Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

29°39′00″N 82°20′55″W / 29.6500°N 82.3486°W / 29.6500; -82.3486

Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
"The Swamp"
The stadium in 2015
Map
Former namesFlorida Field (1930–1989)
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (1989–2016)
Location157 Gale Lemerand Drive, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
OperatorUniversity Athletic Association
Capacity88,548 (2003–present)[3]

Former capacity

List
    • 83,000 (1991–2002)
    • 72,000 (1982–1990)
    • 62,800 (1966–1981)
    • 46,164 (1960–1965)
    • 40,116 (1950–1959)
    • 21,769 (1930–1949)
Record attendance90,916[4]
SurfaceNatural grass (1930–1970)
Astroturf (1971–1989)
Bermuda grass (1990–present)[1]
Construction
Broke groundApril 16, 1930
OpenedNovember 8, 1930; 94 years ago (1930-11-08)
Renovated2003, 2011, 2015, 2017
Expanded1950, 1960, 1966, 1982, 1991, 2003, 2008
Construction cost$118,000 (1930)($2,149,000 in 2023 dollars)
ArchitectRudolph Weaver[2]
Tenants
Florida Gators (NCAA) (1930–present)
Tangerine Bowl (NCAA) (1973)
Gator Bowl (NCAA) (1994)
Website
floridagators.com/ben-hill-griffin-stadium

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (in full Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium),[5] popularly known as "The Swamp", is a football stadium in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is located on the campus of the University of Florida and is the home field of the Florida Gators football team. It was originally known as Florida Field when it opened as a 22,000-seat facility in 1930, and it has been expanded and renovated many times over the ensuing decades. Most of the university's athletic administrative offices, along with most football-related offices and training areas, have been located in the stadium since the 1960s. Most of the football program's facilities are slated to move to a nearby $60 million building that began construction in 2020.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is the largest stadium in Florida, the 12th largest stadium in the United States, and the 21st largest stadium in the world, as measured by its official seating capacity of 88,548 – though, it has often held over 90,000 for Florida's home football games.

  1. ^ "IFAS Second Annual Turfgrass Field Day" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  2. ^ Antonya English, "100 things about 100 years of Gator football Archived 2016-09-04 at the Wayback Machine", St. Petersburg Times (August 27, 2006). Retrieved September 29, 2011.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference gatorzonebhgs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Brew, Tom (November 28, 2015). "Florida Gators set Ben Hill Griffin attendance record in showdown with Seminoles". saturdaydownsouth.com. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  5. ^ Spurrier's Name to be Added to Florida Field Retrieved June 9, 2016