Stadium Capacities
- Thread starter Seth53
- Start date
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Wisconsin and Iowa slightly reduced capacity over the years and increased seat widths slightly. The stated capacity of the Big House is massive, but the seat widths are equal to or smaller than the seat widths of Kinnick prior to the completion of the post 2004/pre 2005 season renovation. My buddy and I went to the Iowa-Michigan game in 2010 at the Big House and he had 4 tickets. The two of us went. Notwithstanding the two missing people the row was completely freaking packed and people had to angle themselves to get into the seats. And this was a high row in the end zone so it wasn't like people were clamoring to sit there without tickets. The pre renovation Kinnick was really bad because if you had just two big guys in a row, which is not uncommon, you absolutely could not fill every seat in the row. The seat sizes were probably established around the dust bowl when everyone weighed far less and shoulders and waistlines that were much narrower than they are today.
Seth53
Well-Known Member
I've sat in every B1G stadium for a game other than Debbie's. Some multiple times (NW, Illinois, Purdue, Minney, Indy, Ohio State Stadium, Wisky)
Hard to judge seat width/space availability at Purdue, NW, Indy, Rutgers, MD, and Illinois because those games were far from sell outs. They stuck us in the very far upper corner at PSU. More pigeons than fans up there.
Ohio State stadium upper decks are straight up...you need oxygen to reach the upper decks. Tight even up there.
Michigan as OKeef stated was tight. Very tight.
The rest were about like Kinnick...tight but doable.
Hard to judge seat width/space availability at Purdue, NW, Indy, Rutgers, MD, and Illinois because those games were far from sell outs. They stuck us in the very far upper corner at PSU. More pigeons than fans up there.
Ohio State stadium upper decks are straight up...you need oxygen to reach the upper decks. Tight even up there.
Michigan as OKeef stated was tight. Very tight.
The rest were about like Kinnick...tight but doable.
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MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Same thing with some clothes. Who makes the majority of our clothes? Many Asian countries such as Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, etc. Those people aren't pushing 250 lb's. So, there XL is not what we need for a XL in America. They they think is large in their eyes isn't large enough for us fat Americans.
Pertaining to the seating, Kinnick shifted to more luxury box seating in the N end zone which decreased the overall seating numbers. That has happened at many of the stadiums where seating went down. Those box sections bring in more revenue so the overall revenue for seating prob didn't change that much even though the number went down. The revenue just shifted.
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NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
Nebbie's stadium is a hodge podge of decades of expansions that they did not bother to blend together. It feels like you are in 3 different stadiums depending on where you are. Parking sucks and there is no tailgate scene of any note. If you are a Nebbie fan it is sort of like Wrigley Field. Its a dump, but its our historically significant dump. But for being a rival team, I have always been treated well at Memorial Stadium by the bugeater fans.
Seth53
Well-Known Member
Beaver stadium is exactly the same way. Like an erector set on LSD.
racerhawk
Well-Known Member
You are on point today! BTW my dad (who passed away many years ago) took me to games in many big ten stadiums over many years. I haven't been to PSU or Nebby, though. Would like to try to see those "lego village stadiums".
Most depressing games: Keith Byars tOSU beating Chuck Long in the pouring rain when Iowa was #1. Rained all the way there, during the game, and the whole drive back. Also, losing to MSU in the last 30 seconds in Indy was brutal. I think we lost to Illin-noise once early in the Ferentz years 31-0 in Champaign. Oh, and one of the years in Dyke stadium where Northworstern won in the final minutes despite Iowa being ahead the whole game.
Oh, to be a hawk fan!
nilekinnick
Well-Known Member
we buy the seatback at Kinnick partially to "lock" our space, see some larger fans but haven't had to deal with that in recent years next to us
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
I think at some point they are rotating the schedule, but with Nebraska being on Black Friday I really do not recommend going there to watch Iowa. I went in 2015 to watch Iowa finish its perfect Big Ten season (before they lost to Spartacus en route to a thrashing by Standford which wasn't as close as the score indicated). We sat in the end zone and the seats were awful because they have done a bunch of expansions of luxury seating and basically the only prole seats are in the end zones. It is bad. That day there was a sheet of ice covering everything there. It was so cold that I only had 2 beers in the parking lot before the game. But despite only having two beers I still had to go take a leak and the trek down to the bathrooms was unconscionable. I went during the game, not during halftime or anything, and I think it was close to a 20 minute ordeal between the eighth mile vertical hike, the quarter mile walk through the stadium and waiting in line.
I would never go there again, even if it was totally free, unless Iowa was ranked like number 2 and Nebraska was top 10 and the winner went to the B1G title game. And even then I would have reservations about going.
Fryowa
Administrator
Sat 10th row, 20 yd line on the Hawks side for the whiteout in 2016. “Seats” are about 16” wide number to number. If that.
Seth53
Well-Known Member
You were sitting in the special Sandusky seat section?
racerhawk
Well-Known Member
Point well taken. That sounds dreadful. Plus, sand people.
I'll prolly go back to the Michigan and maybe Wisconsin games this year. I'll experiment with going to a UCLA game or two in teh Rose Bowel. It's pretty easy to get tickets to that as they have like 350 fans in that big place for a regular game.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Hell, if I lived in LA I'd probably get season tickets to UCLA and pay for them by selling the USC game.
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
Been to all of them. Maryland, Rutgers, PSU, don‘t bother. Boring. PSU “erector set” is right on. 2-3 hours to get out of the parking lot post game after trying to find Happy Valley. OSU is actually pretty impressive. Saw the OT game there. Indiana and Purdue are actually ok. Not impressive. Illinois is, well, Illinois. I like NW, except visitors seats can‘t see the fuckin’ score board. Nice bar down the street for post game with Iowa and NW fans and TV games. I take the Metra in from Kenosha and get dropped off 2 blocks from the Stadium. Lots of Iowa fans on the Metra. Recommend the trip. I like MN. Great seating, nice venue, park at State Fair Park and bus in on cleared route. Quick. A short wait post game for bus ride back to car but only a block from the stadium for pick up. Nebraska is ugly, old, no tail gate, lousy parking. I take a free shuttle in from the NE side high school. Simplifies process. I live 1.5 hours from Madison. Get free tickets 30 rows up on the 35 yard line from my fishing buddy. Seating is horrible. No leg room, no seat room, and rude, arrogant fans. Get to the stadium? Good luck! Hours. Post game out…hours. No tailgate. Honestly, TV is a better option.
Kinnick: south end zone has great leg room, I buy chair backs, tight but defined space. Tailgating is everywhere. Great views of the game. Easy walk from parking priority, in and out of stadium is quick and easy, have gotten to know fans in my section. Good conversations. Student sections are visible and exciting to observe. Band right in front of me. Great scoreboard views. Restrooms close, as well as concessions. Kinnick is electric atmosphere. Good home fans. Visitors hate our venue. Tough shit. So, stay home in your basement and watch your big screen. Listen to the talking heads. Duh. I have been in Kinnick for decades and will go as long as my legs will carry me. I honestly feel bad for those who forego the experience. Life is too short.
Kinnick: south end zone has great leg room, I buy chair backs, tight but defined space. Tailgating is everywhere. Great views of the game. Easy walk from parking priority, in and out of stadium is quick and easy, have gotten to know fans in my section. Good conversations. Student sections are visible and exciting to observe. Band right in front of me. Great scoreboard views. Restrooms close, as well as concessions. Kinnick is electric atmosphere. Good home fans. Visitors hate our venue. Tough shit. So, stay home in your basement and watch your big screen. Listen to the talking heads. Duh. I have been in Kinnick for decades and will go as long as my legs will carry me. I honestly feel bad for those who forego the experience. Life is too short.
Seth53
Well-Known Member
Great Post.
My two cents (# time attended):
Illinois (6)-depsite a home-side renovation, rest of stadium is a dump. Cattle smells from the south. Decent tailgating areas.
Indiana (4)--brown county is beautiful. Stadium is meh, been renovated and enlarged (why!?) Trip to and from was more eventful than then venue.
Maryland (1)--meh. Metra was an easy ride to the stadium. Not much to brag about inside.
Michigan (1)--huge. Impressive. Professonal venue complete with ushers. Tight seating. Golf carts running around to assist. Well run.
Michigan State (1)--land grant school, so lot of area to cover to get to the stadium. OK venue. Saw the Stanzi win there.
Minnesota (3)--as mentioned, easy in and out. They sold beer before anyone else. Nice digs.
Nebby (0)--never been. Have driven past it on a motorcycle trip. Looks like a crowded neighborhood.
Northwestern (8)--I actually like it. It is what it is. I rode the train from Great Lakes to Central Street station, walked a few blocks. Bars galore before and after. My home away from Kinnick.
Ohio State (3)--impressive. Intense fans. Upper decks go straight up. Parking sucks. Rude students. Heiny-gate was beyond compare.
Penn State (1)--actually drove the 13 hours from IC to watch. Big place but meh. Old in most places and hard to get out after the game.
Purdue (3)--meh. Saw the Long/Everrett game in 1985. Nothing really stands out.
Rutgers (1)--double meh. Small, no tradition. Fans had zero connection to the B1G. Fun area as NYC looms as a tourist trip
Wisconsin (4)--stadium rocks. Town rocks. Favorite party town. Hats off the them.
Kinnick (dozens)--still my favorite spot. Although don't understand why the train isn't running. Can't imagine the nightmare of trying to park close to the stadium.
Seth53
Well-Known Member
I'll add...
Lucas Oil (1)--excellent venue. They do things right. I pre-reserved parking three blocks away.
Tampa stadium (4)--excellent venue. Easy in and out. Uber was my friend.
Orlando stadium (1)-Ugh! Sits in the middle of a ghetto. Cannot walk there because of it.
SunDevil stadium (1)--impressive once you're in but a chore to get there.
Soldier field (1)--ugh again. Had zero concept of a college atmosphere. Ran out of beer at halftime. No easy way to get there.
Lucas Oil (1)--excellent venue. They do things right. I pre-reserved parking three blocks away.
Tampa stadium (4)--excellent venue. Easy in and out. Uber was my friend.
Orlando stadium (1)-Ugh! Sits in the middle of a ghetto. Cannot walk there because of it.
SunDevil stadium (1)--impressive once you're in but a chore to get there.
Soldier field (1)--ugh again. Had zero concept of a college atmosphere. Ran out of beer at halftime. No easy way to get there.
Fryowa
Administrator
Funny how things can be different from one fan to the next. I’ve been to Madison plenty of times and the place fuckin sucks. Their fans suck too. If I had free tickets and my trip/lodging was all paid for I wouldn’t go.
Penn State was one of the coolest venues I’ve ever attended but we went to a white out. People can say what they want, but those 110,000 fans put on a show in a white out. It’s impressive to see in person and you have to give them props for that just like folks do for our night games at Kinnick.
Michigan isn’t a good venue. It sucks, actually. I think people let the nostalgia or perceived importance of the place get to them and skew their opinions. Yeah, it’s run well, but the seating and views suck. The stadium is basically the rose bowl but farther east. You’re a mile away from the field in the stands to begin with, and then it has that gentle slope to the bleachers that makes you that much farther away. And Ann Arbor is still a dirty whore.
