Michigan Stadium

42°15′58″N 83°45′03″W / 42.2661°N 83.7508°W / 42.2661; -83.7508

Michigan Stadium
"The Big House"
Michigan Stadium in 2021
Map
Location1201 South Main Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-3722
OwnerUniversity of Michigan
OperatorUniversity of Michigan
Capacity107,601 (2015–present)[5]

Formerly

List
    • 72,000 (1927)
    • 85,752 (1928–1948)
    • 97,239 (1949–1955)
    • 101,001 (1956–1972)
    • 101,701 (1973–1991)
    • 102,501 (1992–1997)
    • 107,501 (1998–2007)
    • 106,201 (2008–2009)
    • 109,901 (2010–2015)
    • 107,601 (2015–present)[6]
Record attendance115,109 (Michigan v Notre Dame, 7 September 2013)[7]
SurfaceFieldTurf (2003–present)
Natural grass (1991–2002)
Artificial turf (1969–1990)
Natural grass (1927–1968)
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 12, 1926[1]
OpenedOctober 1, 1927 (1927-10-01)[2]
(97 years ago)
Renovated2010
Expanded1928, 1949, 1956, 1973, 1992, 1998, 2010
Construction cost$950,000
($13.4 million in 2023[3])

$226 million (2010 stadium renovation, equivalent to $320 million in 2023[3])
ArchitectBernard L. Green
HNTB (2010 expansion)
General contractorMortenson Construction[4]
Tenants
Michigan Wolverines football
(1927–present)
Michigan Wolverines field hockey
(1973–1975)
Michigan Wolverines men's lacrosse
(2012–2017)
Michigan Wolverines women's lacrosse
(2014–2017)
Website
mgoblue.com/stadium

Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House,"[8] 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.[9][10] Its official capacity is 107,601, but it has hosted crowds in excess of 115,000.[11]

Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 (equivalent to $13.4 million in 2023[3]) 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.[12] 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.[13]

Michigan Stadium was designed with footings to allow the stadium's capacity to be expanded beyond 100,000.[14] Fielding Yost envisioned a day where 150,000 seats would be needed.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16] 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.[17] 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.[18]

  1. ^ "Workmen Swarm Michigan Stadium". Ludington Daily News. September 13, 1926. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  2. ^ Madej, Bruce; Toonkel, Rob; Pearson, Mike (November 1, 1997). Michigan: Champions of the West. Sports Publishing LLC. pp. 79–. ISBN 978-1-57167-115-8. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  4. ^ Kryk, John (November 25, 2004). Natural Enemies: Major College Football's Oldest, Fiercest Rivalry—Michigan vs. Notre Dame. Taylor Trade Publications. pp. 106–. ISBN 978-1-58979-090-2. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  5. ^ "U-M Announces New Seating Capacity for Michigan Stadium". University of Michigan Department of Athletics. August 7, 2015. Archived from the original on June 25, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  6. ^ "U-M Announces New Seating Capacity for Michigan Stadium". University of Michigan Department of Athletics. August 7, 2015. Archived from the original on June 25, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  7. ^ Michigan-Notre Dame sets new American football attendance record By Rodger Sherman at SB Nation – Sep 7, 2013
  8. ^ "'Big Ten Icons' to Count Down Conference's All-Time Top 50 Student-Athletes: Iconic broadcaster Keith Jackson to host the series launching this fall". CBS Interactive. March 4, 2010. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
  9. ^ "Stadium Lists: 100,000+ Stadiums". www.worldstadiums.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
  10. ^ "50 largest sports stadiums in the world". Yahoo Sports. 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  11. ^ "2022 Football Record Book - Michigan Stadium (PDF)" (PDF). University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  12. ^ "The Michigan Stadium Story". The University of Michigan. 10 April 2006. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference NCAA att was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ a b "Building the Big House". The Michigan Stadium Story. Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  15. ^ "Once Again the Biggest House, 1998". Bentley Historical Library. 10 April 2006. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  16. ^ Williams, Brian A. (2015). "The Great Society and Michigan". Bentley Historical Library.
  17. ^ Lage, Larry (1 January 2014). "NHL Winter Classic 2014: Maple Leafs Beat Red Wings In Front Of Record Crowd". Huffington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  18. ^ "Man United win in front of 109,318". ESPN. 2 August 2014.