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= Michigan Stadium =
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Introduction
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Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the American football
stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is
the largest stadium in the United States and the Western Hemisphere,
the third-largest stadium in the world, and the 34th-largest sports
venue in the world. Its official capacity is 107,601, but it has
hosted crowds in excess of 115,000.
Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 (equivalent
to $ in ) and had an original capacity of 72,000. Prior to the
stadium's construction, the Wolverines played football at Ferry Field.
Every home game since November 8, 1975 has drawn a crowd in excess of
100,000, an active streak of more than 300 contests. On September 7,
2013, the game between Michigan and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
attracted a crowd of 115,109, a record attendance for a college
football game since 1948, and an NCAA single-game attendance record at
the time, overtaking the previous record of 114,804 set two years
previously for the same matchup.
Michigan Stadium was designed with footings to allow the stadium's
capacity to be expanded beyond 100,000. Fielding Yost envisioned a day
where 150,000 seats would be needed. To keep construction costs low at
the time, the decision was made to build a smaller stadium than Yost
envisioned but to include the footings for future expansion.
Michigan Stadium is used for the University of Michigan's main
graduation ceremonies; President Lyndon B. Johnson outlined his Great
Society program at the 1964 commencement ceremonies in the stadium. It
has also hosted hockey games including the 2014 NHL Winter Classic, a
regular season NHL game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the
Detroit Red Wings with an official attendance of 105,491, a record for
a hockey game. Additionally, a 2014 International Champions Cup soccer
match between Real Madrid and Manchester United had an attendance of
109,318, a record crowd for a soccer match in the United States.
20th century
==============
Prior to playing at Michigan Stadium, Michigan played its games at
Ferry Field, which at its peak could seat 40,000 people. Fielding Yost
recognized the need for a larger stadium after original expansions to
Ferry Field proved to be too small, and persuaded the regents to build
a permanent stadium in 1926. Fashioned after the Yale Bowl, the
original stadium was built with a capacity of 72,000, though Yost
originally wanted to have a capacity of 140,000. At Yost's urging,
temporary bleachers were added at the top of the stadium, increasing
capacity to 82,000.
On October 1, 1927, Michigan played Ohio Wesleyan in the first game at
Michigan Stadium, prevailing easily, 33-0. The new stadium was then
formally dedicated three weeks later in a contest against Ohio State
on October 22. Michigan had spoiled the formal dedication of Ohio
Stadium in Columbus five years earlier and was victorious again,
besting the Buckeyes 21-0 before a standing-room-only crowd of 84,401.
In 1930, electronic scoreboards were installed, making the stadium the
first in the United States to use them to keep the official game time.
In 1956, the addition of a press box raised the stadium's official
capacity to 101,001. The one "extra seat" in Michigan Stadium is said
to be reserved for Fritz Crisler, athletic director at the time. Since
then, all official Michigan Stadium capacity figures have ended in
"-01", although the extra seat's location is not specified.
Before 1968, Michigan Stadium maintained a policy of "No women or
children allowed on the field". Sara Krulwich, now a photojournalist
for 'The New York Times', was the first woman on the field. Longtime
radio announcer Bob Ufer dubbed Michigan Stadium "The hole that Yost
dug, Crisler paid for, Canham carpeted, and Schembechler fills every
cotton-pickin' Saturday afternoon". Since November 8, 1975, the
stadium has held over 100,000 fans for every home game (the Indiana
University contest on October 25, 1975 attracted "only" 93,857
fans).—and 24 of the 25 most attended NCAA games are at the stadium.
Michigan Stadium's size is not wholly apparent from the outside as
most of the seats are below ground level.
By the mid-1980s, Michigan Stadium had become known by the nickname
"The Big House".
21st century
==============
Michigan's game versus Ball State University on November 4, 2006, was
the 200th consecutive crowd of over 100,000 fans. When the game's
attendance is announced, the public address announcer, historically
Howard King, thanks the fans for "being part of the largest crowd
watching a football game anywhere in America today".
On September 9, 2006, attendees of Michigan's football game against
the Central Michigan Chippewas endured the first weather delay in the
stadium's history after lightning struck nearby during the first
quarter and play was suspended for approximately one hour.
On September 3, 2011, Michigan and Western Michigan mutually agreed to
end their game with 1:27 left in the third quarter because of an
ongoing lightning delay. It was the first time Michigan had a football
game called because of lightning. The stadium was evacuated at 6:38
p.m. and the game was called shortly after 7:00.
On June 21, 2007, the University's Board of Regents approved a $226
million renovation (equivalent to $ in ) and expansion project for
Michigan Stadium. The project included replacement of some bleachers,
widening of aisles and individual seats, installing hand rails, and
the addition of a new press box, 83 luxury boxes, and 3,200 club
seats. The renovation plan garnered opposition from a small number of
students, alumni, and fans around the country, which waned as the
renovation neared external completion.
A disabled-veterans group filed a federal lawsuit against the
university on April 17, 2007, alleging that the design of the project
did not meet federal standards for wheelchair-accessible seating.
On March 11, 2008, as part of the settlement terms of a lawsuit filed
against the university pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities
Act, the university announced that the official capacity of the
stadium would be reduced to accommodate additional
wheelchair-accessible seating beginning with the 2009 season. The
project was completed before the 2010 season.
Renovations in April 2008 caused that year's University of Michigan
graduation ceremony to be moved to the Diag.
In August 2011, the University completed a six-month scoreboard
replacement project; the new boards measure 4000 sqft each with a
resolution of 900 x 1632.
Michigan Stadium was rededicated on September 4, 2010, before
Michigan's first home football game of the 2010 season against the
University of Connecticut, with a listed capacity of 109,901.
After the renovation, the stadium lacked permanent lights, although
platforms for temporary lights were included in the design. In
September 2010, a few days after the rededication, the University of
Michigan's Board of Regents approved a plan to add permanent lights,
at a cost of $1.8 million (equivalent to $ in ). The lights were first
used at the men's hockey game on December 11, 2010. The following
season saw the stadium's first night football game on September 10,
2011. The Wolverines defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 35-31.
The Michigan lacrosse program was elevated to NCAA varsity status in
spring 2011, effective in the 2011-12 academic year. The team played
most of its 2012 games in Michigan Stadium, including a match against
Ohio State on April 14, 2012, after the annual Wolverine football
spring game.
Before the 2023 season, new video boards were installed in the north
and south end zones. The identically-sized screens each measure 152 by
or 8360 ft2, are the third-largest in college football behind the
video boards at Jordan-Hare Stadium and Ross-Ade Stadium, and are
among the largest in the world. The new video boards were part of a
$41 million Michigan athletic department renovation that also upgraded
the production room and audio system, and introduced a new LED stadium
lighting system.
The renovations also included replacing the video boards at Alumni
Field at Carol Hutchins Stadium, home of Michigan softball; Cliff Keen
Arena, home of Michigan men's gymnastics, women's volleyball, and
wrestling; Phyllis Ocker Field, home of Michigan field hockey; Ray
Fisher Stadium, home of Michigan baseball; and U-M Soccer Stadium,
home of Michigan men's soccer and women's soccer.
Seating and surface
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The stadium's original capacity was 72,000, but Fielding Yost made
certain to install footings that could allow for expansion over
100,000 seats. Initially, all seating consisted of wooden bleachers.
These were replaced with permanent metal seating in 1949 by Fritz
Crisler, athletic director at the time. From 1927 to 1968, the
stadium's field was natural grass. This was replaced with 3M
TartanTurf in 1969 to give players better traction. However, this
surface was thought to be unforgiving on players' joints, and the
stadium returned to natural grass in 1991. This too became
problematic, as the field's below-surface location near the water
table made it difficult for grass to permanently take root. The field
was converted to FieldTurf, an artificial surface designed to give
grass-like playing characteristics, in 2003. In 2010, it was upgraded
with a newer version of FieldTurf called Duraspine.
Attendance records
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Michigan Stadium holds the NCAA single-season average home attendance
record, set in 2012 at 112,252 fans per game.
On September 7, 2013, Michigan Stadium drew a crowd of 115,109 to see
Michigan defeat Notre Dame 41-30, which at the time represented a
post-1948 NCAA collegiate football attendance record. Previously, and
prior to NCAA record keeping for attendance, a 1927 Notre Dame-USC
game at Soldier Field in Chicago drew an estimated 117,000-123,000.
Both of these records fell in 2016 when Tennessee and Virginia Tech
drew 156,990 for a game held at Bristol Motor Speedway, a NASCAR track
with a capacity of over 150,000.
"The Big House" also holds the record for the largest attendance for
an NCAA Division II football game, one involving Slippery Rock
University of Pennsylvania. Back in 1959, stadium announcer Steve
Filipiak thought it would be amusing to include Slippery Rock with the
other football scores he read to the crowd, due to the school's
unusual name. Soon, it was a tradition, and Slippery Rock became so
popular with U of M fans that on September 29, 1979, "The Rock" played
in-state rival Shippensburg at Michigan Stadium, in front of 61,143
fans (Shippensburg won, 45-14). Slippery Rock made repeat trips to Ann
Arbor in 1981 and 2014.
With an attendance of 104,173, "The Big Chill at the Big House" set
the record attendance for a hockey game. The record was broken on
January 1, 2014 for the NHL's 2014 Winter Classic, where a crowd of
105,491 saw the host Detroit Red Wings fall to the Toronto Maple Leafs
in a shootout.
On Saturday, August 2, 2014, a sell-out crowd of 109,318 watched
Manchester United defeat Real Madrid 3-1 in an International Champions
Cup match. The official attendance figure was the largest for a soccer
game in the United States to date, overtaking the previous record set
by the 1984 Olympics Gold Medal match, when 101,799 saw France defeat
Brazil 2-0 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Michigan Stadium
also holds three of the top four U.S. Soccer attendances as a crowd of
105,826 watched a 2016 International Champions Cup match on July 30,
2016 where Real Madrid defeated Chelsea 3-2 and a crowd of 101,254
watched a 2018 International Champions Cup match on July 28, 2018
where Liverpool defeated Manchester United 4-1.
Highest attendance at Michigan Stadium Michigan Wolverines}};"
|Michigan Wolverines}};" |Michigan Wolverines}};" |Michigan
Wolverines}};" |Game result
| 115,109 || Sept. 7, 2013 || **Michigan 41**, Notre Dame 30
1
| 114,804 || Sept. 10, 2011 || **Michigan 35**, Notre Dame 31
2
| 114,132 || Nov. 26, 2011 || **Michigan 40**, Ohio State 34
3
| 113,833 || Oct. 20, 2012 || **Michigan 12**, Michigan State 10
4
| 113,718 || Nov. 19, 2011 || **Michigan 45**, Nebraska 17
5
| 113,511 || Nov. 30, 2013 || Michigan 41, **Ohio State 42**
6
| 113,090 || Sept. 4, 2010 || **Michigan 30**, Connecticut 10
7
| 113,085 || Oct. 11, 2014 || **Michigan 18**, Penn State 13
8
| 113,065 || Oct. 9, 2010 || Michigan 17, **Michigan State 34**
9
| 113,016 || Nov. 17, 2012 || **Michigan 42**, Iowa 17
10
Evolution of the largest crowd at Michigan Stadium Michigan
Wolverines}};" |Michigan Wolverines}};" |Michigan Wolverines}};" |Game
result
| 115,109 || Sept. 7, 2013 || **Michigan 41**, Notre Dame 30
| 114,804 || Sept. 10, 2011 || **Michigan 35**, Notre Dame 31
| 113,090 || Sept. 4, 2010 || **Michigan 30**, Connecticut 10
| 112,118 || Nov. 22, 2003 || **Michigan 35**, Ohio State 21
| 111,726 || Sept. 13, 2003 || **Michigan 38**, Notre Dame 0
| 111,575 || Nov. 20, 1999 || **Michigan 24**, Ohio State 17
| 111,523 || Sept. 4, 1999 || **Michigan 26**, Notre Dame 22
| 111,238 || Sept. 26, 1998 || **Michigan 29**, Michigan State 17
| 111,012 || Sept. 12, 1998 || Michigan 28, **Syracuse 38**
| 106,982 || Nov. 22, 1997 || **Michigan 20**, Ohio State 14
| 106,867 || Nov. 20, 1993 || **Michigan 28**, Ohio State 0
| 106,851 || Sept. 11, 1993 || Michigan 23, **Notre Dame 27**
| 106,788 || Oct. 10, 1992 || **Michigan 35**, Michigan State 10
| 106,255 || Nov. 17, 1979 || Michigan 15, **Ohio State 18**
| 106,024 || Nov. 19, 1977 || **Michigan 14**, Ohio State 6
| 105,543 || Nov. 22, 1975 || Michigan 14, **Ohio State 21**
| 105,223 || Nov. 24, 1973 || Michigan 10, Ohio State 10 **(tie)**
| 104,016 || Nov. 20, 1971 || **Michigan 10**, Ohio State 7
| 103,588 || Nov. 22, 1969 || **Michigan 24**, Ohio State 12
| 103,234 || Oct. 3, 1959 || Michigan 8, **Michigan State 34**
| 101,001 || Oct. 6, 1956 || Michigan 0, **Michigan State 9**
| 97,369 || Nov. 19, 1955 || Michigan 0, **Ohio State 17**
| 97,366 || Oct. 8, 1955 || **Michigan 26**, Army 2
| 97,239 || Sept. 24, 1949 || **Michigan 7**, Michigan State 3
| 86,408 || Oct. 9, 1943 || Michigan 13, **Notre Dame 35**
| 85,088 || Oct. 19, 1928 || Michigan 0, **Ohio State 7**
| 84,401 || Oct. 22, 1927 || **Michigan 21**, Ohio State 0
| 27,864 || Oct. 8, 1927 || **Michigan 21**, Michigan State 0
| 17,483 || Oct. 1, 1927 || **Michigan 33**, Ohio Wesleyan 0
Ice hockey
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Michigan Wolverines}};" | Date Michigan Wolverines}};" | Away Team
Michigan Wolverines}};" | Score Michigan Wolverines}};" | Home Team
Michigan Wolverines}};" | Attendance
| December 4, 2010 || Concordia Falcons || 0-3 || **Adrian Bulldogs**
|| 1,470
| December 11, 2010 || Michigan State Spartans || 0-5 || **Michigan
Wolverines** || 104,173
| January 1, 2014 || **Toronto Maple Leafs** || 3-2 (SO) || Detroit
Red Wings || 105,491 (announced)
< 104,173 (certified)
Association Football
======================
Michigan Wolverines}};" | Date Michigan Wolverines}};" | Team 1
Michigan Wolverines}};" | Score Michigan Wolverines}};" | Team 2
Michigan Wolverines}};" | Attendance
| August 2, 2014 || **Manchester United** || 3-1 || Real Madrid ||
109,318
| July 30, 2016 || **Real Madrid** || 3-2 || Chelsea || 105,826
| July 28, 2018 || Manchester United || 1-4 || **Liverpool** ||
101,254
| August 10, 2019 || **Barcelona** || 4-0 || Napoli || 60,043
Gallery
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File:MichiganStadiumWinter0001.jpg| Michigan Stadium, winter 2002
File:MichiganStadiumGraduation0001.jpg| Graduation ceremony at
Michigan Stadium, 2003
File:BigHousePacked.JPG| The stadium filled for an American football
game, 2003
File:BigHouseSign.JPG| Exterior view (2002-2009)
File:20090926 Michigan Wolverines football team enters the field with
marching band salute.jpg|2009 team enters Stadium under the M Club
banner to a Michigan Marching Band salute
File:Block M @ Michigan Stadium (8296174814).jpg|Michigan Marching
Band's Block M
File:MichStadium Renovation2.jpg| The completed east side structure,
from the first floor of the new Jack Roth Stadium Club
File:MichStadium Renovation3.jpg| Inside the second floor of the Jack
Roth Stadium Club in the new east side structure
File:MichStadium Renovation4.jpg| Inside the dining room on the second
floor of the Jack Roth Stadium Club in the new east side structure
File:MichStadium Renovation1.jpg| The renovated Michigan Stadium,
looking west toward new premium seating and press facilities, July 14,
2010
File:TheBigChillattheBigHouse.JPG| Opening face-off of 'The Big Chill
at the Big House', December 11, 2010
File:Notre Dame vs. Michigan 2011 05 (scoreboard).jpg| The new
scoreboard before the stadium's first night game, Notre Dame vs.
Michigan, September 10, 2011
File:Michigan Stadium - Michigan vs. Iowa 11-17-2012.JPG| Michigan vs.
Iowa at the start of the 2nd quarter on November 17, 2012
File:Real Madrid vs. Machester United August 2nd, 2014.jpg|Real Madrid
vs. Manchester United friendly game which set a record for most fans
to watch a soccer game in the United States, August 2, 2014
See also
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* List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums
* List of stadiums by capacity
* Lists of stadiums
External links
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*
*
[https://web.archive.org/web/20061118035644/http://www.umich.edu/stadium/
Michigan Stadium Renovation]
* [https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/stadium/index.html The Michigan
Stadium Story - Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
Athletics History]
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=========
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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Stadium