 Bryant Denny Stadium
Tuscaloosa, AL
Bryant-Denny Stadium, home of
the Alabama Crimson Tide since 1929, is now one of the largest
stadiums in college football. Prior to the opening of Bryant-Denny
Stadium, the Tide played at Denny Field and University Field. The
University of Alabama decided it was time for a new stadium for the
Tides by the mid 1920s and built a 12,000 seat stadium. The Tides
christened the stadium, originally known as George Hutchenson Denny
Stadium on September 28, 1929.
Like every other college team, the
Tides needed to expand their stadium due to the increasing fan
support. The first of many expansions took place in 1937, when 6,000
seats were added to the east side. By 1946, bleachers were at both end
zones of the stadium and the capacity reached 31,000. A new press box and
12,000 seats where added in time for the 1961 season, increasing the
capacity to 43,000. Five years later the capacity increased to 60,000. In 1975,
State Legislature
renamed George Hutchenson Denny Stadium, Bryant-Denny Stadium, after
legendary Alabama football coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant. The seating
capacity of Bryant Denny Stadium increased again in 1988 when the
upper deck was added on the west side, increasing the capacity to
70,000. |
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  Throughout the 1990s, as
demand for tickets to Crimson Tide game increased, so did the size of
Bryant Denny Stadium. In 1998, the east side upper deck was
constructed, bumping the capacity to 83,000. This project included 81 new skyboxes, a
video/scoreboard on the south end, new lights, an east side entrance
tower and a brick façade for the facility. Before the 2006 season, a $50 million
expansion project increased
the seating capacity to over 92,000, with new seats and skyboxes.
A grand
promenade was constructed to connect the stadium to
University Boulevard, that is lined
with larger-than-life statues of the four coaches who have brought
Alabama its 12 national championships. Also lining Alabama’s Walk
of Champions
are inlaid granite tablets,
that commemorate the school’s
22 SEC Championships and 13 National Championships. The seven story North
End Zone Glass Curtain Wall gives Bryant-Denny the formal face it has
always needed.
In November 2008, Alabama announced plans to expand Bryant Denny
Stadium to seat 101,000 fans. This $65.6 million expansion, was
completed by the start of the 2010 season. It includes a 8,500
seat upper deck, 34 luxury seats, 1,700 club seats, a 1,500 seat
stadium club and two new corner videoboards, all on the south side
of the stadium. Today, Bryant-Denny Stadium is
the fourth largest stadium in college football and the largest
stadium in the SEC. |
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