Pontiac Silverdome

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Pontiac Silverdome
Location	1200 Featherstone Road Pontiac, MI 48342
Broke ground	September 19, 1973
Opened	August 23, 1975
Closed	as of March 2007
Owner	The City of Pontiac, Michigan
Operator	Pontiac Stadium Building Authority
Surface	FieldTurf AstroTurf (1975-2004)
Construction cost	$55.7 million
Former names
Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium (1975)
Tenants
Detroit Lions (NFL) (1975-2001) Detroit Pistons (NBA) (1978-1988) Michigan Panthers(USFL) (1983-1984)
Capacity
80,311

The Pontiac Silverdome is a domed stadium in Pontiac, Michigan, a satellite city of Detroit. It hosted the Detroit Lions of the NFL from 1975-2001, the Detroit Pistons of the NBA from 1978-1988, the Michigan Panthers of the USFL from 1983-1984, the college football Cherry Bowl in 1984 and 1985 and Motor City Bowl from 1997 until 2001, the MHSAA football state finals from 1976 - 2004, and four first-round games during the 1994 World Cup. For the World Cup games, a natural grass surface capable of growing inside the dome was developed and installed by a team from Michigan State University.[1] This grass surface was laid upon wooden pallets atop the artificial turf that is usually used. It was the first time that World Cup games were played indoors. The Silverdome also hosted the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, Super Bowl XVI on January 28, 1982, and the 1988 NCAA Tournament Midwest Regionals. In 1987, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass there.

The decision to build a domed stadium in Pontiac took place after a late-season football game at Tiger Stadium resulted in a half-dozen pairs of shoes being lost beneath the muddy surface and not recovered until the next spring. Completed in 1975 (as the Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium, or PonMet Stadium for short) at a cost of $55.7 million, the Silverdome seated 80,311. It contained 102 luxury suites and 7,384 club seats.

A reported record setting 93,173 fans in attendance for WrestleMania III at the Pontiac Silverdome.

The original silver roof was built of Teflon-coated fiberglass panels, and supported by air pressure inside the stadium (anyone who has attended an event at the Silverdome is familiar with the ear-popping "wind tunnel" effect at the entrances). The roof was replaced by a new canvas fabric reinforced by steel girders after a freak spring snowstorm on March 4, 1985 caused structural damage to the old roof. Because of the damage, the Detroit Pistons played the remainder of the 1984-85 season at Joe Louis Arena. Being one of the largest stadiums in the NFL and also a domed stadium, the Silverdome was known for the extremely loud noise that the fans were capable of producing when the stands were filled.

The largest crowd to ever gather there for a sporting event was on March 29, 1987 for WrestleMania III, when a record setting 93,173 fans attended to see Hulk Hogan take on André the Giant. Another notable audience attendance record had earlier been broken on April 30, 1977, when English rock band Led Zeppelin played in front of 76,229 fans at the Silverdome. This was at the time a new world record attendance for a solo indoor attraction, beating the 75,962 that The Who attracted there in December 1975.

The Silverdome was also the home to many marching band activities and events, including the Michigan Competing Band Association State Marching Band Championships until 2005, the Bands of America Regional championships from 2003 to 2005, and the Bands of America Grand National Championships in 1987 and 1988.

The Lions moved to the new Ford Field at the beginning of the 2002 season. When the WHA tried to re-introduce itself, the new WHA Detroit team was slated to play their home games at the Silverdome. Plans were also mooted for a Windsor-based Canadian Football League team which could have used the dome for possible playoff games, but that team also did not materialize.

After the Detroit Lions relocated, activity in the Silverdome dropped drastically. However some usage was still present. Annually, Jehovah's Witnesses used the Silverdome from the late 80's to 2004. Due to talk of renovation in 2004, the Witnesses opted to travel to The Dow Event Center in Saginaw, and the SeaGate Convention Centre in Toledo, Ohio for their District Conventions. [2]

The Silverdome was used for Monster Jam on January 7, 2006. It was also used as a practice facility for the AFC Champions Pittsburgh Steelers for Super Bowl XL, with the NFL adding FieldTurf, which was later donated to a local high school. There was also a celebrity flag football game that Saturday which served as the last football event ever at the Silverdome. The stadium is now closed and will eventually be torn down or significantly modified as part of the redevelopment of the property. The developer for this has yet to be selected by the City of Pontiac.

[edit] See also

• Metro Detroit
• Sports in metropolitan Detroit
• Tourism in metropolitan Detroit

Coordinates: 42°38′44.59″N, 83°15′16.84″W