Located in sunny California, football has been played at the site of Stanford Stadium for more than nine decades. However, the stadium where fans watched games for more than 80 years no longer exists, as a new Stanford Stadium was constructed in 2006. The original Stanford Stadium was built during a period of intense rivalry with the University of California, which was also planning to build a new stadium. The rivalry became a race to see which school could construct its new stadium first. With strong support from alumni and others, Stanford was able to raise enough money to build Stanford Stadium in 1921.
The stadium was completed in time for the Cardinals to play the Golden Bears on November 19, 1921. Built at a cost of just over $500,000, Stanford Stadium had a seating capacity of 60,000. The original one tier grandstand was constructed in a horseshoe shape. By 1925, just over 10,000 seats had been added, partially enclosing the horseshoe. Additionally, 14 rows of seats were built around the rim of the stadium in 1927. A new press box was added in 1960, and tunnel entrances were constructed on the west side. The last major addition to the original Stanford Stadium came in 1978, when scoreboards were added above the stands in the north and south end zones.
By the time the original stadium closed, it had a seating capacity of 85,500. Over the years, Stanford Stadium hosted numerous major sporting events, including the Super Bowl and the World Cup. In August 2005, Stanford announced plans to demolish the stadium immediately after the 2005 season.
A new Stanford Stadium was constructed on the same site and opened in time for the 2006 season. Although the new stadium seats fewer fans than its predecessor, its design brings fans much closer to the action on the field. The $90 million stadium seats 50,000 fans and includes 437 club seats. It officially opened on September 16, 2006. Before the start of the 2013 season, twin HD video scoreboards replaced the original scoreboards at Stanford Stadium.
