Brown Stadium
Encyclopedia
Brown Stadium is a football stadium located in Providence, Rhode Island
. It is the home of Brown University
's football
and outdoor track teams. The athletic teams at Brown University, known as the Bears, compete in the Ivy League
.
The stadium opened in 1925, and was originally known as Brown University Field. It is located on Elmgrove Avenue in the city's East Side. It is approximately 3/4 of a mile from the rest of the athletic facilities and over a mile from the main campus. The stadium consists of the unique trapezoid
-shaped southwest stands and a smaller section of concrete bleachers on the northeast side. The stands are on either side of the field and a running track. The press box traverses the entire top of the southwest stands, and the rear of the southwest side includes several ornate "B" logos and the university's seal, as well as two stone bear's heads on either end of the stands. The original wooden benches were replaced with aluminum ones in 1978 as part of the football team's 100th anniversary. The stadium currently has a capacity of 20,000. Brown Stadium also served as the site of an Abercrombie and Fitch photo shoot in 2004.
Brown has had many successful teams since the stadium opened, including the Iron Man team of 1926, when eleven players played the entirety of two games and most of a third; the 1976, 1999, 2005, and 2008 Ivy League championship teams; as well as players such as Joe Paterno '50
, head football coach at Penn State, and several former NFL
stars such as Don Colo
of the Cleveland Browns
and Steve Jordan
of the Minnesota Vikings
.
It hosted the Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
in 1976 and 1985.
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. It is the home of Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
's football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and outdoor track teams. The athletic teams at Brown University, known as the Bears, compete in the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
.
The stadium opened in 1925, and was originally known as Brown University Field. It is located on Elmgrove Avenue in the city's East Side. It is approximately 3/4 of a mile from the rest of the athletic facilities and over a mile from the main campus. The stadium consists of the unique trapezoid
Trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides is referred to as a trapezoid in American English and as a trapezium in English outside North America. A trapezoid with vertices ABCD is denoted...
-shaped southwest stands and a smaller section of concrete bleachers on the northeast side. The stands are on either side of the field and a running track. The press box traverses the entire top of the southwest stands, and the rear of the southwest side includes several ornate "B" logos and the university's seal, as well as two stone bear's heads on either end of the stands. The original wooden benches were replaced with aluminum ones in 1978 as part of the football team's 100th anniversary. The stadium currently has a capacity of 20,000. Brown Stadium also served as the site of an Abercrombie and Fitch photo shoot in 2004.
Brown has had many successful teams since the stadium opened, including the Iron Man team of 1926, when eleven players played the entirety of two games and most of a third; the 1976, 1999, 2005, and 2008 Ivy League championship teams; as well as players such as Joe Paterno '50
Joe Paterno
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Paterno is a former college football coach who was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years from 1966 through 2011. Paterno, nicknamed "JoePa," holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football coach with...
, head football coach at Penn State, and several former NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
stars such as Don Colo
Don Colo
Don Colo is a former American football defensive tackle who played nine seasons in the National Football League....
of the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Steve Jordan
Steve Jordan (American football)
Steven Russell Jordan is a former American football tight end who played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings...
of the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
.
It hosted the Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
The annual NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament determines the top men's field lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III....
in 1976 and 1985.