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 Dolphin
Stadium
Miami, FL
As the 12th oldest stadium in the NFL, Dolphin
Stadium ranks as one of the best in the league and is the host of the
annual Orange Bowl game. In the late 1970’s 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. After voters
continually rejected tax increases for a stadium to be built, Robbie
decided build the stadium himself. After finding a site to build the
stadium, construction began in December 1985. Construction costs fort
he 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. Joe Robbie Stadium 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.
Furthermore it was 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.
Dolphin Stadium has been the host to three Super Bowls and the
1997 and 2003 World Series.
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