Bank of America Stadium

Bank of America Stadium (formerly known as Carolinas Stadium and Ericsson Stadium) is a 73,778-seat football stadium located on 33 acres (13 ha) of land in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It is the home facility of the Carolina Panthers NFL franchise.^[9] It also hosts the annual Belk Bowl, which features teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East, and the annual ACC Championship Game thru 2013.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Other sites considered for selection

The organization had considered several possible sites for the stadium's location before choosing the Charlotte center city site. Part of the site was occupied by the historic Good Samaritan Hospital.

One alternative was near NASCAR's Charlotte Motor Speedway and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in northeast Mecklenburg County. Another was at the intersection of I-85 and US 74 in western Gaston County. A popular option was to locate the facility near Carowinds amusement park, with the 50 yard line being on the state border of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Naming

The stadium, originally known as Carolinas Stadium (this name is used when the stadium hosts FIFA events), opened in 1996, as Ericsson Stadium after the Swedish telecom company LM Ericsson purchased the naming rights to the stadium in a 10 ten year, $25 million agreement.^[14] In 2004, the stadium received its current name after Bank of America purchased the naming rights for 20 years.^[15] Since Bank of America has acquired naming rights, many fans now refer to the stadium as , "The Bank", "The BOA", or "BOFA" and most recently "The Vault".

Carolina Panthers

Inaugural season

The Panthers played their Inaugural Season at Clemson University's Memorial Stadium while the stadium was being completed. The Carolina Panthers played their first game at the stadium on September 14, 1996.

Playoff games

In 1996, on their way to their first NFC Championship Game, they defeated the defending Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys. Again they defeated the Cowboys on their way to Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004. They were handed their first ever home playoff loss to the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 33–13 on January 10, 2009.

Impact on NFL venues

At the time of its construction in the early 1990s, the stadium was a pioneering project for the use of Personal Seat Licenses. It was the first large-scale project funded in the United States chiefly through securing PSLs. The strength of PSL pledges impressed NFL owners and resulted in the Carolinas receiving the first new expansion team in nearly two decades.

The stadium is also credited with being a major cause for the recent round of new stadium construction in the NFL. Only a decade after its construction, it is now the eleventh oldest among current NFL stadiums. However, the stadium was considered so far ahead of its time that no significant renovations have been made since it opened. There are only four older NFL stadiums which have not received major renovations. The last four to open before the stadium broke ground were Candlestick Park in 1971, Ralph Wilson Stadium in 1973, Sun Life Stadium in 1987, and the Georgia Dome in 1992.

Since Bank of America Stadium opened in 1996, twenty-one other teams have moved into new facilities, an average of 1.9 new facilities opening each year.

The most recent addition came in 2007, when the original scoreboards and replay screens were replaced with high-definition monitors and ribbon boards.

College football

Bank of America Stadium does not serve as the primary home stadium for any college football team. However, it has hosted several college football games. The ACC Championship Game, first Saturday in December, pits the champion of the Coastal Division against the champion of the Atlantic Division; it has been held at the stadium since 2010, and will continue thru 2013.^[12] The Belk Bowl (formerly known as the Meineke Car Care Bowl and the Continental Tire Bowl), late-December, pits a team from the ACC versus a team from the Big East; it has been held annually since 2002.

The stadium has also hosted several East Carolina Pirates games: In 1996 and 2004 versus the NC State Wolfpack, 1999 versus the West Virginia Mountaineers, 2008 versus the Virginia Tech Hokies, and in 2011 versus the South Carolina Gamecocks. An additional Pirates-Gamecocks game is scheduled for 2014.^[16][17]

Local schools, including Davidson College, Johnson C. Smith University, and UNC Charlotte, have not utilized or seek to use Bank of America Stadium.

Non-football uses

Though Bank of America Stadium is mostly used as a football facility, it has hosted events of all kinds throughout its history.

Other Sports

• It has been a site of the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship in 1999 and 2000.
• On March 24, 2010, the stadium hosted an international friendly match, between Mexico and Iceland, it was the first match, between two men's national soccer teams, to be held at the stadium.^[18]
• On June 9, 2011, the stadium hosted two first round matches of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Concerts

• The Rolling Stones performed at the stadium during their Bridges To Babylon Tour on October 10, 1997.

Other Events

• A Billy Graham crusade was held there in 1996.

References

External links

• Carolina Panthers – Bank of America stadium page
• Belk Bowl official website