The Carl Smith Center, Home of David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium, located in Charlottesville, Virginia, is the home of the Virginia Cavaliers football team. It sits on the University of Virginia Grounds, across from first-year dorms on Alderman Road. Constructed in 1931, it is the oldest Division I football stadium in the state of Virginia. It occasionally hosts other events, such as concerts for bands that can fill an entire stadium, such as the Rolling Stones (2005) and the Dave Matthews Band (2001). It hosted the Division I NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship in 1977 and 1982.

	Capacity		61,500
	Opened		1931
	Owner		University of Virginia
	Operator		University of Virginia
	Surface		Prescription Athletic Turf
	Location		Whitehead Rd & Alderman Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22904

Known for its classical construction (with features such as the pergola) as well as its unique “grass-seating” area called The Hill, Scott Stadium is regarded as one of the best places in America to watch a college football game. The stadium, which holds 61,500, is large for a school of just 13,000 undergraduates and 6,000 graduates, but it is regularly filled to and even past capacity.

Built as a replacement for the old Lambeth Field or “Colonnades,” Scott Stadium bears the name of donor and University Rector Frederic Scott, and held 25,000 spectators at opening. The stadium is considered one of the most beautiful facilities in the nation, and formerly had a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and specifically Monticello Mountain out the south end of the stadium. An artificial turf system was installed in 1974, making impossible a long tradition of a mounted Cavalier riding into the stadium with the football team. David A. Harrision III provided a gift allowing natural grass to be reinstalled in the stadium, and the Cavalier has ridden into Scott, waving his sabre high, every game since 1995. Another more unique feature of Scott Stadium is the Adventures of Cavman, which takes place a few minutes prior to kickoff, on the videoboard. In this computer generated skit, the mascot of the opposing team is causing trouble on the Grounds of UVA, and the Cavalier slays him, then rides to the stadium via the Grounds. After the skit is over, the live Cavalier rides onto the field.

The first expansion to the stadium’s capacity came in 1981, when upper decks and grass hill seating allowed 41,000 fans. Carl Smith’s donations helped make the most recent contributions to Scott Stadium in 2000, filling in the upper deck and south end to allow 20,000 additional fans, and installing the pergola, state of the art lighting and gigantic audio/visual tower known as “Hoo-Vision,” as well as a new lighting system placed on towers with “V’s” built in. While the dramatic view of the Blue Ridge was lost in this expansion, Scott Stadium remains a sight to behold. The facility’s official name, a result of this string of donations, may be the longest for a sports venue in the United States, and possibly the world.

Traditionally, males wear coats and ties and females wear sundresses to games, which is also tradition at Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and Ole Miss. Beginning during the 2003 season, however, a new movement began at Scott Stadium. Many fans began wearing orange t-shirts – and even orange hats. This tradition has not been welcomed by all; many students and alumni continue to wear ties and sundresses, feeling the “Sea of Orange” had been forced on them by Coach Al Groh. On the school’s facebook site (a popular online social network for college students), approximately 800 students have joined a group opposing the “Sea of Orange.” The Cavalier Daily, the University’s daily student-published newspaper, weighed in on the debate in its September 1, 2005, lead editorial. The Declaration, an alternative weekly news magazine at the University, also ran a feature story on the debate prior to the 2006 home opener.

Though ties and especially sundresses can still be easily found at Virginia football games, many have compromised to wearing ties with orange shirts. Some very creative ladies have even been spotted in orange sundresses. However, many students took to wearing orange t-shirts with slogans like “Orange Crush”, “Orange Fever”, and “Sea of Orange”, and abandoned the ties and sundresses altogether during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

Arguably the most significant game at Scott Stadium was played November 2, 1995, when #24 Virginia upset #2 Florida State 33-28. The nationally-televised game was the first Thursday night game played at Scott Stadium and marked Florida State’s first loss in a conference game (having won its first 29) since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). On October 15, 2005, ten seasons after the milestone, Virginia’s 1995 ACC Co-Championship squad was honored in a halftime ceremony during a game against #4 Florida State. UVa went on to win in a 26-21 upset for its first victory over FSU since the 1995 contest.

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The ACC.com - The Official website of the Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Association website
The Cavalier Daily
University of Virginia website

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