[ad_1]
Ohio State University will recognize and honor the 100th anniversary of Ohio Stadium during the game against Rutgers.
COLUMBUS, Ohio is one of the most famous sports venues in the country, home to the Buckeyes for nearly 600 games.
This weekend Ohio State University recognizes and in honor of Ohio Stadium’s 100th anniversary.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the stadium opened on October 7, 1922 with Ohio State’s 5-0 victory over Ohio Wesleyan.
At halftime of the game against Rutgers, there will be an on-field tribute with the family of Howard Stadium architect Dwight Smith.
As we prepare to celebrate the ‘Shu, Ohio State’s track and field teams have compiled a list of history and facts about our beloved stadium.
1916/17/19 – The House That Harley Built
Discussions of a new stadium have intensified as the inadequacy of Ohio Field, Ohio State’s home for 24 years at 17th Avenue and High Street, has intensified. Interest in Ohio State football skyrocketed when a record number of fans turned out to watch All-American “Chick” Harley play.
1920 – The start of the campaign to raise funds for the stadium
A broad statewide fundraising campaign for the stadiums was launched in the landmark year of 1920 with the goal of reaching $600,000, which many at the time considered an unrealistic amount. However, more than $900,000 was pledged in just a few months.
Ohio Governor Harry Davis joined a crowd of more than 2,500 to officially open the massive new stadium. There was a lot of criticism for its 60,000-plus capacity, but there was plenty of interest, with loyal Ohio State fans pledging to cover the cost of more than $1 million.
1922 – Ohio Stadium opens
Ohio Stadium, a two-story horseshoe-shaped building, opened on October 7 with Ohio State’s 5-0 victory over Ohio Wesleyan in front of 25,000 fans.
1922 –72,000 fans at the Dedication Game
The dedication game at Ohio Stadium took place against Michigan on October 21st. The Wolverines handed the Buckeyes their first loss in their new home, 19-0. Five years later, Ohio State would be the opponent in the Michigan Stadium dedication game on October 22, 1927.
Ohio State Stadium is the fifth largest stadium in the world, according to World Atlas, and the third largest college football stadium. Numerous renovations and construction projects over the years have resulted in the scoreboard being replaced, the track that Jesse Owens ran on, the field lowered, the bleachers in the south stands rebuilt three times, numbers added, and the capacity increased and decreased to its current 102,780.
The biggest stadiums in the world
150,000 – First May Stadium Rungrado / Pyongyang, North Korea
110,000 – Sardar Patel Stadium / Ahmedabad, India
107,601 – Michigan Stadium / Ann Arbor, Michigan.
106,572 – Beaver Stadium / State College, PA.
102,780 – Ohio Stadium / Columbus, Ohio
Ohio Stadium and Ohio State Football led the nation in attendance for 14 consecutive years from 1958 to 1971. In all, Ohio Stadium has led the nation in attendance 20 times, most recently in 2014.
Grass. Duran. Grass. Duran.
Ohio Stadium, which has its first sponsor in 2022, Safelite, has had grass (1922-70), artificial turf (1971-89), grass (1990-2006) and artificial turf since 2007, with a brand new Shaw Sports Turf is the field of choice starting in the 2022 season.
Two major renovations in this century
A major three-year renovation of Ohio Stadium was completed in 2001 at a cost of $194 million. The work included removing the track, lowering the field, adding the AA deck, the CC deck, renovating the concourses, the permanent south stands, a new scoreboard and press box, and the addition of suites.
And between 2017 and 2020, Ohio Stadium underwent a three-year, $42 million renovation project that eventually reduced the capacity to its current 102,780 by renovating suites and premium seating areas. Additional work included the installation of better lighting and sound, as well as larger televisions on B deck.
Ohio Stadium Stats: For the record
The game against Rutgers will officially be the 597th game played at Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State has an all-time record of 466-111-19 at Ohio Stadium, officially*.
Ohio State’s 466 wins at Ohio Stadium are third most in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history behind Tennessee’s 481 at Neyland Stadium and Georgia Tech’s 479 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Ohio State’s .798 fielding percentage at Ohio Stadium ranks third among all Power Five schools, behind only Alabama (.837 at Bryant-Denny Stadium) and Oklahoma (.815 at Oklahoma’s Gaylord Memorial Stadium).
At 100 years old, Ohio Stadium is the 10th oldest stadium in the FBS. Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium, built in 1913, is the oldest.
Ohio State’s hitting record went over .500 for good on October 31, 1925 with a 17-0 win over Worcester.
Ohio State’s current 26-game hitting streak in Big Ten Conference games at Ohio Stadium is a Big Ten record.
The nine-season 2000s under coach Jim Tressel was the home team’s winningest decade with a 60-9 record.
The decade of the 2010s is right behind with a 59-5 mark.
Coach Ryan Day’s teams are 22-1 at Ohio Stadium.
Woody Hayes’ teams won 126 games at Ohio Stadium in 28 seasons, followed by John Cooper (65 wins in 13 seasons), Jim Tressel (56 in 10) and Urban Meyer (45 in seven).
Ohio State went 31 undefeated seasons at the facility with the longest winning streak at 29 games between 1971-76.
A win over Rutgers on Saturday would extend Ohio State’s winning streak at Ohio Stadium to 31 years.
Including this season, Ohio State has a streak of 55 consecutive undefeated seasons; the last in 1967.
Last game at Ohio Stadium: 13-13 vs. Michigan in 1992.
*Ohio State’s stadium win/loss list does not include the eight wins in the 2010 season that were later overturned by the NCAA.
1925 – Legendary Illinois quarterback Harold “Red” Grange’s final college game was played on November 21, 1925 at Ohio Stadium.
1928 – By September 1928, athletic director L.W. St. John announced that the stadium debt had been paid off. The total cost of the stadium was more than 1.5 million dollars.
1928 – In front of more than 72,000 fans, the Buckeyes snapped a six-game losing streak and defeated Michigan for the first time in Ohio Stadium, 19-7, on October 20, 1928.
1928 – In 1928, the traditional Ohio State Marching Band was performed for the first time at Ohio Stadium.
1928 – The first graduation ceremony held at Ohio Stadium was held for Ohio State graduates in the spring of 1928. The date was June 1, and Ohio State University President William Oxley Thompson gave the keynote address.
1936 – The Ohio Chant, one of the greatest traditions in all of college football, was performed for the first time by the Ohio State Marching Band on October 10, 1936 at Ohio Stadium.
1938 – Block O, Ohio State’s official student body for athletics, was formed in 1938.
1950 – On November 25, 1950, Ohio State and Michigan square off in the Snow Bowl. An early winter storm hit Columbus with heavy snow, 28 mph winds and temperatures in the mid-teens. The teams combined for 45 hits and UM won 9-3.
1954 – The Victory Bell, located in the southeast tower of Ohio Stadium, is heard for the first time after Ohio State defeats California on October 2.
1974 – Ohio Stadium, located at 404 West 17th Avenue, is nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in June 1973, and in March 1974, it became the first football stadium to be officially listed on the National Register.
1985 – Ohio Stadium used portable lights several times to complete afternoon kickoffs, but the 1985 season opener against Pitt was the first true college night game in the stadium’s history. It started at 20:08
1988 – Pink Floyd was the first rock concert at Ohio Stadium, playing to nearly 64,000 on May 28, 1988. Since then, Ohio Stadium has hosted The Rolling Stones, Genesis, U2, Metallica, Beyonce and Jay-Z, and The Buckeye Country Superfest has been held five times.
2006 – On November 18th, one of the greatest games in Ohio Stadium history took place: #1 Ohio State vs. #2 Michigan. Ohio State won 42-39 for its first Big Ten title since 1984.
2014 – A $13.7 million renovation of the 92-year-old Ohio Stadium included a new FieldTurf playing surface, 2,522 additional seats in the south stands, concrete waterproofing and permanent lighting. Capacity is currently at an all-time high of 104,581 … but only until 2020.
2016 – Ohio State defeated Michigan 30-27 in double overtime in front of an Ohio Stadium record crowd of 110,082. Curtis Samuel’s game-winning 15-yard touchdown run electrified the house after JT Barrett’s successful 4th-and-1 conversion from the UM 16.
