Capacity: 102,037; Surface: Grass; Opened: Sept. 21, 1921
In 1919, W.S. Shields, a University of Tennessee trustee and President of the local bank, provided the money for a new stadium for the football program.
Completed in 1921, the stadium was originally known as Shields-Watkins Field, after Shields and his wife, Alice Watkins.
The Volunteers played their inaugural game at the stadium on Sept. 24, 1921 against Emory and Henry. A far cry from what the stadium can hold today, originally the stadium had a single tier grandstand located on the west side of the field that could seat 3,200 fans.
The first of 16 expansions of the stadium began in 1926, when a grandstand that could seat 3,600 was constructed. That same year, famous Volunteers head coach Robert R. Neyland began his tenure as head of the football program. The stadium was renamed Shields-Watkins Field at Neyland Stadium in 1962.
The stadium has, at different points in its history, reflected two different stadium design traditions in American college football seating, that of the horseshoe-style stadium in its earlier years and the bowl-style stadium since the closing of the lower bowl in the 1980s.
Because of tight seating conditions, the nickname "One-Cheek Stadium" is often used by visitors.
2. The Rose Bowl, University of California at Los Angeles
Capacity: 91, 136; Surface: Grass; Opened: Oct. 8, 1922
By the late 1800s, the City of Pasadena had began searching for land to build a stadium. In 1897, a parcel of land was bought and two decades later, the Tournament of Roses Association decided it was time to build a stadium.
Before the construction of the Rose Bowl, the annual Rose Bowl game was played at Tournament Park, where temporary stands were constructed each year for the game. Construction on the stadium began in the early 1920s and was complete in 1922.
The first of several expansions to the Rose Bowl was in 1929 when the stadium was enclosed on the south end increasing the capacity to 76,000. Three years later, the capacity increased again to 86,000 and to just over 100,000 in 1949.
In 1982, the UCLA Bruins made their debut at the Rose Bowl, moving from the Los Angeles Coliseum. Since then, it has remained the Bruins' home and the site of many events.
In the past decade, the Rose Bowl has seen several improvements, including new lights, a new three-story press box, a video/scoreboard, and in 1998, individual chairs replaced the bleachers between the end zones.
With its recent renovations, the Rose Bowl has a capacity of 91,136. The main one-tier grandstand encloses the entire playing field.
In addition to hosting numerous college football games over the years, the Rose Bowl has been home of the Super Bowl and the World Cup. Of course, it is most famous for hosting the Rose Bowl each year on New Years Day.
1. Ohio Stadium, The Ohio State University
Capacity: 102, 329; Surface: Fieldturf; Opened: Oct. 7, 1922; Nickname: The Horseshoe
As early as 1913, there was discussion of a new stadium for the Ohio State football team. The team had been playing at Ohio Field and a new stadium was needed because of the growing support for the Buckeyes.
The school wanted to build a large enough stadium to accommodate fans that were interested in the sport. However, there was disagreement on where to build the stadium and how to raise money for its construction.
Ohio State commissioned Howard D. Smith to design the new stadium. By 1918, he designed a double-decked horseshoe stadium. After funds were raised to build the new stadium, construction began in August 1921. Built of steel and concrete, the stadium was constructed at a cost of $1.3 million.
The Buckeyes played their first game at Ohio Stadium on Oct. 7, 1922 against Ohio Wesleyan. When it opened in 1922, Ohio Stadium had a seating capacity of 66,210 in a double-decked horseshoe configuration. The Buckeyes have been very successful over the years, leading to renovations and expansions to Ohio Stadium.
The latest renovations and expansions came between 1998 and 2001. This expansion included the removal of the Jesse Owens Track and lowering the field by 14 feet. Lowering of the field allowed for additional rows of seating to be added. Furthermore, a 40-foot tall shell was added on the east and west sides of the stadium to allow the rim to be raised and to add 17 rows of seats.
Today, Ohio Stadium is one of the best stadiums in the nation, and the Buckeyes have led the nation in attendance 20 times throughout the years.
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