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The largest stadium in North America is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan where on many an
autumn Saturday afternoon over 110,000 college football fans wander into Michigan
Stadium to cheer on the Wolverines. With this venue still on the to do list for us, it was only
a matter of time before we made the quick ride into Big Ten country to give this place a
look.
Like virtually every other mighty college football venue, Michigan Stadium has been
expanded, renovated, and updated through the years to reach its current monstrous
capacity. What began as a 72K seat venue in 1927 was quickly expanded to 85K the
following season and by the fifties had been increased to over one hundred thousand
seats and today has an official capacity of 107,521 though it has not been uncommon for
attendance figures of over 110,000 at times.
Of course, with the largest seating capacity in college football also comes the record for
single game attendance – 112,118 against Ohio State in 2003. And don’t think that inferior
non conference opponents make for an easier ticket or a Big House with oceans of empty
seats. We attended a game against perennial SEC doormat Vanderbilt and the
announced attendance was listed at 109,668!
So what’s like to spend a day at Michigan Stadium? Well, like many other college football
venues it’s on the school’s campus. Parking can be a bit of a hassle as large open lots
aren’t as plentiful as you’d like to see in a venue this size but many are available with the
tailgating going in full effect.
Be forewarned about security here though, these folks are a bit rough and standards are
strict about what can enter the facility….food, drinks…nope. And forget about that clear
plastic bag with all your stuff in it, if you wish to have one then go to the team store and buy
something big enough to put in one of their clear plastic bags. Why your bag is no good
and theirs is the ultimate in security hypocrisy, yet Michigan isn’t the first place to do this.
Anyhow…..
An unusual trait of this stadium is that concourses are virtually nonexistent inside the
structure itself and where they do exist are very tight and difficult to negotiate. Most of the
aisles that take fans to and from their section lead outside the stadium itself and into an
outdoor plaza area that surrounds Michigan Stadium. Here is where you find almost all of
your concession stands, team merchandise areas, restrooms (port-a-potty and
permanent) etc, etc. Wrought iron fencing and gates surround the plaza to enclose the
stadium area. By the way, despite their tough security measures, it is very easy to slip
something in through said wrought iron fencing (just thought we’d mention that).
Of course there’s the famed seating bowl with the giant M enscripted into the sideline
grandstand. All seats are bench without chairback and armrest as this is not unusual for
college football.
The seating bowl fan atmosphere is a bit too much tea and crumpets for our liking, though
maybe that was due to the insignificant opponent that day. The students here do a few
whacky and crazy renditions of The Wave that have to be mentioned. They sit in an entire
corner of the end zone and during one stretch of the game began the wave in traditional
fashion, then after a couple laps decided to slow the wave to a crawl by going in slo-mo.
Then it was on to lightning quick where fans had barely enough time to stand and sit in
order to keep up. Finally the students began two separate waves going in opposite
directions such that the two waves would meet in the opposite corner where they would
“bounce” off each other back to the student section…back and forth, back and forth. Truly a
chuckle and the type of thing that fans may do at a game where the outcome was never in
doubt and the action on the field utterly boring.
One more unusual note about this place, NO LIGHTS! You saw that correctly, though
apparently lights are brought in when games need to be played at night.
The Big House: historic, enormous, an experience to be had for any college football fan. At
a tad over three hundred miles from Buffalo, it’s a long but not impossible journey for us to
make!
autumn Saturday afternoon over 110,000 college football fans wander into Michigan
Stadium to cheer on the Wolverines. With this venue still on the to do list for us, it was only
a matter of time before we made the quick ride into Big Ten country to give this place a
look.
Like virtually every other mighty college football venue, Michigan Stadium has been
expanded, renovated, and updated through the years to reach its current monstrous
capacity. What began as a 72K seat venue in 1927 was quickly expanded to 85K the
following season and by the fifties had been increased to over one hundred thousand
seats and today has an official capacity of 107,521 though it has not been uncommon for
attendance figures of over 110,000 at times.
Of course, with the largest seating capacity in college football also comes the record for
single game attendance – 112,118 against Ohio State in 2003. And don’t think that inferior
non conference opponents make for an easier ticket or a Big House with oceans of empty
seats. We attended a game against perennial SEC doormat Vanderbilt and the
announced attendance was listed at 109,668!
So what’s like to spend a day at Michigan Stadium? Well, like many other college football
venues it’s on the school’s campus. Parking can be a bit of a hassle as large open lots
aren’t as plentiful as you’d like to see in a venue this size but many are available with the
tailgating going in full effect.
Be forewarned about security here though, these folks are a bit rough and standards are
strict about what can enter the facility….food, drinks…nope. And forget about that clear
plastic bag with all your stuff in it, if you wish to have one then go to the team store and buy
something big enough to put in one of their clear plastic bags. Why your bag is no good
and theirs is the ultimate in security hypocrisy, yet Michigan isn’t the first place to do this.
Anyhow…..
An unusual trait of this stadium is that concourses are virtually nonexistent inside the
structure itself and where they do exist are very tight and difficult to negotiate. Most of the
aisles that take fans to and from their section lead outside the stadium itself and into an
outdoor plaza area that surrounds Michigan Stadium. Here is where you find almost all of
your concession stands, team merchandise areas, restrooms (port-a-potty and
permanent) etc, etc. Wrought iron fencing and gates surround the plaza to enclose the
stadium area. By the way, despite their tough security measures, it is very easy to slip
something in through said wrought iron fencing (just thought we’d mention that).
Of course there’s the famed seating bowl with the giant M enscripted into the sideline
grandstand. All seats are bench without chairback and armrest as this is not unusual for
college football.
The seating bowl fan atmosphere is a bit too much tea and crumpets for our liking, though
maybe that was due to the insignificant opponent that day. The students here do a few
whacky and crazy renditions of The Wave that have to be mentioned. They sit in an entire
corner of the end zone and during one stretch of the game began the wave in traditional
fashion, then after a couple laps decided to slow the wave to a crawl by going in slo-mo.
Then it was on to lightning quick where fans had barely enough time to stand and sit in
order to keep up. Finally the students began two separate waves going in opposite
directions such that the two waves would meet in the opposite corner where they would
“bounce” off each other back to the student section…back and forth, back and forth. Truly a
chuckle and the type of thing that fans may do at a game where the outcome was never in
doubt and the action on the field utterly boring.
One more unusual note about this place, NO LIGHTS! You saw that correctly, though
apparently lights are brought in when games need to be played at night.
The Big House: historic, enormous, an experience to be had for any college football fan. At
a tad over three hundred miles from Buffalo, it’s a long but not impossible journey for us to
make!
MICHIGAN
STADIUM
Ann Arbor,
Michigan
Saturday,
September 2,
2006
Vanderbilt
Commodores
at
Michigan
Wolverines
STADIUM
Ann Arbor,
Michigan
Saturday,
September 2,
2006
Vanderbilt
Commodores
at
Michigan
Wolverines
| "The Big House" Ann Arbor, Michigan |
Michigan Stadium