Every Fall, the colors of maroon and orange not only describe the changing leaves as you drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains to Blacksburg, VA, but also portray the sea of color you will see at Lane Stadium each Saturday for Hokie football games. That peaceful scene becomes electric outside the stadium as fans tailgate throughout the beautiful campus. Once inside the stadium, do not expect another peaceful moment, as Lane Stadium is known as one of the loudest stadiums in college football. The noise begins before the game even starts when Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” blasts through the stadium and thousands of fans jump in unison.
The history of football at Virginia Tech dates back to the first half of the 20th century, when the team played at Miles Stadium. By the early 1960s, Stuart Cassell proposed plans to build a new stadium because Miles Stadium had become too small and its location on campus limited future expansion. After raising enough money for a new stadium, construction began in April 1964. The new stadium was named after Edward H. Lane, who helped raise $3 million for the project. Although the stadium was not yet complete, the Hokies played their first game at Lane Stadium on October 2, 1965, against William & Mary. Construction of the $3.5 million stadium was completed by 1968, with seating for 35,050 fans. Grandstands were located on both sides of the field, with a three tier press box atop the west grandstand.
As support for the team continued to grow, additional seating was added to the east stands in 1980, bringing the capacity to 52,500. The Hokies played under the lights for the first time in 1982 against their in state rival, the Virginia Cavaliers. A new scoreboard was installed in the north end zone before the start of the 1991 season. During the 1990s and early 2000s, fans attending games at Lane Stadium saw numerous additions and improvements. Before the 1999 season, 2,000 seats were constructed in the north end zone, and the following year a new video scoreboard, known as HokieVision, was installed.
Perhaps the biggest addition to Lane Stadium was completed before the 2003 season. A two tier grandstand featuring 11,000 seats, 15 luxury suites and a new visitors locker room was added. Following the 2003 season, Virginia Tech began another major expansion, this time on the west side of the stadium. The $52.5 million project included 23 luxury suites, a new press box and additional club seating. The expansion increased Lane Stadium’s seating capacity to 65,632. Before the start of the 2013 season, a new 108 foot long HD video scoreboard was installed. It was updated prior to the 2026 season.
The Hokies have one of the best home field advantages in college football. With its passionate fans, unique traditions and deafening noise, Lane Stadium has earned its reputation as one of the loudest and most intimidating stadiums in the country.
Lane Stadium, home of the Virginia Tech Hokies
