Neyland Stadium

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Neyland Stadium
Location Phillip Fulmer Way
Knoxville, TN 37996
Broke ground 1921
Opened 1921
Owner State of Tennessee
Operator University of Tennessee
Surface Grass
Former names Shields-Watkins Field 1921-1962
Tenants Tennessee Volunteers
(NCAA) (1921-Present)
Team Tennessee
(AAFL) (2008-Present)
Capacity 102,037 (attendance 106,000)

Neyland Stadium is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several NFL exhibition games with the last between the Washington Redskins and Houston Oilers during the Oilers transition to Nashville in 1998. It is the largest football stadium in the South, and the third largest in the United States. After 79 years and 16 expansion projects, Neyland Stadium now has an official capacity of 102,037 seats.

Contents

[edit] History

The present-day Neyland Stadium, Shields-Watkins Field, had its beginning in 1919. Col. W.S. Shields, president of Knoxville's City National Bank and a University of Tennessee trustee, provided the initial capital to prepare and equip an athletic field. Thus, when the field was completed in March 1921, it was called Shields-Watkins Field in honor of the donor and his wife, Alice Watkins-Shields.

The stadium, apart from the field it grew to enclose, came to bear its own name—Neyland Stadium. It was named for the man most responsible for the growth and development of Tennessee's football program. General Robert Neyland served as head coach from 1926-1952, with two interruptions for military service. After retiring from coaching, General Neyland was the university's athletics director until his death in 1962.

The latest addition to the facility are the East Club Seats in 2006, bringing capacity down to 102,037. In 2009, the university will add west club-level seats bringing capacity down to 100,000.

[edit] Stadium growth

Growth by year
Year Addition Capacity Change Total Capacity
1921 Original West Stands 3200 seats 3200
1926 East Stands 3600 seats 6800
1929 West Stands 11,060 seats 17,860
1937 North Section X 1500 seats 19,360
1938 East Stands 12,030 seats 31,390
1948 South Stands 15,000 seats 46,390
1962 West Upper Deck press box, 5837 seats 52,227
1966 North Stands 5895 seats 58,122
1968 East Upper Deck 6307 seats 64,429
1972 Southwest Upper Deck 6221 seats 70,650
1976 Southeast Upper Deck 9600 seats 80,250
1980 North Stands net gain 10,999 seats 91,249
1987 West Executive Suites 42 suites 91,110
1990 Student Seating Adjustment 792 seats 91,902
1996 North Upper Deck 10,642 seats 102,544
1997 ADA Seating Adjustment 310 seats 102,854
2000 East Executive Suites 78 suites 104,079
2006 East Clubs Seats Club Level 102,037
2008 West Clubs Seats Club Level TBA

[edit] Shields-Watkins Field

From 1921 to the end of the 1967 season the field surface was natural grass.

1964 saw the addition of the now famous checkerboard end zones done in orange and white. This was one of the many changes initiated by new head coach Doug Dickey, who also added the 'T' logo to the football helmet and had the team run onto the field through the 'T' formed by The Pride of the Southland Marching Band, and moved the Tennessee bench from the east side line to the west side line.

In 1968, coinciding with the addition of the East Upper Deck, Tennessee-Turf (Astro-Turf) was installed as the playing surface. One of the reasons being that there was not adequate drainage during heavy rains. The checkerboard end zones were initially not included as part of the Tennessee-Turf playing surface. End zone designs used through the years on the artificial surface included having TENNESSEE and VOLUNTEERS in orange turf lettering and the end zone green turf, or having the same design but with the endzones in orange turf with white turf lettering. The end zones, as well as the mid-field logo were unique in that they were separate pieces of contrasting turf rather than painted turf. The artificial surface, as many from this era, was blamed for excessive leg injuries.

In 1989, the orange and white checkerboard endzones were brought back, along with an interlocking 'UT' at the 50-yard line.

1993 saw the final game on the artificial surface, a 62-14 win over Vanderbilt. Afterwards the surface was ripped up and sections were auctioned off to raise funds for the university.

Natural grass returned to Shields-Watkins field in 1994. The checkerboard end zones and mid-field logo were carried over. In 1997, the interlocking 'UT' was replaced with the same Power T logo as seen on the football helmets. The grass used was Tiftway Bermuda.

In 2007, the entire surface was resodded for the first time since the transition from artificial turf. The new surface is Patriot Bermuda, and rests on a bed of 12 inches of sand, which allows for adequate drainage.

[edit] Other facts

Neyland Stadium at night
Neyland Stadium at night
  • The Sporting News ranked Neyland Stadium as the nation's #1 college football stadium in a poll in the spring of 2001.
  • Sports Illustrated ranked Neyland Stadium, the University of Tennessee campus, and surrounding Knoxville as the best college football weekend experience in 2004.
  • Tennessee set a school-record by averaging 107,595 fans in 2000.
  • A record total of 747,870 fans in seven games saw the Vols post an undefeated home season in 1999. [1]
  • The university has averaged 105,176 fans over the past nine seasons, drawing nearly four million patrons during that span.
  • The largest stadium attendance was on September 18, 2004 against the University of Florida with a record of 109,061 people. The game resulted in a 30-28 Volunteer win. [2]
  • Neyland Stadium is known for its unique endzone paint scheme, the orange and white checkerboard pattern, derived from the design of the bell tower on Ayers Hall at the top of The Hill.
  • The majority of the UTK's anthropology department's facilities, as well as those of the audiology department, are located inside the Neyland Stadium building, within the South Stadium Hall and East Stadium Hall areas.
  • Neyland Stadium, along with Husky Stadium at the University of Washington (Lake Union), Ohio Stadium (Ohio State)(Olentangy River), Rutgers Stadium (Rutgers University)(Raritan River), Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (United States Naval Academy)(Severn River), Michie Stadium (United States Military Academy at West Point)(Hudson River) and Camp Randall Stadium (University of Wisconsin)(Lake Mendota) are the only college football stadiums located on lake- or river fronts in the nation, though Northwestern's Ryan Field (formerly Dyche Stadium) is located a mere 7 blocks off Lake Michigan.
The stadium as seen from the campus of The University of Tennessee.
The stadium as seen from the campus of The University of Tennessee.
A view of the stadium and the Henley Street Bridge.
A view of the stadium and the Henley Street Bridge.

Because of tight seating conditions, the nick-name "One-Cheek Stadium" is often used by vistors.

  • The stadiums lower bowl is very similar to the Rose Bowl. They are both bowls.


[edit] Sources

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ UT Sports Official Site
  2. ^ UT Sports Official Site
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Football stadiums of the Southeastern Conference
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Coordinates: 35°57′17.9″N, 83°55′30.0″W