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FACTS & FIGURES

-Tenant: Ohio Buckeyes -Conference: Big Ten -Capacity: 101,568 -Surface:  Fieldturf -Opened: October 7, 1922 -Cost: $1.3 million (original) -Seating Chart -Ohio State Sports -Gameday Reviews

As you cross over the Lane Avenue Bridge and look to the right in astonishment, it’s obvious to passerby’s that you are headed to Ohio Stadium, home of the Buckeyes. Nestled along the banks of the Oltentangy River, Ohio Stadium is one of the most recognized landmarks in college sports. In fact, Ohio Stadium, also known as “the Shoe” (because of its similar shape to a horseshoe), was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service. Today Ohio Stadium is one of the best college football stadiums in the nation. With a seating capacity of 102,329, it’s the fourth largest football stadium in the United States.

Beginning in 1913, discussions of a new stadium for the OSU football team began, however it took nearly 100 years to renovate the stadium into what is it today. The team had played at Ohio Field and a new stadium was needed because of growing support for the Buckeyes. Ohio State wanted to build a stadium large enough to accommodate fans that were interested in the sport. Disagreements in potential locations for the stadium and funding issues led to delays in construction. Regardless of these issues, the university commissioned Howard D. Smith, who designed a double decked horseshoe stadium in 1918. After funds were raised to build the new stadium, construction began in August 1921. Built of steel and concrete, the stadium was constructed at a cost of $1.3 million.

The Buckeyes played their first game at Ohio Stadium on October 7, 1922, against Ohio Wesleyan. When it opened in 1922, Ohio Stadium had a seating capacity of 66,210 in a unique, double decked horseshoe configuration. Successful seasons throughout their history have led to numerous upgrades throughout the years. In 1984, a new scoreboard was added, and in 1991, 5,000 seats were added in the south end zone. The latest renovation and expansion project was completed between 1998 and 2001. This expansion included the removal of the Jesse Owens Track and lowered the field by 14 feet. Lowering the field allowed for additional rows of seating to be added. Furthermore, a 40 foot tall shell was added on the east and west sides of the stadium to allow the rim to be raised, allowing for an additional 17 rows of seats to be installed. A new video/scoreboard, 76 luxury suites and 2,500 club seats were also a part of this massive expansion project. Before the start of the 2007 season, the playing field was switched from grass to Fieldturf. Prior to the start of the 2012 season, a new 42x124-foot HD video/scoreboard was installed at Ohio Stadium as part of a $7 million improvement project that also includes a new audio system and LED ribbon boards.