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	Capacity		36,331 (Baseball), 75,540 (Football)
	Opened		August 16th 1987
	Owner		H. Wayne Huizenga
	Cost		$115 million
	Architect		HOK Sport

Dolphin Stadium (the stadium’s original name, later named Joe Robbie Stadium and then briefly Pro Player Park before becoming Pro Player Stadium, and now back to being named for the team, first as Dolphins Stadium then to its original name) is a football and baseball stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, a suburb of Miami incorporated in 2003. Prior to 2003, the venue was inside an unincorporated part of Miami-Dade County but had a Miami address.

Dolphin Stadium was the first of its kind to be constructed entirely with private funds. The late Joe Robbie led the financing campaign to build Joe Robbie Stadium (JRS) for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. JRS revolutionized the economics of professional sports when it opened in 1987. Inclusion of a Club Level, along with Executive Suites, helped to finance the construction of the stadium. Season ticket holders committed to long term agreements and in return they received first-class amenities in a state-of-the-art facility which is still used as a model for new facilities across the country.

In 1990, H. Wayne Huizenga, then Chairman of the Board and CEO of Blockbuster Video and Huizenga Holdings Inc., agreed to purchase fifty percent of Joe Robbie Stadium and became the point man in the drive to bring Major League Baseball to South Florida. That effort was rewarded in July 1991, when South Florida was awarded a National League expansion franchise. On January 24, 1994, Huizenga acquired the remaining fifty percent of the stadium to give him 100% ownership. Since 1991, several million dollars have been spent to upgrade and renovate the stadium. The improvement and revitalization of the building under Huizenga allowed the stadium to remain one of the finest sports and entertainment facilities in the United States.

In 1990, H. Wayne Huizenga, then Chairman of the Board and CEO of Blockbuster Video and Huizenga Holdings Inc., agreed to purchase fifty percent of Joe Robbie Stadium and became the point man in the drive to bring Major League Baseball to South Florida. That effort was rewarded in July 1991, when South Florida was awarded a National League expansion franchise. On January 24, 1994, Huizenga acquired the remaining fifty percent of the stadium to give him 100% ownership. Since 1991, several million dollars have been spent to upgrade and renovate the stadium. The improvement and revitalization of the building under Huizenga allowed the stadium to remain one of the finest sports and entertainment facilities in the United States.

The stadium has been home to the Miami Dolphins since 1987 and to the Florida Marlins since 1993, however stadium management has indicated that the Marlins must find a new venue by the end of their current lease. It has been the site of the FedEx Orange Bowl game since 1996, except for the January 1999 contest between Florida and Syracuse, which had to be moved due to a conflict with a Dolphins playoff game. Dolphin Stadium has played host to three Super Bowls in 1989, 1995 and 1999 with two more scheduled in 2007 and 2010, two World Series (1997 and 2003), and numerous concerts, featuring entertainers such as U2, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Billy Joel, Chicago, Genesis, Gloria Estefan, Guns N’ Roses, The Who, Hall & Oates, Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney, and The Three Tenors.

Other events held at Dolphin Stadium have included international soccer matches, Monster Truck shows, Hoop-It-Up Basketball, RV and Boat Shows, the UniverSoul Circus, and Australian Rules Football exhibition matches and numerous trade shows. The Stadium also plays host to the yearly Shula Bowl, a game played between Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University, only when FAU hosts the game (FIU hosts the game at their own stadium, FIU Stadium, every other year). In 2005 and 2006, Dolphin Stadium will host the 3A, 4A, 5A, and 6A classification high school football state championships, sanctioned by the Florida High School Athletic Association.

Dolphin Stadium has been home to many commercials and feature films as well, including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and the football-themed movie, Any Given Sunday, starring Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx.

Behind the scenes, the facility underwent $10 million in renovations to accommodate Major League Baseball and the Florida Marlins before the 1993 season. The conversion included the installation of retractable seating on the north side of the stadium, the construction of the baseball press box in the southwest corner of the facility, the building of the baseball dugouts, the addition of 660 new lights for suitable night play and the installation of a hydraulic disappearing pitcher’s mound. The stadium also features a synthetic warning track designed to absorb water. At the time, the only other facility to feature this type of track was Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles. The renovation also included the construction of the Florida Marlins clubhouse and other amenities to accommodate baseball at the stadium.

The stadium’s capacity for baseball was reduced to just over 47,600 seats. Even without the Marlins’ desire for a more intimate atmosphere, most of the upper-deck outfield seats would have been terrible. The stadium’s baseball capacity has been reduced even further in recent years, and it now seats just over 36,500.

Because of the need to fit a football field in the stadium, the field of play is larger than in most other new baseball stadiums. The 33-foot tall left field fence, nicknamed the Teal Monster (a play on the Green Monster at Fenway Park) further limits the ability of players to hit home runs. Foul territory is also fairly large in comparison with most new stadiums.

Since winning the World Series in 1997, Marlins’ management has regularly argued that the stadium is insufficient to host a MLB team on a regular basis, arguing that too many of the seats are too far from the field and angled for football rather than baseball, and that a retractable dome is needed to prevent rain-outs. The stadium did not prevent the team from winning a second world championship in 2003, however.

On the field, the stadium is equipped with a Prescription Athletic Turf (PAT) system which provides draining for its natural grass. At a cost of $1 million, the system ensures a firm, dry playing surface within half an hour’s time after as much as a three inch per hour rain fall.

(source .. wikipedia) reproduced under GFDL

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Dolphin Stadium website
Dolphin Stadium wikipedia entry
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