Capacity: 80,321; Surface: Field Turf; Opened: Nov. 3, 1917; Nickname: The Camp
Located on the west side of the University of Wisconsin campus, Camp Randall Stadium is the oldest stadium in the Big-10 Conference.
Football at the university dates back to 1889 and at the site of Camp Randall Stadium since 1913, when the original wooden stadium was built. For two seasons, football was played at the wooden structure before it collapsed.
A newer, safer steel and concrete structure was needed and a new 10,000 seat stadium was built. The Badgers played their first game at the new stadium on Nov. 3, 1917 against Minnesota.
Unlike many stadiums in college football, Camp Randall Stadium was not named after the team or someone associated with the university. Camp Randall was an army base during the American Civil War and the Badgers stadium was built on its location.
Camp Randall Stadium has been expanded many times over the years. It could hold 51,000 fans by 1951, 77,745 by 1966, and currently holds 80,321.
13. Sanford Stadium, The University of Georgia
Capacity: 92,746; Surface: Grass; Opened: Oct. 29, 1929; Nickname: Between the Hedges
Football has been part of the University of Georgia since 1892, when the team played at Herty Field. In 1911, Georgia President Dr. Steadman V. Sanford moved the Bulldog games to a central location on campus that was named Sanford Field.
Georgia's rivalry with Georgia Tech in 1920s lead to a new stadium being constructed for the team, because all the games between the teams were played at Georgia Tech's Grant Field because Sanford Field was not large enough.
Sanford Stadium was built for a cost of $360,000 and opened on Oct. 29, 1929, with a game against Yale. There have been six major expansions in 1949, '64, '67, '81, '91, and 2003.
Sanford Stadium's famous hedges have encircled the field since the stadium's very first game against Yale in 1929. The idea to put hedges around the field came from the Business Manager of the University Athletic Department, Charlie Morton. Morton claimed to have received inspiration for the idea during a visit to the Rose Bowl, where he saw the hedge of roses in that stadium.
In 1996, Sanford Stadium played host to the Olympic Games for the medal rounds in men's and women's soccer. Because the required dimensions of a soccer field are larger than for an American football field, the hedges surrounding the field needed to be removed.
This proved to be a controversial measure, as it had not been general public knowledge that the hedges would have to be removed to accommodate the Olympic football competition. In order to preserve tradition, cuttings were taken from the original hedges and cultivated at a secret off-site location for three years prior to the Olympics. Once the Olympics were over, the newly-grown hedges were transplanted from their off-site location to the stadium.
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