 1972. Additional seating was added to the south end of the stadium, new locker rooms and a new press box were added, the playing surface was lowered, and the track was removed. This brought the capacity to 32,500.

The stadium underwent a $50 million renovation beginning in May 1997, which was completed in September 1998. $10 million of the renovation was donated by Spencer Eccles, through the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundations. The rest of the funds were raised from private donations, bonds, and the Salt Lake Olympic Committee. Most of the stadium was demolished for the renovation. Only the south end stands remained before a brand new facility was built in place of the old structure. The university decided to add the Eccles name to the stadium along with the Rice family name to recognize the contributions of both the old and new facilities.

FieldTurf is the third surface in Rice-Eccles Stadium’s history. When the stadium opened in 1998, it was lined with SportsGrass, a hybrid of natural grass and artificial turf that the university experimented with from 1995-99. In 2000, natural grass replaced the SportsGrass and was in place until the end of the 2001 season, when it was covered by blacktop for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Since 2005, Rice-Eccles Stadium has also been the home of the Major League Soccer franchise Real Salt Lake. It was recently announced that a soccer-specific stadium for the team will be constructed in the suburb of Sandy.

Just south of the stadium is the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park.

Future Expansion

Though there are no immediate plans to expand Rice-Eccles Stadium, the stadium was built with future expansion in mind. With the recent success of Utah football, speculation has been fueled about stadium expansion. The University of Utah plans on expanding Rice-Eccles Stadium to around 55,000 fans by enclosing the southern end zone and adding an identical press box to the east-side of the stadium.

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Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium is a stadium in Laramie, Wyoming. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the University of Wyoming Cowboys. It is the highest Division I-A football stadium in the nation at 7,220 feet above sea level.

	Capacity		32,580
	Opened		September 16, 1950
	Owner		University of Wyoming
	Operator		University of Wyoming
	Surface		Artificial Turf
	Location		University of Wyoming Laramie, WY 82071
	Construction cost		$1,533,333

War Memorial Stadium was built along with the War Memorial Fieldhouse in the spring and summer of 1950. The stadium, which replaced tiny Corbett Field, originally sat 20,000 in grandstands on the east & west sides of the field. In 1970, the western upper deck, containing 5,500 seats and a new press box, was added, and in 1978 the eastern press box and northern bleachers were added, bringing capacity up to 33,500.

In 2001 a new video scoreboard was added and the bleachers in the north endzone were moved to the south endzone. In 2004, the western stands were refurbished and the press box expanded, bringing the stadium to its current capacity. In 2005, the natural grass at War Memorial Stadium was replaced by artificial turf. The field itself was renamed Jonah Field in honor of the Wyoming gas fields owned by the primary benefactors of the turf project, the Martin and McMurry families.

Below the new north endzone scoreboard is a 62″ statue named “Cowboy Tough” by Chris Navarro, the original (called “Fanning a Twister”) being located to the north of the stadium at the main entrance to the athletic complex. It is modeled after a picture of Guy Holt riding “Showboat,” the 1909 winner of “Worst Horse” at Frontier Park in Cheyenne. In the 1920s, an equipment manager named Deane Hunton had found the picture. Thinking it embodied the spirit of the athletics program and the cowboy life, he stenciled an outline of it, which has become the familiar logo of the University (which is also found on state license plates and many other places around the state).

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LaVell Edwards Stadium is a stadium on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the BYU Cougars.

	Capacity		65,524
	Opened		1964
	Owner		Brigham Young University
	Operator		Brigham Young University
	Surface		Grass
	Location		Stadium Ave Provo, UT 84602

The stadium opened in 1964 as Cougar Stadium, replacing a smaller, 5,000-seat stadium of the same name. The capacity of the facility was just under 30,000 with stands on both sides of the playing field. Seating was soon added to make room for 35,000 fans. Temporary bleachers that where placed at the back of the end zones raised the capacity to 45,000. In 1982, the stadium was expanded. Permanent concrete stands, separated by entryways from the east and west grandstands, were put in place of the temporary bleachers. Also the playing field was lowered eight feet and the track was removed. The current seating capacity is 65,524. At the end of the 2000 football season the name of the stadium was changed to LaVell Edwards Stadium, in honor of the legendary head coach, who retired at the end of the season.

Television broadcasts of games at the stadium often make reference to its scenic views of the Wasatch Range running to the east of the campus, and the large white block “Y” made of stones placed on the side of the mountains, overlooking campus.

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Falcon Stadium is a stadium on the grounds of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the United States Air Force Academy Falcons. It also serves as the site for the Air Force Academy’s graduation ceremonies each spring.

	Capacity		52,480
	Opened		September 22, 1962
	Owner		United States Air Force
	Operator		U.S. Air Force Academy
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		Stadium Blvd USAFA, CO 80840
	Construction cost		$3.2 Million

Falcon Stadium opened in 1962, at a cost of $3.5 million, and has a current attendance capacity of 52,480 people. It was dedicated on September 22, 1962, when Air Force defeated Colorado State University 24-0. Prior to its building, the team had played its home games at various sites across the state, including several in nearby Colorado Springs and Pueblo, as well as Folsom Field and the University of Denver’s former football stadium.

The stadium was built into a natural bowl located to the southeast of the center of the academic campus. The entire campus lies at the base of the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains, providing spectacular views around the stadium and campus. The design is uniquely unbalanced, with the western side having two large grandstand tiers above the main bowl and the eastern having a single tier bordered by seven separate sections of grandstands. FieldTurf was installed prior to the 2006 season, at a cost of $750,000 replacing the natural grass field. However, natural grass still remains around the FieldTurf. A new sound system was also installed for the 2006 season. The current video screen at the south end of the field was installed in 2004. Permanent lighting was installed in 2002 at a cost of $500,000.

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Ohio Stadium (also known as The Horseshoe, simply The ’Shoe) and The House Harley Built, is the home of the Buckeyes football team at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on March 22, 1974.

	Capacity		102,329
	Opened		October 7, 1922
	Owner		The Ohio State University
	Operator		The Ohio State University
	Surface		Grass
	Location		411 Woody Hayes Dr Columbus, OH 43210
	Construction cost		$1.34 million USD

Ohio Stadium also provided a home to Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew from the league’s inception in 1996 until soccer-specific Columbus Crew Stadium opened in 1999. Ohio Stadium is also Columbus’ largest concert venue, with seating for up to 110,000; U2, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Metallica are among the many acts who have played in Ohio Stadium over the years.

The stadium does not have field lights and when night events do occur special lights must be temporarily installed usually by Musco Lighting (as happened in the 2005 game against Texas and the 2006 nationally televised game with Michigan).

The first game in the stadium was against Ohio Wesleyan University on October 7, 1922, and brought a crowd of around 25,000, which left people concerned because the stadium was half empty. This concern was put to rest at the stadium’s formal dedication against Michigan on October 21. The crowd was announced at the game to be 72,000, but no one is really sure how many people made it into the stadium. This attendance mark was broken in a game against Michigan in 1925 when 90,411 came out to support the Buckeyes; this is also the last time standing-room-only tickets were sold for a game.

The stadium itself did not regularly sell out until after WWII, in the 20s and 30s most games only drew in 20,000 or 30,000 fans, with many more attending the annual game against Michigan. The 1935 contest with Notre Dame was a sellout, with over 81,000 in attendance.

In 1923, a cinder track was built around the football field. The stadium became home to the track and field team for OSU for many years.

Renovations

As time passed, minor adjustments raised the seating capacity to more than 90,000. In 1984, a new $2.1 million scoreboard was installed. The stadium was heavily renovated from 1999 to 2000 – the press box was replaced, additional seating was installed above the existing upper deck and 81 luxury suites and 2,500 club seats were added. The track and field-specific Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium had been built by the university nearby, thus the track at Ohio Stadium was no longer needed. The track was removed and the field of play was lowered by 14.5 feet to add additional seating closer to the field. The temporary bleachers in the south end zone were replaced with permanent seating. However, the south end of the stadium remains partially open, thus allowing the stadium to maintain its noted Horseshoe configuration.

General improvements were also made in the seating and concourse areas. The result of the $194 million renovation was a capacity that rose to 101,568. Eighty percent of the cost of the renovation was funded by the sale of leases on the suites and club seats, with the remaining 20 percent funded by donations and the sale of naming rights for portions of the stadium. No public or university money was spent in the renovation process.

In 1970, the natural grass field was removed, and AstroTurf was installed, complements of a generous donation. In 1979, the surface was replaced with Superturf. In 1990, natural grass made its return to the Horseshoe, a special grass called “Prescription Athletic Turf.” New field designs were put in place for the 1992 season and existed through the 2006 season. During that last season problems with the natural grass began to arise. After serious damage to the field during use in the spring of 2006 the field never recovered and had to be resodded. That grass never took root due to bad weather and The Ohio State University was forced to resod the field again only three weeks after the old sod was laid. The University spent approximately $150,000 to perform both soddings. Due to poor field quality, along with maintenance expense and the ability to use the field year-round, OSU decided to replace the natural grass with FieldTurf for the 2007 season. This new artificial turf looks and feels like real grass but only requires very minimal upkeep. As far as lighting is concerned, special light structures are still necessary during night games, as the stadium lacks a basic field lighting infrastructure.

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Ryan Field is a stadium in Evanston, Illinois, United States. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Northwestern University “Wildcats.” Ryan Field opened in 1926 and holds 49,256 people. The field is named after Patrick Ryan who was the chairman of the school’s board of trustees. Prior to 1997, the stadium was named Dyche Stadium, for William A. Dyche, Class of 1882, former Evanston mayor and overseer of the building project.

	Capacity		49,256
	Opened		1926
	Owner		Northwestern University
	Operator		Northwestern University
	Surface		Grass
	Location		1501 Central Street Evanston, IL 60208
	Construction cost		$20,000,000 USD (1996 works)

The stadium originally consisted of two semi-circular grandstands on either sideline, with the west (home) sideline having a small, curved upper deck ending at twin concrete. Endzone seating was later added in the south endzone, and in 1952 McGaw Memorial Hall was built in the north endzone.

Besides boasting modern amenities such as a new workout room, it is said that the reason the stands were built five feet up was to prevent Northwestern students from rushing the field and destroying goalposts. Such occurrences were common when the field was still known as Dyche Stadium and Northwestern had upset victories over storied programs such as the University of Michigan in 1995. However, a stunning upset in 1996 over Michigan did not prevent students from clinging to the goalposts.

The closest transit stations are Metra commuter railroad’s Central Street station and Chicago Transit Authority’s Central station on the Purple Line.

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Spartan Stadium was opened in 1923 in East Lansing, Michigan. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Michigan State University Spartans. After the addition of luxury boxes and club seating in 2004-2005 the capacity of the stadium grew from 72,027 to 75,005, making it the Big Ten’s fifth largest stadium. Spartan Stadium has been recognized as the 8th most scenic college football venue in the country.

	Capacity		75,005
	Opened		1923
	Owner		Michigan State University
	Operator		Michigan State University
	Surface		Grass
	Location		Red Cedar Rd and Shaw Lane East Lansing, MI 48824
	Construction cost		$160,000

In the early 1920s school officials decided to construct a new stadium to replace Old College Field. The resulting stadium was ready in the fall of 1923 with a capacity of 14,000. Over the years the stadium grew. In 1935 the seating capacity was increased to 26,000 and the facility was dedicated as Macklin Field. John Macklin, football coach from 1911-15, put Michigan State football on the map with a 29-5 record over five seasons with victories over big name programs such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. After admittance into the Big Ten in 1948, Michigan State increased capacity to 51,000 and the field was renamed Macklin Stadium. With Spartan football becoming a national player under Clarence “Biggie” Munn and Hugh “Duffy” Daugherty, 9,000 seats were added in 1956. The following season upper decks were added to the east and west ends boosting the capacity to 76,000. That same season Michigan State dropped the name Macklin Stadium in favor of Spartan Stadium.

In 1969, TartanTurf replaced the natural grass field and a modern scoreboard was added in 1973. Later in the 1970s Astroturf replaced the TartanTurf. A new modern video scoreboard was added before the 1991 season. Renovations improving sitelines, field security, handicap access and club seats in 1994 reduced Spartan Stadium’s capacity to 72,027. New turf was also installed in the summer of 1994. In 1998 Spartan Stadium upgraded their sound system, added a 21′ x 27′ Mitsubishi Diamond Vision videoboard to south end and a message board to the north end. Home to one of the top grass and turf programs in the nation, Michigan State installed a natural grass field in 2002. The most recent expansion was completed in August 2005. A new pressbox, 24 luxury suites, 862 club seats were constructed on the west side of Spartan Stadium.

The stadium currently holds the world record for the largest ice hockey crowd in history. On October 6, 2001, a rink was constructed at the center of the stadium for Michigan State’s opening season game against archrival Michigan. Dubbed “The Cold War”, 74,554 watched No. 1 nationally ranked Michigan State and No. 4 nationally ranked Michigan skate to a 3-3 tie. Country artist Shannon Brown sang during the second intermission. The game set off a wave of outdoor ice hockey games in large stadiums. In addition, the Rolling Stones performed at Spartan Stadium in October 1994 as part of their Voodoo Lounge tour.

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	Capacity		107,501
	Opened		1927
	Owner		University of Michigan
	Operator		University of Michigan
	Surface		Field Turf
	Location		1201 South Main Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
	Construction cost		$950,000 USD

Michigan Stadium, nicknamed The Big House, is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was built in 1927, at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Prior to playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field. Today, Michigan Stadium has an official capacity of 107,501, though football game attendance often exceeds 111,000 when bands, stadium staff, and others are added. The largest crowd in NCAA college football history was 112,118 on November 22, 2003 for a game against Ohio State.

Michigan Stadium was designed with footings to allow the stadium’s capacity to be expanded beyond 100,000. According to the University of Michigan Library’s and Athletics Department’s history of the stadium, then-athletic director Fielding Yost envisioned a day where 150,000 seats would be needed. To keep construction costs low at the time, the decision was made to build a smaller stadium than Yost envisioned but include the footings for future expansion.

Michigan Stadium is also the site of University of Michigan main graduation ceremonies.

History

Michigan Stadium’s size is not entirely apparent to outside observers, as it is constructed partially below grade, leaving only the upper 20 rows (in most sections) visible from the outside. The stadium’s original capacity was 72,000, but Yost made certain to install steel footings that could allow for expansion. Initially, all seating consisted of wood bleachers. These were replaced with permanent metal seating in 1949 by Crisler, who had become athletic director. Longtime radio announcer Bob Ufer dubbed Michigan Stadium “The hole that Yost dug, Crisler paid for, Canham carpeted, and Schembechler fills every cotton-pickin’ Saturday afternoon.” Since 1975 — Bo Schembechler’s seventh season as coach — the stadium has held over 100,000 fans for every home game. (The game against Indiana University on October 25, 1975 was the last sub-100,000 attendance home game for Michigan.) Michigan’s game versus Ball State University on November 4, 2006 was the 200th consecutive crowd of over 100,000 fans. Traditionally, when the game’s attendance is announced, the public address announcer thanks the fans for “being part of the largest crowd watching a football game anywhere in America.” The tradition was temporarily stopped in 1996, when Michigan Stadium’s capacity was overtaken by that of Neyland Stadium, but resumed when it was expanded two years later. Despite its size, Michigan Stadium has a reputation for being relatively quiet; Some claim this is due to the lack of decks that would otherwise trap the sound on the field.

On October 1, 1927, Michigan played Ohio Wesleyan in the first game at Michigan Stadium. It was an instant success, and Michigan prevailed easily, 33-0. The new stadium was then formally dedicated three weeks later in a contest against Ohio State on October 22, 1927. Michigan had spoiled the formal dedication of Ohio Stadium in Columbus just five years earlier, and was victorious again in the contest played for the new dedication, besting the Buckeyes 21-0 before a capacity crowd of 84,401.

From 1927 to 1968, the stadium’s field was covered in natural grass. This was replaced with TartanTurf in 1969 to give players better traction. However, this surface was thought to be unforgiving on players’ joints, and the stadium returned to natural turf in 1991. This too became problematic, as the field’s below-surface location near the water table made it difficult for grass to permanently take root. The field was converted to FieldTurf, an artificial surface designed to give grass-like playing characteristics, in 2003.

On September 9, 2006, attendees of the Michigan Wolverines vs. Central Michigan Chippewas football game had to endure the first weather delay in the Stadium’s history, after a lightning strike occurred shortly after 12:30 EDT in the afternoon. The game was delayed for approximately one hour.

On March 11, 2008, as part of the settlement terms of a lawsuit filed against the university pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the university announced that the official capacity of the stadium would be reduced to 106,201 to accommodate additional wheelchair-accessible seating beginning with the 2009 season.

Renovation

On June 21, 2007, the University’s Board of Regents approved a $226 million renovation and expansion project for Michigan Stadium which is expected to be completed by 2010. The project includes replacement of some bleachers, widening of individual seats, widening of the aisles and installing hand rails, and the addition of a new press box, 83 luxury boxes, 3,200 club seats, raising its total seating capacity from 107,501 to over 108,000. This renovation plan has garnered much opposition from students, alumni, and fans around the country. A disabled-veterans group filed a federal lawsuit against the university on April 17, because in their view the design of the project does not meet federal standards for wheelchair-accessible seating.

In March 2008, the University reached a settlement to drop the lawsuit in exchange for adding more accessible seating in place of current seating during the course of the renovation. As a result of this change, the capacity of the stadium will decrease to an estimated 106,201 seats for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, placing it second behind Penn State’s Beaver Stadium. Since the current plans are still not finalized, it is currently uncertain when, if ever, Michigan Stadium will return to its status of the largest football stadium.

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Kinnick Stadium is a stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the University of Iowa “Hawkeyes”. Kinnick Stadium opened in 1929 and holds 70,585 people. It is named after Nile Kinnick, the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner and the only Heisman winner in school history, who died in World War II. It was named Iowa Stadium until 1972, when longtime lobbying by Cedar Rapids Gazette sportswriter Gus Schrader successfully convinced the UI athletic board to change the name.

	Capacity		70,397
	Opened		October 5, 1929
	Owner		University of Iowa
	Operator		University of Iowa
	Surface		Grass
	Location		Hawkins Dr Iowa City, IA 52242
	Construction cost		$497,151.42 USD

The playing surface is currently natural grass, although it was AstroTurf from 1972 until grass was reinstalled for the 1989 season. The installation of artificial turf came at the same time that Iowa Stadium was renamed Kinnick Stadium, in honor of the Heisman winner who had perished 29 years earlier.

Kinnick Stadium (then Iowa Stadium) was constructed in only 7 months between 1928 and 1929. Its planning was announced at the Iowa homecoming in 1928 by the athletic director, who promised that the team would be playing in a new stadium within a year. Construction and groundbreaking began on the stadium on March 6, 1929. Working around-the-clock, under lights by night, the construction continued. Horses and mules were the primary heavy-equipment movers of the stadium’s construction, and animals that died during construction were buried under what now is the North end zone. The round-the-clock construction came to an end in July. Despite several problems to overcome, including the resignation of the athletic director and a slight redesign of the stadium, it was completed and the first game was played October 5, 1929 against Monmouth College. Iowa won the game, 46-0.

After 75 years of operation, the Iowa Board of Regents gave permission to begin a renovation of Kinnick Stadium on March 10, 2004. The $86.8 million project was to build a new state of the art press box, a new scoreboard with a new sound system, replaced south endzone bleachers, triple the restrooms, and more than double the number of concession stands, as well as smaller changes such as a new locker rooms, a statue of Nile Kinnick and the dedication of the Krause Family Plaza to which Kinnick Stadium now belongs. At the end of August 2006, the project was nearly completed and was rededicated on September 1, 2006 with only finishing touches to the press box remaining. Among other things, the rededication featured a flyby by a F4F Wildcat, the aircraft Kinnick flew in World War Two.

The stadium also underwent major renovations in 1956 (expanded from 53,000 seats to 61,160), 1983 (when it was expanded from 61,160 seats to 67,700) and 1990 (when it was expanded to 70,397).

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Memorial Stadium is a stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Indiana University “Hoosiers”. Memorial Stadium opened in 1960 as part of a new athletics area at the university. and holds 52,354 people. The stadium is similar in structure to venues at Wake Forest (Groves Stadium) and Virginia Tech (Lane Stadium). It replaced the “old” Memorial Stadium, built in 1925, a 20,000 seat stadium located on 10th St where the arboretum now stands.

	Capacity		52,354
	Opened		October 8, 1960
	Owner		Indiana University Bloomington
	Operator		Indiana University Bloomington
	Surface		AstroPlay
	Location		1200 E 17th St Bloomington, Indiana 47408
	Construction cost		$4.56 million USD

There have been many renovations since the original construction, including the replacement of wooden seats with aluminum, installation of sound and lighting systems, and laying of Astroturf in 1986, which was subsequently replaced with natural grass in 1998. Prior to the 2003 season, that natural grass was removed. Indiana now plays football on a synthetic surface.

On June 1, 2003 a $3.5 million renovation of the Memorial Stadium press box was completed. In the summer of 2003 the Hoosier locker room in Memorial Stadium underwent a $250,000 renovation. The facelift to the original 1986 facility included renovating and modernizing the existing space with new carpeting, lighting and a new bulkhead ceiling along with the installation of custom-built oak wood lockers for 105 football players. The renovation was funded in large part by former Hoosier quarterback Trent Green and his wife Julie.

In 2005, head football coach Terry Hoeppner nicknamed the stadium “The rock” and had a southern Indiana limestone boulder installed in the north end zone as a new campus tradition. This limestone boulder was found prior to Hoeppner’s first season at IU in the Mellencamp practice field. It was removed, put on a granite slab and is now the icon for Memorial Stadium and the Hoosiers, before running onto the field.

In September of 2006, Indiana University announced plans to expand Memorial Stadium (see photo below). The north endzone will be enclosed. This provides additonal space for classrooms, weight rooms, a Hall of Fame, and expanded seating for football. The expansion was part of an overall $55 million expansion of several Indiana University athletic facilities.

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Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located in Champaign, Illinois, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The stadium is dedicated as a memorial to the Illinois men and women who died in World War I. The primary use of the stadium is to host the University’s football intercollegiate athletics team.

	Capacity		69,249
	Opened		1923
	Owner		University of Illinois
	Operator		University of Illinois
	Surface		AstroPlay
	Construction cost		$1,700,000 USD

Memorial Stadium was completed in 1923 at a cost of US$ 1.7 million. The original construction was financed with donations from University students, alumni, and others. At the time, the stadium consisted of double-decked stands on the east and west sidelines. The single-decked horseshoe around the south end zone was later completed, and temporary bleachers stand in the north end zone.

The stadium is dedicated to the men and women of the state of Illinois that gave their lives serving in World War I. The east and west sides of the stadium have 200 columns that display the names of these men and women.

The stadium was officially dedicated on October 18, 1924, on which the University football team played a homecoming game against the University of Michigan. That day, Red Grange scored six touchdowns in one of the greatest single-game performances in football history.

* The football playing surface within the stadium is named Zuppke Field, in honor of Robert Zuppke, the University of Illinois head football coach from 1913 to 1941.
* The north end of Zuppke Field hosts The Grange Rock, a tribute to Red Grange. The tribute was dedicated on October 22, 1994, with Mrs. Margaret Grange, Red Grange’s wife, in attendance. The rock came from the same Indiana quarry that produced the stadium’s columns.
* The Ray Eliot Varsity Room is named for Ray Eliot, the University of Illinois head football coach from 1942 to 1959.

The seating capacity of the stadium’s permanent seating, including the north end zone bleachers, is 69,249. The east and west grandstands each hold approximately 18,000 patrons on the first level plus 10,000 in each balcony. The south end zone “horseshoe” holds nearly 12,000, while the north bleachers add 1,500 more seats.

The stadium’s highest single event attendance was 78,297, for a football game against the University of Missouri in 1984.

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	Capacity		107,282
	Opened		1909
	Owner		The Pennsylvania State University
	Operator		The Pennsylvania State University
	Surface		Grass
	Location		University Park, Pennsylvania

Beaver Stadium is an outdoor football stadium located on the campus of The Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania. It is home to the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference. The stadium is named for James A. Beaver, a former governor of Pennsylvania (1887-91) and president of the university’s board of trustees.

Beaver Stadium has a capacity of 107,282, making it the largest stadium in the United States at least until 2010, when the renovation of Michigan Stadium is planned to be complete. (It was announced on March 11, 2008 that Michigan Stadium, previously the largest, will have a capacity roughly 1,300 less than in 2007 as a result of an accessibility-related lawsuit). It is also the second largest stadium in North America, and the sixth largest stadium in the world. The natural grass playing field sits at an elevation of 1170 feet (356 m) above sea level.

Due to its large size, Beaver Stadium is widely known as one of the toughest venues for opposing teams in collegiate athletics. Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN says that Penn State has one of the best student sections in the nation and Gameday at PSU is “The Greatest Show in College Sports”. A 2007 ESPN article ranked Beaver Stadium 5th in its top 10 list of “Scariest Places to Play”.

Recently, there have been rumors to hold an outdoor National Hockey League match between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Beaver Stadium, citing the popularity of other outdoor matches.

Predecessors

Until 1893, Penn State teams participated in sporting events on Old Main lawn, a large grassy area in front of the primary classroom building of the time. Beaver Field, a 500-seat structure located behind the current site of the Osmond Building, was the first permanent home for Penn State’s football team, and the first game played there was a Penn State victory over Western University of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh) on November 6, 1893. In 1909, New Beaver Field opened just northeast of Rec Hall, roughly in the current location of the Nittany Parking deck. It served as Penn State’s stadium until 1960, when the entire 30,000 seat stadium was dismantled and moved to the east end of campus, reassembled and expanded to 46,284 seats, and dubbed Beaver Stadium.

Expansions

Expansions in 1969, 1974 and 1976 increased capacity to 60,203. In 1978, 16,000 seats were added when the stadium was cut into sections and raised on hydraulic lifts, allowing the insertion of seating along the inner ring of the stadium where the track had previously been located. In 1980, maximum capacity increased to 83,770. An expansion was completed for the 1991 football season, placing an upper deck addition over the north end zone and raising capacity to over 90,000.

A major and somewhat controversial construction project took place in 2001, raising the stadium’s total capacity to 107,282. An upper deck was added to the south end of the stadium, blocking the view of neighboring Mount Nittany (which had sentimental value for some fans), but making Beaver Stadium the largest stadium in the United States.

The stadium is home to what many consider to be the best student section in the country. In 2007, over 22,000 student tickets sold out in 59 minutes.

In 2006, the stadium underwent major structural and aesthetic upgrades. Old steel beams supporting the upper seats in the east, north and west were replaced and strengthened, and new railing was installed, stronger than the old railing which collapsed following the 2005 Ohio State game.

The appearance of the stadium has been enhanced with the addition of large blue letters spelling out “The Pennsylvania State University” on the west-facing suites, and a list of Penn State’s undefeated, national championship, and Big Ten championship years underneath. On the opposite side of the stadium, letters spelling, “Penn State Nittany Lions” have been added to the press box, with “Beaver Stadium” running below. Nine markers depicting the various traditions of Beaver Stadium, including the Blue Band, the student section, and the blue buses which bring the team to the stadium, have been placed around the stadium as well. In late October, the walls surrounding the field were refaced with Pennsylvania limestone. An iron gate has replaced the old chain-link face at the players’ entrance into the stadium. On the new gate the words “PENN STATE” in blue.

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Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. It is the current home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team, and is located on the west side of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. It currently seats 80,000 and is widely known as one of the premier American football venues in collegiate athletics. Due in large part to the raucous crowd, the stadium is recognized among the most difficult for opposing teams in all of college football. It is the oldest stadium and fourth largest in the Big Ten Conference.

	Capacity		80,321
	Opened		November 3, 1917
	Owner		University of Wisconsin
	Operator		University of Wisconsin
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		1440 Monroe Street Madison, WI 53711

Originally, the stadium consisted of a horseshoe opening to the south, with a running track around the field. The stadium was renovated at various points to raise the size of the horseshoe by nearly doubling the number of rows around the stadium in various stages, placing south stands in front of the Wisconsin Field House (built in 1930), the removal of the track and addition of nearly 11,000 seats in 1958, the addition of the upper deck in 1966, and finally the 2005 addition added boxes along the eastern rim of the stadium.

The stadium received its name because it lies on the grounds of Camp Randall, a former Union Army base during the American Civil War that was eventually absorbed by the Wisconsin campus. The camp was named after Governor Alexander Randall.

The stadium also houses athletic offices of the university. In 2002, reconstruction on the stadium started, to include luxury boxes and new offices for the football program, as well as expanded seating that increased capacity. In addition, concessions, restrooms and other infrastructure items were upgraded, the walkway around the football field was removed, and new scoreboards were installed. The construction was completed prior to the start of the 2005 season. The football team continued to play at the stadium throughout the construction.

Wisconsin’s two Heisman Trophy winnners, Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne, along with their numbers (Ameche’s is retired, Dayne’s is not but has not been assigned since his final season), are displayed on the upper deck façade. The retired numbers of Elroy Hirsch (40), Dave Schreiner (80) and Allan Schafer (83) will be added during the 2006 football season. In addition, Pat Richter’s number 88 will also be retired during the season and displayed on the façade.

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Ross-Ade Stadium is a stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Purdue University Boilermakers. In July of 2006, the university entered into an “agreement in principle” with the All American Football League, allowing Ross-Ade Stadium to serve as the home to one of eight AAFL teams in its inaugural 2007 season.

	Capacity		62,500
	Opened		November 22, 1924
	Owner		Purdue University
	Operator		Purdue University
	Surface		Bermuda Grass
	Location		850 Beering Drive West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
	Construction cost		$70,000,000 USD (Renovation)

The stadium is named for David E. Ross and George Ade, the principal benefactors. Ross-Ade Stadium opened on November 22, 1924 with a seating capacity of 13,500 and standing room for an additional 5,000 people. A series of additions and renovations pushed the seating capacity to 70,000. In 2001 Purdue University began a massive $70 million dollar renovation, which led to a reduced seating capacity of 62,500.

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The Rose Bowl is a stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California. Its current official capacity is 92,542. The stadium is a National Historic Landmark.

The Rose Bowl was designed by architect Myron Hunt in 1921. His design was influenced by the Yale Bowl (New Haven, Connecticut, built 1914). The Rose Bowl was under construction from 1921-1922. The stadium was dedicated on January 1, 1923 when Penn State played USC.

	Capacity		92,542
	Opened		1922
	Owner		City of Pasadena
	Operator		Rose Bowl Operating Company
	Surface		Grass
	Location		1001 Rose Bowl Drive
	Architect		Myron Hunt
	Construction cost		$272,198 USD

It is best-known in the United States for its hosting of the Rose Bowl, the most famous college football postseason bowl game. The Rose Bowl Game is commonly referred to as “The Granddaddy of Them All” because of its stature as the oldest of all the bowl games. The facility, however, has hosted countless other events, including The Junior Rose Bowl from 1946-71 and 1976-77. Between 1946-66 and 1976-77, the game pitted the California Junior College football champions vs. The NJCAA football champions for the National Championship. Pasadena Bowl football game from 1967-71; it was billed as the Junior Rose Bowl the first two years, where two teams for the NCAA College Division competed. It has been the home football field for UCLA since 1982. It was also the home ground for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer from the team’s inception in 1996 until it moved into the soccer-specific Home Depot Center in 2003; the venue additionally hosted the 1998 MLS Cup. It also hosted the Soccer events for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.

The stadium has hosted the Super Bowl five times. The first being in 1977, Super Bowl XI when the Oakland Raiders beat the Minnesota Vikings 32-14. The game was also played there in 1980 (Super Bowl XIV), 1983 (Super Bowl XVII), 1987 (Super Bowl XXI) and 1993 (Super Bowl XXVII).

1994 FIFA World Cup

Perhaps the stadium’s most unusual honor is that it is one of two stadiums to have hosted the FIFA World Cup finals for both men and women. The Rose Bowl hosted the men’s final in 1994 and the women’s final in 1999. The other stadium with this honor is the Råsunda Stadium near Stockholm of Sweden, which hosted the men’s final in 1958 and the women’s final in 1995. Interestingly, both Rose Bowl finals were scoreless after extra time and decided on penalty shootouts; Brazil defeating Italy in the 1994 men’s final, and the United States defeating China in the 1999 women’s tournament.

The 1999 women’s final was the most-attended women’s sports event in history, with an official attendance of 90,185.

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The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California at Exposition Park that has hosted two Olympics and is home to the University of Southern California Trojans football team. It is located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena adjacent to the campus of the University of Southern California (USC). The stadium is owned by the State of California and is currently being leased (and managed) by the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission. The Coliseum was declared a National Historic Landmark on July 27, 1984, the day before the opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.

	Capacity		92,000
	Opened		May 1923
	Owner		Los Angeles Coliseum Commission
	Operator		Los Angeles Coliseum Commission
	Surface		Grass
	Location		3911 South Figueroa Street Los Angeles, California 90037
	Construction cost		$955,000 USD

The Coliseum is now primarily the home of the USC Trojan football team. During the recent stretch of its success in football, most of USC’s regular home games, especially the alternating games with rivals UCLA and Notre Dame, attract a capacity 92,000 person crowd, although they regularly drew far less during the 1990s. The current official capacity of the Coliseum is 92,516. The Coliseum Commission also rents the Coliseum to various events, including international soccer games, musical concerts and other large outdoor events. Concurrently, the commission is negotiating a new lease with the state after the 48-year lease expired in December 2005.

Olympic Cauldron

The Olympic Cauldron (also known as the Olympic Torch) was built for the stadium’s two Olympic games. It is still lit during the fourth quarter of USC football games, and other special occasions (e.g., when the Olympics are being held in another city). In 2004, the cauldron was lit non-stop for seven days in tribute to Ronald Reagan, who had died; and it was lit again in April 2005 following the death of Pope John Paul II, who had celebrated Mass at the Coliseum during his visit to Los Angeles in 1987. The torch was also lit for over a week following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

History

The Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a memorial to veterans of World War I (rededicated to veterans of all wars in 1968.) The official ground breaking ceremony took place on December 21, 1921 with work being completed less than two years later, on May 1, 1923. Designed by John and Donald Parkinson, the original bowl’s initial construction costs were $954,873. When the Coliseum opened in 1923, it was already the largest stadium in Los Angeles with a capacity of 76,000. However, with the arrival of the Olympics only ten years later, the stadium was expanded to 101,574 and the now-signature torch was added. For a time it was known as Olympic Stadium. The Olympic cauldron torch which burned through both Games remains above the peristyle at the east end of the stadium as a reminder of this, as do the Olympic rings symbols over one of the main entrances. The football field runs an unorthodox east-west (north-south is conventional) with the press box on the south side of the stadium. The scoreboard and video screen that tower over the peristyle date back to 1983; they replaced a smaller scoreboard installed in 1972, which in turn supplanted the 1937 model, one of the first electric scoreboards in the nation. Over the years new light towers have been placed along the north and south rims. The analog clock and thermometer over the office windows at either end of the peristyle were installed in 1956. Between the peristyle arches at the east end are plaques recognizing many of the memorable events and participants in Coliseum history, including a full list of 1932 and 1984 Olympic gold medalists.

A pair of life-sized bronze nude statues of male and female athletes atop a 20,000 pound (9,000 kg) post-and-lintel frame formed the Olympic Gateway created by Robert Graham for the 1984 games. The statues, modeled on water polo player Terry Schroeder and long jumper from Guyana, Jennifer Innis, who participated in the games, were noted for their anatomical accuracy.

For many years the Coliseum was capable of seating over 100,000 spectators, and the capacity for the 1984 Olympics configuration was approximately 90,500. During the 1960s and 70s, it was common practice to shift the playing field to the closed end of the stadium and install end zone bleachers in front of the peristyle, reducing the capacity to 71,500. With the upcoming 1984 Summer Olympic Games, a new track was installed and the playing field permanently placed inside it. The large seating capacity made the venue problematic for the Raiders, as it meant that the vast majority of their home games could not be shown locally due to NFL “blackout” rules (league rules do not allow home games to be televised locally unless the game sells out at least 72 hours prior to its scheduled kickoff). Furthermore, the combination of the stadium’s large, relatively shallow design, along with the presence of the track between the playing field and the stands, meant that some of the original end zone seats were essentially away from the field by the equivalent length of another football field. To address these and other problems, the Coliseum underwent a $15 million renovation before the 1993 football season which included the following:

* The field was lowered by 11 feet (3.4 m) and fourteen new rows of seats replaced the running track, bringing the first row of seats closer to the playing field (a maximum distance of 54 feet (16 m) at the eastern 30 yard-line).
* A portable seating section was built between the eastern endline and the peristyle bleachers (the stands are removed for concerts and similar events).
* A modernization of the locker rooms and public restrooms.
* The bleachers were replaced with individual seating.

Additionally, for Raiders home games, tarpaulins were placed over seldom-sold sections, reducing seating capacity to approximately 65,000. The changes were anticipated to be the first of a multi-stage renovation designed by HNTB that would have turned the Coliseum into a split-bowl stadium with two levels of mezzanine suites (the peristyle end would have been left as is). After the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, however, $93 million were required from government agencies (including FEMA) to repair earthquake damage, and the renovations demanded by the Raiders were put on hold indefinitely. The Raiders then redirected their efforts toward a proposed stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood before electing to move back to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum prior to the 1995 season. The last element of the Northridge Earthquake repairs was the replacement of the condemned press box with a new press box in 1995.

Popular culture

Due to its location near Hollywood, the Coliseum has been used in hundreds of commercials and movies over the years. Recently, a computer-generated version of the Coliseum was used for Budweiser beer TV commercials during the 2006 FIFA World Cup and then the 2006 NFL playoffs, the only change being that football players were on the field in the NFL playoffs version, whereas soccer players were on the field in the World Cup version. The stadium was shown filled to capacity, with each spectator participating in a classic card stunt. The imagery turned out to be a gigantic beer bottle on one sideline, pouring into a gigantic beer mug on the other sideline, whose contents were then shown being drained by an invisible consumer. It was also used in the filming of the last episode of the second season the television show 24.

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Built partly in competition with the University of California, Berkeley to see who could build a football stadium first, Stanford Stadium was built in four months and opened its gates on November 19, 1921. The first game was against Cal Berkeley, who defeated Stanford 42-7. Seating capacity was originally 60,000, with a 66-row, U-Shaped structure second only to the Yale Bowl in size at the time. In 1925, 10,200 seats were added to the stadium, nearly enclosing the horseshoe while still keeping the overall height of the facility intact. Finally, in 1927, 14 additional rows of seating were added.

	Capacity		50,000
	Opened		1921
	Owner		Stanford University
	Operator		Stanford University
	Surface		Grass
	Location		Galvez Street Stanford, California 94305
	Construction cost		USD 200,000

Renovations in the mid 1920′s increased the Stadium to its maximum capacity of 85,500, with 80 rows of seating. In 1960, a pressbox was added, while the first, and last athletics track was installed in 1978.

In January of 1985, Super Bowl XIX was held in Stanford Stadium, bringing a renovated Pressbox, increased restroom facilities, and new locker rooms to the venue.

Other high profile events hosted at Stanford Stadium include Herbert Hoover’s acceptance speech for the 1928 Republican Presidential nomination, and international soccer matches for the 1984 Summer Olympics, the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Each event resulted in additional changes to the stadium, including a new press box and aluminum bench seating.

In 1935, Stanford Stadium set a record for single-game attendance, with 94,000 spectators filling the Stadium for a 13-0 victory over Cal Berkeley.

Renovation

In June 2005, the university Board of Trustees authorized plans for the stadium’s extensive renovation that would both reduce its size and bring it up to date with present standards for sporting venues. Various justifications for the renovation included poor sightlines in the exisiting stadium (rendering the bottom 14 rows unusable), long stairways, and lack of adequate restroom facilities.

The capacity of the renovated stadium was set to be approximately 50,000. Work began literally minutes after the Cardinal’s last home game of the 2005 football season, a close loss to Notre Dame on November 26. Bulldozers began tearing out the natural field turf in a ceremony held while attendees were still in the stadium for the game.

The reduction in capacity was a strategic decision by Stanford’s Athletics Program to boost season ticket sales and create a more intimate playing atmosphere while sacrificing the ability to host large world-class events, such as the FIFA World Cup or NCAA Football Bowl Games in the future. This is partially the result of San Francisco’s failure to secure a bid for the 2012 Olympics, which would have featured a renovated Stanford Stadium as the main Olympic Venue.

On June 22, 2006, a construction worker fell 23 feet to his death on site. Emergency personnel responded within 5 minutes, but were unable to revive the worker.

The renovated stadium was originally to make its debut in Stanford’s game against San José State on September 9, 2006, but the game had to be relocated to San Jose due to an unusually wet winter and resulting construction delays.

The stadium opened on September 16, with Stanford losing their first game in the new stadium to Navy 37-9.

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Husky Stadium is the University of Washington’s football and track and field venue in Seattle, USA, located between Montlake Boulevard N.E. and Union Bay just north of the Montlake Cut. Its U-shaped design was specifically oriented to minimize glare from the sun in the athletes’ eyes. The open end overlooks scenic Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains.

	Capacity		72,500
	Opened		1920
	Owner		University of Washington
	Operator		University of Washington
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		3800 Montlake Blvd NE Seattle, WA 98105
	Construction cost		$600,000 USD

Husky Stadium was originally built in 1920, with a seating capacity of 30,000, but has gone through four remodels (two major, two minor) to expand the seating capacity. In 1936, 10,000 seats were added around the rim. In 1950, a layer of 15,000 covered seats was added to the south side–the new structure also made some of the lower seats covered. In 1968, a few thousand more seats were added along the rim.

In 1987, 13,000 covered seats were added on the north side–again, this structure also made some of the lower seats covered. This made the total capacity 72,500, making it the largest stadium, amateur or professional, in the Pacific Northwest. The 1987 construction project made headlines when the first version of the grandstand collapsed (There was no design error of the North Stands Addition. Investigators found that several critical guy wires–cables which kept the structure from twisting–were removed in error). However, construction was completed before the beginning of the 1987 football season. The University of Washington has planned an extensive renovation for the stadium by 2015.

Because of its size and design and the vociferous nature of Huskies fans, the stadium is considered one of the loudest in North America, often making it difficult for opposing teams to hear their quarterback’s signals. “It’s a sea of purple on Saturdays, and the volume gets cranked up loudly for a place that is an open-air venue. During a 1992 night vs. Nebraska, ESPN measured the crowd noise at 135 decibels.”

It was used in the 1990 Goodwill Games, and served as the temporary home of the Seattle Seahawks in 1994, 2000, and 2001.

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Martin Stadium is the primary field of Washington State University’s American football team. It is named after Clarence D. Martin, the governor of the state of Washington from 1932-1940 who ironically is a graduate of the school’s in-state rival, the University of Washington. It was commissioned in 1972, two years after the previous stadium, Rogers Field, was burned to the ground in a fire long believed to involve foul play. Martin Stadium has a capacity of 37,600. Since the renovation of Reser Stadium at Oregon State University, Martin Stadium has the lowest seating capacity among Pac-10 football stadiums. The attendance record was set on November 15, 1997 when WSU beat Stanford in front of 40,306 fans.

	Capacity		37,600
	Opened		1972
	Owner		Washington State University
	Operator		Washington State University
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Construction cost		$1 million USD

Despite the relatively small size of Martin Stadium, it has one of the highest ratios of seating capacity to population base at almost 1.6 seats per every citizen in the city of Pullman. Martin stadium also has a reputation as a very intimate venue, putting the fans much closer to the action than many other stadiums. This is possible because Martin Stadium was among the first football stadiums to expand by taking out the track and lowering the field. This made room for over 12,000 new seats that were closer the the field. Following a 10-3 season and an undefeated home campaign in 2003, Martin Stadium was ranked by Sports Illustrated as one of the toughest stadiums for visiting teams in college football.

For five years, the Idaho Vandals of nearby Moscow, had used Martin Stadium as a home field, as Idaho transitioned from Division I-AA to I-A. At the time the Idaho on-campus stadium, the Kibbie Dome, was too small to support the attendance requirements for Division I-A. The attendance criteria for Division I-A has since been changed by the NCAA and Idaho is now a member of the Divsion I-A WAC, using its own facility. Idaho and Washington State are rivals and match up annually in a game known as “the Battle of the Palouse,” played at Martin Stadium.

Fire

At 10:30PM on April 4, 1970, the day after Spring Break began, residents heard what they described as a gunshot at the field. By 2:00 AM the stadium had burned to the ground, watched by 1,000 residents and firefighters. The exact cause, or offender, was never found, though there were several suspects. What remains of the field has been used for track and soccer practices.

Renovation

Martin Stadium will begin a major renovation project following completion of the 2006-07 football season. In spring 2006 the Associated Students of Washington State University approved a measure to finance $10 million of the estimated $70 million cost of the multi-phase renovation. Pending finances, renovation could be completed as early as 2009. Among the plans for renovation are added seating capacity, improved amenities and new press boxes and luxury suites.

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Reser Stadium is a sports facility in Corvallis, Oregon owned and operated by Oregon State University. Its original name was Parker Stadium, in honor of Portland businessman Charles T. Parker, who played a significant role in the initial fundraising. The Parker name is still honored at Parker Plaza, located between Reser and Gill Coliseum, the site of many pregame activities. Its current name comes from one of the school’s major athletic donors, the Reser family, owners of Reser’s Fine Foods.

	Capacity		43,300
	Opened		1953
	Owner		Oregon State University
	Operator		Oregon State University
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Construction cost		$1 million USD

Reser was built in 1953 to become the permanent home for Oregon State football, and has been their home field ever since. Intramural and club sports also use the facility occasionally, most notably the field hockey and soccer programs. The stadium is located on the southwest corner of the campus, at the intersection of 26th Street and Western Boulevard in Corvallis. Prior to the 2005-06 seasons, the official capacity of the stadium stood at 35,362. However, the Raising Reser campaign, begun in 2004, has seen the current capacity increase to 43,300 and seeks to further boost seating to 55,000 through three phases of renovation.

Also prior to the 2005-06 season, the playing surface at Reser Stadium was AstroTurf 12/2000, installed in 1999. A new FieldTurf surface was installed in the Spring of 2005.

A JumboTron is located in the southeast corner of the stadium and supplements the scoreboards at both end zones (north and south).

The north endzone is also home to the Valley Football Center, which houses a large weight room, offices and meeting facilities, reserved primarily for coaches and administrators within the football program.

From 1999-2004, the Beavers have posted an in-league home record of 18-6 at Reser Stadium — the best conference record of any team in the Pac-10 over that span.

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Autzen Stadium is a stadium in Eugene, Oregon. Located north of the University of Oregon campus, it is primarily used for football, and is the home of the Oregon Ducks. After several expansions, it now seats approximately 53,800 yet average attendance for Oregon Football games is closer to 60,000.

	Capacity		53,800
	Opened		September 23, 1967
	Owner		University of Oregon
	Operator		University of Oregon
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		Leo Harris Parkway Eugene, OR 97401
	Construction cost		$2.5 million USD

The stadium is tucked between the Willamette River and Coburg Hills. The uniquely shaped bowl blends in with the wooded Eugene landscape. Students typically arrive to the game walking on a 1/8th-mile scenic footbridge over the Willamette. The stadium is also one of the few NCAA Division I-A stadiums that are oriented (approximately) east-west. The majority are oriented north-south.

The stadium is named for Thomas J. Autzen, of Portland. His foundation, the Autzen Foundation, gave the university $250,000 for construction of the facility. The first game played at Autzen Stadium was on September 23, 1967. Colorado defeated Oregon, 17-13. The first win in the stadium was on October 21, when Idaho was defeated 31-6. That was the only victory for Oregon at Autzen Stadium that year. The playing surface is named for Rich Brooks, the coach who took the Ducks to the Rose Bowl in 1995. He currently is the head coach at Kentucky. In 2002, a $90 million facelift and expansion added seating and luxury boxes to the south sideline, bringing capacity up to its current size.

The stadium alternates with Reser Stadium at Oregon State University in hosting the Civil War game between Oregon and Oregon State.

Autzen Stadium also plays host to other events, such as the Oregon 6A high school championship football game, and marching band competitions. It is currently the largest sporting arena in the state of Oregon.

Autzen was named in 2006 Sporting News as “The most intimidating college football stadium in the country”.

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Officially named California Memorial Stadium, Memorial Stadium is the current home for Cal football. It was opened in 1923, and currently seats 73,347 spectators.

	Capacity		73,347
	Opened		1923
	Owner		University of California, Berkeley
	Operator		University of California, Berkeley
	Surface		Momentum Turf
	Location		210 Memorial Stadium Berkeley, California 94720
	Construction cost		$1.4 million USD

The stadium was built with money raised from public contributions, as a memorial to the fallen of World War I. The chair of the architectural committee was John Galen Howard, the University’s chief architect, and his influence is evident in the stadium’s neoclassical motif. The stadium has no track, so the stands come right up to the football field. Currently the stadium sports a Momentum Turf surface, but has sported AstroTurf and natural grass. The Momentum Turf surface allows football practices and less popular sports to be held on the field year-round. Previously, football practices would be held at Witter Rugby Field.

The Hayward Fault passes under Memorial Stadium, where right-lateral strike-slip motion is shifting the northeast half of the building to the southwest at a rate of 1 cm/yr. Expansion joints have been placed in the walls of the stadium to maintain the integrity of the building. A 1998 seismic safety study at the Berkeley campus gave the stadium a “poor” rating (meaning that the building represents an “appreciable life hazard” in an earthquake), and estimated the cost of making the structure safe in an earthquake at $14 million.

In February 2005, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau announced plans to renovate Memorial Stadium, improving the existing facilities while providing new ones for various university departments and programs. The first phase of those rennovations took place during the spring and summer of 2006.

Traditionally, during most football games and especially during the Big Game against Stanford University, the hill overlooking the eastern side of the Stadium attracts spectators hoping to watch a game for free. The hill has become known as “Tightwad Hill” as a result.

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Sun Devil Stadium, Frank Kush Field is located on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe. It is home to the Arizona State University Sun Devils college football team and was the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals from 1988 to 2005.

	Capacity		73,379
	Opened		1958
	Owner		Arizona State University
	Operator		Arizona State University
	Surface		Bermuda Grass
	Construction cost		$1 million

Built in 1958, the stadium now seats 73,379. The original seating capacity was 30,000 in 1958. The first addition in 1976 raised capacity to 57,722. Seating was added to the south end of the stadium, along with press and sky boxes. A year later, in 1977, the upper tier was completed to bring seating to 70,491. In 1988, 1,700 more seats were added to bring the facility to the current capacity. During that time the Carson Student Athlete Center was added to the south end. The building is the home of the ASU Athletic Department. On September 21, 1996, the playing surface was named in honor of former ASU football coaching great, Frank Kush, and the name of the stadium was changed from Sun Devil Stadium to Sun Devil Stadium, Frank Kush Field.

The first game to be played at the stadium was on October 4, 1958. Arizona State defeated West Texas State 16-13. Sun Devil Stadium hosted college football’s Fiesta Bowl from 1971 to 2006, and it was the site of Super Bowl XXX in 1996. The largest crowd ever seated at the stadium was 74,963 for an Arizona State v. University of California, Berkeley football game won by ASU 35-7, on November 9, 1996.

This college football facility became an NFL stadium in 1988, when the St. Louis Cardinals moved to Arizona and became the Phoenix Cardinals (renamed Arizona Cardinals in 1994).

In 2006, the Cardinals moved from Sun Devil Stadium to University of Phoenix Stadium in another Phoenix suburb, Glendale. The new stadium will also host the Fiesta Bowl, and the separate BCS title game as well as Super Bowl XLII in 2008. Arizona State University will continue to use Sun Devil Stadium, which will now host the Insight Bowl.

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Arizona Stadium is a stadium located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Arizona Wildcats. The Copper Bowl was played at the stadium each December from 1989 to 1999 before moving to Phoenix in 2000.

	Capacity		57,803
	Opened		1928
	Owner		University of Arizona
	Operator		University of Arizona
	Surface		Bermuda Grass
	Location		540 N Vine Ave Tucson, AZ 85721

When the stadium, located in the southern end of the campus, opened in 1928, there were 7,000 seats placed on the west side of the playing field. Arizona’s first game at the facility was October 12, 1929. The Wildcats defeated Caltech 35-0. The capacity was raised to 10,000 in 1938 when seats were constructed on the east side of the stadium. End zone seating was placed on both sides of the field in 1947. This added an additional 4,000 seats. In 1950, a horseshoe configuration was given to the south end of the stadium with the addition of almost 8,700 seats. A multi-level pressbox and 10,000 seats were added to the west grandstand in 1965. The east side of the stadium received a second tier, consisting of 17,000 seats, in 1976. In 1981, the track team moved out and the track was removed. Permanent seating was placed at the north end of the end zone in 1988. Today the facility seats 57,803.

In addition to hosting football games, the stadium also includes two dormitories, Piñal and Navajo, in the South stands, and Sierra Hall, a dormitory with offices for the music department and residential life, in the west stands.

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Joan C. Edwards Stadium, sometimes called “The Joan” is the home football stadium of Marshall University. It is located on the main campus in Huntington, West Virginia, USA.

	Capacity		38,019
	Opened		September 7, 1991
	Owner		Marshall University
	Operator		Marshall University
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		Marshall Memorial Blvd Huntington, WV 25755
	Construction cost		$30 million USD

The stadium openned in 1991 as simply Marshall University Stadium. It replaced Fairfield Stadium, a condemned off-campus facility built in 1927 in the Fairfield Park section of town.

The stadium had an original capacity of 28,000 in two grandstands on the sidelines, along with temporary bleachers in the endzones, although 33,116 was the record crowd. With an expansion of the south endzone, seating was raised to 38,019 by 1998. The stadium was designed to have an upper deck added, bringing capacity to 55,000, should continued growth in the program warrant it. The north endzone contains the Shewey Athletic Center, a field house and training facility.

In 2003, the stadium was renamed after Joan C. Edwards, who is the largest single donor to the university in the modern era. The university’s medical school and fine arts center are also named for her. The field at the stadium is named for her late husband, James F. Edwards and the facilities building is named for Fred and Christine Shewey, who are also major donors.

As of 2004, the stadium is the only one in NCAA Division I named for a woman.

In 2005, the stadium underwent a change in the playing surface as the original AstroTurf surface, in place since the stadium opened, was removed, and a new FieldTurf surface was installed.

The stadium hosted the MAC championship game in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2002. In 2000, a bronze memorial to the 1970 plane crash that killed the entire football team was placed on the front of the stadium to the left of the main tower, and the road the stadium is on was renamed “Marshall Memorial Boulevard.”

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John O’Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium is a sports stadium in Houston, Texas located on the campus of the University of Houston. It is the current home of the Houston Cougars football and women’s soccer teams, as well as Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer, which began play in the 2006 season. The stadium hosted the Houston Oilers from 1960–1964. The current capacity of Robertson Stadium is 32,000.

	Capacity		32,000
	Opened		1941
	Owner		University of Houston
	Operator		University of Houston
	Surface		Grass
	Location		3874 Holman St Houston, TX 77004
	Construction cost		$650,000 USD

The stadium was originally constructed as a joint project between the Houston Independent School District and the WPA. Completed in 1942 and originally holding 20,500, the structure was originally named the Houston Public School Stadium. The University of Houston played its home games there from 1946–1950, before moving to Rice Stadium in 1951 and then to the Astrodome in 1965. The school district renamed the stadium Jeppesen Stadium (for Holgar Jeppeson) in 1958. When Corbin J. Robertson funded renovations and additions, the stadium was given to the University of Houston in 1970 to host its track and field team and renamed Robertson Stadium in 1980.

The stadium was heavily renovated in 1999, lowering the playing field by nine feet and eliminating the track so as to add new seating on the sidelines and end zones, and building 20 luxury suites. The stadium still holds the Robertson name, but the field was named in honor of John O’Quinn, a donor to the project.

Several new projects have taken place in 2006, thanks in part to $1.7 million dollars provided up front from the Houston Dynamo. The lights were upgraded in the spring, making the viewing experiece tremendously better both in person and on TV. Construction on a new scoreboard and widescreen jumbotron is scheduled to begin in August 2006 and be completed by the first home game, September 9 against Tulane University.

UH has hired architecture firm Leo A. Daly to assess the stadium and see what renovations can be done to the stadium in terms of long-term and prolonged improvements.

Further plans have been prepared to replace the end zone sections with a permanent bowl and add an upper deck, raising the capacity to 50,000, but construction has not yet begun.

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Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is a stadium in Greenville, North Carolina. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the East Carolina University Pirates. It opened in 1963 and holds 43,000 people.

	Capacity		43,000
	Opened		September 21, 1963
	Owner		East Carolina University
	Operator		East Carolina University
	Surface		Bermuda Grass
	Location		Blackbeard’s Alley Greenville, NC 27858

The stadium opened as Ficklen Memorial Stadium on September 21, 1963 with a win against Wake Forest. It cost over $300,000, most of which was raised by the college’s Society of Buccaneers, the school’s booster club. It was originally named for James Skinner Ficklen, owner of Greenville’s E.B. Skinner Tobacco Company. Skinner was considered a friend of the college, and had established a scholarship fund.

The stadium originally consisted of only the south side stands, with a small press box and a lighting system. In 1968, the north stands were constructed, bringing seating capacity up to 20,000. In 1975, a $450,000 lighting upgrade was completed, moving the light stanchions to the perimeter of the stadium rather than the edge of the field. The renovation added 288 fixtures of 1500 watts each on six 162-foot towers. Cost of the system was $450,000. By 1978, the grandstands had been widened out towards the edges of the stadium, nearly doubling the size of the stadium to 35,000. The press box was also updated at this time, and a modern scoreboard was installed. In 1983, a modern drainage system was installed, and Tifton 419 Hybrid Bermuda grass was planted.

In April, 1994, Ron & Mary Ellen Dowdy of Orlando announced a $1 million gift to the ECU Educational Foundation, which would also contribute to the stadium’s continuing renovations. Ron Dowdy, class of 1966, is a member of the Board of Trustees, who runs Dowdy Properties, a real estate company in the Orlando Area. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the Florida Citrus Sports Association, the Board of Directors for the Florida Citrus Bowl, the Board of Directors at Humana Hospital Lucerne in Orlando, and the Senior Citizen Advisory Committee in Orange County. For their gift, the stadium was renamed Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium that year.

In 1997, the playing surface was renamed in honor of Al and Debby Bagwell, graduates of the university. Al has served as president of the Pirates Club (the modern booster club), and has served on the Board of Visitors.

In 1998, an upper deck was placed on the north side, bringing the capacity to 40,000. A year later, 3,000 more seats were added, bringing the capacity to its current level. In 2001, the Murphy Center, a training facility and field house which also contains the ECU Hall of Fame, was opened in the west end zone. One year later, the current $2 million scoreboard, which has an instant replay board and a deck on top for video production, was added to the east end.

Future expansion of the stadium includes possibly enclosing the east end zone, the addition of a new press box and suites, the addition of a six story building for office space, player’s lounge, lockerooms, classrooms, and meeting rooms, and the addition of an upper deck on the stadium‘s south side. Upon completion, the stadium’s capacity would increase to over 60,000 under this plan.

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Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds in Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium is the site of the annual Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team. It has also been the host of several attempts at professional sports in the city, as well as other local football games and other gatherings.Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds in Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium is the site of the annual Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team. It has also been the host of several attempts at professional sports in the city, as well as other local football games and other gatherings.

	Capacity		62,380
	Opened		September 16, 1965
	Owner		City of Memphis
	Operator		Memphis Park Commission
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		335 S Hollywood St Memphis, TN 38104
	Construction cost		$3.7 million

The stadium was originally built as Memphis Memorial Stadium in 1965 for $3 million, as a part of the Mid-South Fairgrounds, one of the South’s most popular fairs. The fairgrounds also include the Mid-South Coliseum (formerly the city’s major indoor venue) as well as Libertyland amusement park. It was dedicated to the citizens of Memphis who had served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.

It was built partially as a way to bring the Liberty Bowl to a permanent home in Memphis. (The game had started in Philadelphia, but because of poor attendance for a northern bowl, it left the city, playing one year in Atlantic City before settling in Memphis.) The game was such a success for Memphis that the stadium was soon renamed Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. As originally built, the stadium was lopsided, with the southwest side being taller than the northeast. A 1987 expansion brought it to its current, balanced size. Its design is similar to that of Tampa Stadium, with the endzone grandstands being much shorter than the sidelines. The field, which had been natural grass since its inception, was replaced with a FieldTurf surface before the 2005 season.

The stadium is designed in such a way that all of its seats have a relatively good view of most of the playing surface. This is due primarily to two design factors. The stands are relatively steep for a one-tier, true bowl stadium. Also, there is little space between the side and end lines of the playing surface and the stands.

In December, 1983, the field was renamed for Rex Dockery, a former Memphis football coach who died in a plane crash.

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Rice Stadium is a football stadium located in Houston, Texas. Completed in 1950, the stadium seats 72,000 in a lower bowl and upper decks on each sideline. The stadium is the home of the football team for Rice University and also hosted the University of Houston football team from 1951 to 1965 and the Houston Oilers from 1965 to 1967. The college football Bluebonnet Bowl was played there from 1959 to 1967 and again in 1985 and 1986.

	Capacity		70,000
	Opened		September 30, 1950
	Owner		Rice University
	Operator		Rice University
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		Stadium Rd. Houston, TX 77005

Rice Stadium was built before professional football came to Houston, and 70,000 fans might be expected to attend a college football game there. But the Houston Oilers arrived in 1960, Rice football stopped being competitive in the Southwest Conference after 1961, and the stadium has not sold out for a college football game since the early 1960s (the average attendance for Rice football games in Rice Stadium in 2005 was 10,072). On the campus tour, guides note that Rice Stadium is large enough to seat every alumnus of the university, living and dead. Due in part to the poor condition of seating in the upper deck and NCAA attendance regulations, Rice has recently moved its triannual home game against Texas and selected other home games to Reliant Stadium, home of the Houston Texans. The 2003 game against Texas at Reliant Stadium drew 45,764 fans.

After Todd Graham was hired as Rice’s new football coach in 2006, he announced intentions to upgrade the facility by switching from AstroTurf to FieldTurf and add a modern scoreboard above the north concourse.

Architecturally, Rice Stadium is an excellent example of modernism, with simple lines and an unadorned, functional design. The entire lower seating bowl is located below the surrounding ground level. Built solely for football (i.e. without a running track), the stadium has excellent sightlines from virtually every seat.

In 1974, Rice Stadium hosted Super Bowl VIII, in which the Miami Dolphins beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-7. Only three other stadiums built specifically for a major-college team (Tulane Stadium at Tulane University, Stanford Stadium at Stanford University, and Sun Devil Stadium at Arizona State University) have hosted the Super Bowl, although the Rose Bowl, which has recently been home to the UCLA Bruins, has also hosted the Super Bowl.

Rice Stadium is also used as a concert venue, seating 80,000 spectators.

On 12th September 1962, at Rice Stadium, President John F. Kennedy made a famous speech in which he challenged the nation to send a man to the moon by the end of the decade

Old Rice Stadium (located where the Rice Track/Soccer Stadium is today) seated less than 37,000 fans and was used prior to 1950.

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Gerald J. Ford Stadium is a stadium in University Park, Texas, one of the two “Park Cities” that form an enclave of Dallas. It is primarily used for football, and is home to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs.

	Capacity		32,000
	Opened		September 2, 2000
	Owner		Southern Methodist University
	Operator		Southern Methodist University
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		5800 Ownby Dr Dallas, TX 75205
	Construction cost		$2.5 million USD

The building stands on the site of the former Ownby Stadium, the school’s former on-campus stadium. Ownby was demolished starting in late october, 1998 in order to make the space necessary for the new stadium. It opened on September 2, 2000 with a game against Kansas. The north-south oriented stadium is bowl-shaped, with stands on three sides, the north being flat and the south currently being empty. Because of this empty space, the stadium could be expanded to as many as 45,000.

The stadium is named after Gerald J. Ford (who should not be confused with the US president Gerald R. Ford), a billionaire banker who provided most of the funding for its construction.

Outside the northeast corner of the stadium is Doak Walker Plaza, honoring the former Heisman Trophy winner and SMU’s greatest football star. The plaza includes a life-sized replica of the Walker Award trophy, given out each year to the nation’s top running back in Division I-A. The northwest corner is connected to the Loyd All-Sports Center, which contains locker, training and office space for SMU athletics, as well as the Spirit Shop, Alumni Association office and the athlete education center.

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M. M. Roberts Stadium is an American football stadium located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is the home of the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles football team.

	Capacity		33,000
	Opened		October 29, 1932
	Owner		Univ. of Southern Mississippi
	Operator		Univ. of Southern Mississippi
	Surface
	Location		College Dr & Eagle Walk Hattiesburg, MS 39406
	Construction cost		$6.3 million (1976 renovation)

The stadium was originally opened on October 29, 1932 as “Faulkner Field”, with a wooden grandstand which held 4,000 spectators at the time. It was named for local businessman L.E. Faulkner, who financed the materials and equipment for the stadium, which was built for free by local jobless workers during the Great Depression. In 1938, permanent concrete stands which also housed dormitory space for student-athletes were built on the east side of the field, with the help of Southern Miss football players hauling the concrete. It was from this that the stadium received the nickname “The Rock” (in reference to prison work crews-none of which were used to build the stadium).

The stadium was expanded again in 1950, when the 7,500-seat West Stadium Dormitory stands were built for $350,000. Later, 2,000 bleacher seats were added, as well as new lights (the stadium had lights as early as 1934) and a new scoreboard. By the end of this expansion, the stadium sat 15,000.

In 1976, the stadium was rebuilt, with two sets of double-decked grandstands on either side for $6.3 million. It was opened on September 25, 1976 with a game against in-state rival Ole Miss. The new stadium (but not the field itself) was renamed for M. M. Roberts, an alumni of then-Mississippi College and member of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. He is credited for helping to build the school up to its current university status, the largest such school in Mississippi south of Jackson.

In 1989, the current press box was added. Other improvements to the stadium include the Southern Miss Athletic Center, a field house and athletics training facility opened in 2002 in the north end zone, new lighting poles, new south stands that are being added, as well as the new Momentum Turf field added in 2004. The new playing field was renamed Carlisle-Faulkner Field in honor of the contributions of Gene Carlisle, an entrepeneur and alumnus who funded much of the project to add an artificial surface to the stadium.

The stadium has seen many great Southern Miss players throughout its years, including Derrick Nix, Sammy Winder, Reggie Collier, Hall of Fame kicker Ray Guy, and future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.

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Skelly Stadium is an American football stadium located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is primarily the home of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team. The stadium is named for its primary benefactor, William Skelly.

	Capacity		35,542
	Opened		OCtober 4, 1930
	Owner		University of Tulsa
	Operator		University of Tulsa
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		S Florence & E 8th Tulsa, OK 74104
	Construction cost		$275,000

Skelly Field (as it was known until 1947) was built in 1930 as a 14,500-seat stadium and was enlarged twice. In 1947, the north stands were added. In 1965, the track was removed, the field was lowered, the west stands were expanded and the south stands were added, bringing the total capacity to 40,385 seats. In February of 2005, the north stands were demolished to make way for the new Case Athletic Complex. The new seating capacity is 35,542. For thirty years, from 1938 to 1968, the stadium was owned by the Tulsa Public Schools. The University had traded the lease of the stadium in exchange for two buildings to be added to campus.

The stadium, located on historic U.S. Route 66, hosted the Oklahoma Outlaws of the USFL in 1984. Skelly was once the principal home field for two American football legends — future NFL Hall-of-Famer (and later U.S. Congressman) Steve Largent when he played for the University of Tulsa and Doug Williams of the Oklahoma Outlaws, who later was a Super Bowl MVP for the Washington Redskins. The stadium was also home to the Tulsa Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League in the 1970s and 1980s.

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Legion Field is a large stadium in Birmingham, Alabama primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but is occasionally used for other large outdoor events. The stadium is named in honor of the American Legion, a U.S. organization of military veterans. At its peak it seated approximately 81,000 people for football. Today, after the removal of the upper deck, Legion Field seats approximately 71,594 spectators.

	Capacity		71,594
	Opened		1926
	Owner		City of Birmingham
	Operator		UAB
	Surface		Artificial Turf
	Location		400 Graymont Ave W Birmingham, AL 35204
	Construction cost		$439,000 USD

Until the 1990s the University of Alabama played up to three home football games a year at Legion Field, a practice that has now ended. Auburn University has used the stadium similarly for a while, but not as extensively, for it had played some of its home games in Columbus, Georgia at one point and had enlarged its home field, Jordan-Hare Stadium, to a seating capacity roughly equal to that of Legion Field well before the University of Alabama had done so with its facility, Bryant-Denny Stadium. It currently serves as the home field for the UAB Blazers, who compete in Conference USA.

Legion Field perhaps was best-known for hosting the annual, season-ending game between Alabama and Auburn every year from 1948 to 1988. Because of Birmingham’s major industry of iron and steel manufacturing, the game became known as the Iron Bowl. In 1989 Auburn moved their “home” games in the series to their own stadium. Alabama followed suit in 2001. In the summer of 1996, Legion Field served as a soccer venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Legion Field also hosted three post-season college football games, the Dixie Bowl (1947-1948), the Hall of Fame Classic (1977-1985) and the All-American Bowl (1986-1990). In addition, it was the site of the first two SEC football championship games. It still hosts the title football game for the historically black Southwestern Athletic Conference (‘SWAC’).

The venue also served as home field for the Birmingham Americans (Vulcans) of the World Football League (1974-1975), the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (1983-1985), and the Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football (now NFL Europe) in 1991-92. Afterward in 1995, it was the home field of the Birmingham Barracudas for their single season of play as part of the short-lived expansion of the Canadian Football League into the U.S. Later (2001), it was the home field for the single season of the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL. On August 19, 2004, the University of Alabama announced that they would not be playing any further home games at the venue, leaving UAB football as the sole collegiate tenant.

Recently, Legion Field had been used successfully as a site for major soccer events, including matchups in the 1996 Olympic Games — the opening match between the United States and Argentina drew 83,810 spectators, the stadium’s all-time record for any event. Legion Field had also hosted exhibition games by the U.S. men’s and women’s national soccer teams, and in 2005 it hosted a World Cup qualifier between the U.S. and Guatemala. US Soccer will no longer be scheduling games for play at Legion Field because of a switch from natural grass to artificial turf.

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Sun Bowl Stadium is an on-campus football stadium at the University of Texas at El Paso. It is home to the UTEP Miners football team, as well as the Brut Sun Bowl game, held annually on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve.

	Capacity		51,500
	Opened		September 21, 1963
	Owner		University of Texas El Paso
	Operator		University of Texas El Paso
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		Sun Bowl Dr El Paso, TX 79968
	Construction cost		$275,000

The stadium, named for the game it hosts, was opened in September of 1963 with a win against North Texas State. The opening play was a 54-yard touchdown run by Larry Durham of the Miners. The land the stadium sits on was originally donated by the university to the city of El Paso, who built the stadium for the school and the Sun Bowl game. Both had previously used Kidd Field, the school’s current track and field stadium, which only seats 15,000. The city had realized that the game could not expand its audience or the list of teams that it could invite without a bigger stadium, so the Sun Bowl was built in a natural bowl lying to the west of the old stadium.

It originally sat 30,000, with only the sideline stands. The current press box was added in 1969, and the stadium reached the current capacity in 1982 with the addition of the north endzone stands and the expansion of the east stands. (The south endzone is still vacant, with the ground of the bowl covered with the school’s logos.) The school retook control of the land and stadium in 2001.

The stadium holds the unusual distinction of being the closest major American stadium to a foreign country, sitting less than half a mile from the Rio Grande and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

For a short time before moving to Dudley Field, it was the home to PDL franchise, the El Paso Patriots. They now play at Patriot Stadium.

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Aloha Stadium is a stadium located in the ʻAiea community of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, United States. Currently Aloha Stadium is home to the University of Hawaiʻi Warriors football team (Western Athletic Conference, NCAA Division I FBS). It has also been home to the National Football League’s Pro Bowl since 1980 and the NCAA’s Hula Bowl from 1975 to 1997 and again in 2006. It also hosts numerous high school football games during the season, and serves as a venue for large concerts and events. A swap meet in the stadium’s parking lot every weekend draws large crowds. Aloha Stadium once served as home field for the AAA Hawaiʻi Islanders of the Pacific Coast League from 1975 to 1987 before the team moved to Colorado Springs.

	Capacity		50,000
	Opened		September 12, 1975
	Owner		State of Hawaii
	Operator		Stadium Authority, State of Hawaii
	Surface		FieldTurf
	Location		99-500 Salt Lake Blvd Honolulu, HI 96818
	Construction cost		$37 million USD

Located west of downtown Honolulu and two miles north of Honolulu International Airport, Aloha Stadium was built in 1975 at a cost of $37 million. It was intended as a replacement for the aging Honolulu Stadium on King Street, demolished in 1976.

The first sporting event ever held at Aloha Stadium was a football game played between the University of Hawaii and Texas A&M on September 13, 1975. The crowd was 32,247.

Aloha Stadium could be reconfigured into various configurations for different sport venues and other purposes, and was the first stadium in the United States with this capability. Four movable sections, each 3.5 million pounds and with a capacity of 7,000, could move using air cushions into a diamond configuration for baseball (also used for soccer), an oval for football, or a triangle for concerts. However, in January 2007, the stadium was permanently locked into its football configuration, citing cost and maintenance issues.

There have been numerous discussions with State of Hawaiʻi lawmakers who are concerned with the physical condition of the stadium. There are several issues regarding rusting of the facility, several hundred seats that need to be replaced, and restroom facilities that need to be expanded to accommodate more patrons.

In early 2007, the state legislature proposed to spend $300 million to build a new facility as opposed to spending approximately $216 million to extend the life of Aloha Stadium for another 20-30 years. The new stadium would also be used to lure a potential Super Bowl to Hawaiʻi in the near future, possibly for 2016.

One council member has said that if immediate repairs are not made within the next seven years, then the stadium will probably have to be demolished due to safety concerns. In May 2007, the state alloted $12.4 million to be used towards removing corrosion and rust from the structure.

Expansion and Improvements

In 2003, the stadium surface was changed from AstroTurf (which had been in place since the stadium opened) to FieldTurf.

2008, the state of Hawaii approved the bill of $185 million to refurbish the aging Aloha Stadium. The Aloha Stadium Authority plans to add more luxury suites, replacing all seats, rusting treatments, parking lots, more restrooms, pedestrian bridge supports, enclosed lounge, and more. There is also a proposal that would close the 4 opening corners of the stadium to add more seats.

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Bulldog Stadium is a stadium in Fresno, California. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Fresno State Bulldogs. The stadium opened in 1980 and holds 41,031 people. It hosted the California Bowl from 1981 to 1991 and in 1994, it hosted international soccer matches.

	Capacity		41,031
	Opened		1980
	Owner		California State University, Fresno
	Operator		California State University, Fresno
	Surface		Grass
	Location		Bulldog Ln Fresno, CA 93740

One of the most complete and aesthetically pleasing stadiums in the Western Athletic Conference, Bulldog Stadium has served as the home of Fresno State football since the 1980 season. Entering its 26th season of hosting the Bulldogs, the facility has established itself as one of the most difficult places for a visiting team to win.

Fresno State has gone 122-30-2 at Bulldog Stadium since 1980, for a winning percentage of nearly 80 percent. Even more impressive is the success of the team since 1999, during which time the Bulldogs have gone 30-4. Included in that record are victories over Oregon State (twice), Colorado State and California. Since Pat Hill took over as head coach in 1997, Fresno State is 38-7 (.844) at home.

Much of that success stems from an environment considered the noisiest in the Western Athletic Conference. With a capacity of 41,031, the stadium has been filled at near 100 percent capacity ever since record crowds began to pour into the facility in 2001. No other conference team has experienced this consistently high attendance.

The large crowds and loyal fan support is one reason why CBSSportsline.com has voted it the nation’s 23rd-best college football facility.

“The atmosphere and fans give the Bulldogs a huge advantage at home,” wrote Dennis Dodd, who ranked Bulldog Stadium above such stadiums as those at Florida State, Ohio State and Miami (Fla.).

Featuring a natural grass playing surface and a tree-lined concourse, Bulldog Stadium underwent a two-phase expansion project in 1991 which included the addition of more than 10,000 seats — increasing the stadium’s capacity from 30,000 to 41,031 — and the construction of 22 sky suites. Additional restrooms and concession facilities were also constructed.

The first phase entailed filling in the panels beyond the north and south end zones with bench seating and the reconfiguration of seating on the stadium’s east side. The second phase, completed prior to the 1892 season, featured the addition of 22 sky suites, each of which includes seating for 20, among other amenities.

The stadium expansion was a result of the overwhelming fan support the Bulldogs have enjoyed since the early 1980s. In the years just prior to expansion, Fresno State played before crowds well in excess of the official 30,000-seat capacity in 36 of 37 possible home dates. In 1993, one year after expansion was completed, the Bulldogs averaged 39,536 fans during their six home dates.

Original construction of Bulldog Stadium began in June of 1979 following what was then the most successful capital fundraising project ever undertaken in the San Joaquin Valley. Local residents raised in excess of $7 million for the project. No state tax dollars or student fees were used to build the stadium.

Built partially below ground level with the playing field 37 feet below grade, the bowl has a low profile appearance. A unique cantilevered lighting system extends toward the field and is directed downward to concentrate lighting on the playing surface.

Chair seating for more than 5,000 spectators is located on the west side of the stadium between the 18-yard lines to accommodate contributors of the $7 million.

The remaining seating, with the exception of the recent addition of 3,240 chairback seats on the east side, is on aluminum benches.

The constuction of a new video board located at the north end of the stadium began in August 2006. There is an existing scoreboard located at the south end of the stadium. When completed in September the new video board will be one of the largest video screens in a collegiate venue on the West Coast at 24′ x 32′.

Fresno State defeated Montana State 21-14 on Nov. 15, 1980, in the first game played in the stadium. In 2000, the Bulldogs set a new single-season attendance record when they averaged 42,410 fans, the 22nd-best mark in the nation. The following season, in which Fresno State achieved a program-record national ranking of eight, was even better. The Bulldogs set a new record by averaging 42,802 fans, including stadium single-game records of 42,881 in each of the last five contests of that year.

Bulldog Stadium was also home to the California Raisin Bowl from 1981-91. Fresno State played in the game five times, winning the title on four occasions.

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