Built for the Southern Methodist
University Mustangs, Gerald Ford Stadium is the newest stadiums in
college football. In the mid 1990s, talk of building a new football
stadium began. By 1997 talk became a
reality when construction began on a new football facility.
The stadium was built on the same site as its predecessor, Ownby
Stadium. Funding for the stadium came from many individuals including
from Dallas billionaire Gerald Ford, who the stadium was named for.
The Mustangs made their debut at the stadium on September
2, 2000 against Kansas. The stadium has a seating capacity of 32,000
in one tier
horseshow configuration. The playing field is 25 feet below street level to allow easier access
to the seats and so the stadium is not so imposing on its
surroundings. Gerald Ford Stadium has several amenities including 600
club seats and 24 luxury suites. In the future the stadium may be
expanded as it was built to be able to be expandable to seat 45,000
fans.