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A new chapter in the history of the
University of Miami's football program began in 2008 when the
Hurricanes moved to Hard Rock Stadium. For seven decades
the Hurricanes played at the Orange Bowl, one of the most historical
football stadiums in the country. The Orange Bowl was not only the
home to the Hurricanes but was the site of five Super Bowls, 11
National Championship Football games and the home of the Miami
Dolphins (NFL) until 1987. In August 2007, the University of Miami
announced that the 2007 season would be the Hurricanes last season at
the Orange Bowl because of the deteriorating conditions at the
stadium. The University of Miami and the Miami Dolphins reached an
agreement allowing the Hurricanes to play at their stadium. The
Hurricanes played their first game at the stadium on August 28,
2008 against Charleston Southern.
Originally named Joe Robbie Stadium,
the Miami Dolphins played their first game at the
stadium on August 16, 1987. Joe Robbie Stadium was a
major upgrade from the Orange Bowl with 75,000
orange and teal seats that enclosed the field.
Numerous circular ramps and escalators made
accessing every seat a breeze and two
video/scoreboards boards were located above the rim
of the upper deck of each end zone. In 1990, in an
effort to bring MLB baseball to Florida, Wayne
Huizenga purchased 50% of Joe Robbie Stadium. The
following year MLB awarded Miami a team, the Florida
Marlins, who began playing in 1993. When the stadium
was built for the Dolphins, Joe Robbie insisted on a
rectangular grandstand layout that was wider than
needed for football, believing that baseball would
one day come to Miami. The seats in the lower level
on the north side of the stadium were retractable
allowing the field to be configured for baseball.
For 21 season the Marlins played at the stadium
before moving into their own ballpark, Marlins Park,
in 2012.
Although multiple areas around the
facility were remodeled over the years it became
apparent once the Marlins left that in order to make
the facility competitive with other NFL stadiums and
to host future Super Bowls the stadium would need a
complete overhaul. In January 2013, Dolphins owner
Stephen Ross unveiled plans that dramatically
changed the look and atmosphere of the stadium. The
$500 million project, financed by the team, was
completed in two phases beginning after the 2014
season. The first phase included restructuring the
lower deck, bringing the stands 24 feet closer to
the field and removing the seating decks in the four
corners of the upper deck, reducing the seating
capacity to 65,326. Additionally all of the original
orange and teal seats were replaced with new aqua
colored seats. The second phase commenced after the
2015 season and drastically changed the appearance
of the stadium. An open-air canopy, featuring four
spires rising from the four corners, shields about
90 percent of fans from the outside elements is atop
the stands. Four HD videoboards are in the corners
of the upper deck to enhance the fan experience. The
project was completed before the start of the 2016
NFL season and makes the facility one of the premier
stadiums in the NFL.
The home of the Dolphins
has had many names since opening in 1987 including
Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Stadium and most
recently Sun Life Stadium. In August 2016 the team
sold the naming rights to Hard Rock Cafe for $250
million over $18 year. It is now known as Hard Rock
Stadium. The stadium has been the host to two World
Series in 1998 and 2003, five Super Bowls in 1989,
1995, 1999, 2007 and 2010 and the annual Orange Bowl
game. With the completion of the massive renovation
project at Hard Rock Stadium, the City of Miami was
able to secure the 2020 Super Bowl and the
semifinals of the College Football Playoff on
December 29, 2018.
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