The history of
college football in general dates back to Rutgers University where the
first ever college football game was played between Princeton and
Rutgers on November 6, 1869. Over 140 years later the Scarlet Knights
play at one of the best stadiums in the Big East Conference. Prior to
the opening of the current Rutgers Stadium, the team played at the old
Rutgers Stadium that opened in 1938. By the early 1990s a new stadium for the
team was being discussed because of the age of the old Rutgers Stadium. In 1992, the New Jersey Sports and
Exposition Authority financed a new stadium for the team. Construction
began soon after and was completed in time for the first game on
September 3,
1994 when Rutgers played Kent State.
Rutgers Stadium has a seating
capacity of 52,454 with the main lower grandstand in a horseshoe
shape. Two 5,000 seat upper decks are located on the east and west
sides of the stadium. A two tier press box is located on the west side
of the stadium. On the open end, south side of the stadium is the main
scoreboard. Two years after the stadium was completed, the field was
shifted 25 feet to the west and the track was removed to add more
seats that are closer to the field. This addition added 500 seats to
the stadium. Originally Rutgers Stadium had a grass field but Fieldturf
was recently installed to save on costs in the long term. Recently the
football program has seen great success on the field including four
consecutive bowl game appearances. Because of this, demand for tickets
to games has increased. In January 2008, the Rutgers Board of
Governors approved a $102 million expansion plan that increased
the seating capacity of Rutgers Stadium to 52,454. This expansion was
completed by the 2009 season. The expansion included adding 12,500 seats to the
south endzone, a new video/scoreboard and sound system.
Rutgers
Stadium
