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Sun Life
Stadium
Miami, FL
A new chapter in the history of the
University of Miami's football program began in 2008 when the
Hurricanes moved to Sun Life 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 Sun Life Stadium. The
Hurricanes played their first game at the stadium on August 28,
2008 against Charleston Southern.
As the 12th oldest stadium in the NFL,
Sun Life Stadium ranks as one of the best in the league and is the host of the
annual Orange Bowl game. In the late 1970s and early 1980s after
playing at the Orange Bowl for several decades, Dolphins owner Joe
Robbie began lobbying for a new stadium for his team. Construction costs for the facility were paid for by the selling of luxury suites, club seats,
private funds and long term agreements with season ticket holders.
The stadium was completed in under two years and originally named after Joe Robbie. The Miami Dolphins played their first game at
Joe Robbie Stadium on August 16, 1987. The was a major
upgrade from the Orange Bowl. The state of the art facility has 75,000
orange and teal seats that enclose the field. With its many circular
ramps and escalators accessibility to any seats is easy. Two video
boards are located above the rim of the upper deck of each end zone.
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In 1990, in an effort to bring MLB baseball to
Florida, Wayne Huizenga purchased 50% of Joe Robbie Stadium, the
site that baseball could be played. In 1991, MLB awarded the area
a team, the Florida Marlins, that begin playing in 1993. Joe Robbie
Stadium now became a multipurpose facility. 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 become
retractable so the field can be configured for baseball. The
first Florida Marlins game played at the stadium was on April 5,
1993. In 1996, Joe Robbie Stadium was renamed Pro Player Stadium,
after the company bought the naming rights to the stadium.
In January 2005, owner of the Dolphins, Wayne Huizenga announced
that Pro Player Stadium would be renamed Dolphin Stadium (it was
renamed Sun Life Stadium in May 2009). Huizenga
also announced that the stadium would be renovated
and enlarged. To be completed in three phases over several years
the project is expected to cost $300 million. The project includes
remodeling of the club level and luxury suites, new scoreboards,
additional parking and eventually a dome or retractable roof.
Sun Life Stadium has been the host to three Super Bowls and the 1997
and 2003 World Series. The Miami Hurricanes hope to have the same
success at Sun Life Stadium as they had at the Orange Bowl. |
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HOTELS NEAR SUN LIFE STADIUM |
DIRECTIONS TO CAMPUS |
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