Peden Stadium
Encyclopedia
Peden Stadium is a American football
stadium on the banks of the Hocking River
in Athens, Ohio
. It has been the home of the Ohio Bobcats football
team since 1929, and today has a capacity of 24,000. Peden Stadium is the oldest college football venue in the Mid-American Conference
and among the oldest in the nation.
in front of a sellout crowd. Following the retirement of legendary Ohio football coach Don Peden
in 1946, the stadium was renamed Peden Stadium.
The stadium has undergone several modifications through the years. In 1986, the seating capacity
was increased to 19,000 with the addition of two new grandstands in the north endzone. Four years later, a five story tower, called the Peden Tower, was added to the stadium's west side. Today, this state-of-the-art facility houses press boxes, gameday suites, football offices, athletic training facilities, team meeting rooms, a recruiting lounge, a ticket office, the football locker room, and Ohio Athletics' academic services and compliance departments. In 1999, a new 10000 square feet (929 m²) strength and conditioning center called The Carin Center was added to the ground level of Peden Stadium.
Several other historically memorable events have occurred at the Stadium, including a visit by then President Lyndon B Johnson, as well as an event which featured a landing, by helicopter on the 50-yard line, by former President Eisenhower.
At the suggestion of Michael A Massa, an alumnus, Peden Stadium was formally designated an official Ohio Historical Site, and an Ohio Historical Marker was placed at the front of the stadium, in August of 2010.
to its current mark of 24,000 with the addition of lower-level, bleacher-back seats collectively called the Phillips Club. Also during this renovation, permanent seating for Ohio's marching band, The Ohio University Marching 110
, was created in the north end zone and Victory Hill, a grass berm for overflow seating, was added to the south end of the field. In 2002, the natural grass playing surface at the stadium was replaced with FieldTurf
, and in 2003 a new Daktronics video scoreboard
was added to the south endzone. Following the completion of the 2004 season, the stadium underwent another large project that renovated/expanded the stadium's athletic training facilities, added a large team auditorium, improved position meeting rooms, expanded the recruiting lounge, and enlarged office space for the football coaches. In 2009 the Marching 110's former permanent location in the north end zone was transformed into "Touchdown Club" donor seating, and the band will return to their former location in the general admission seating by the Ohio University students.
. This mark overtook the previous record set on September 9, 2005 of 24,545 fans when the Bobcats defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers
16-10. The third largest crowd came on September 17, 2011 when 24,422 fans watched the Bobcats defeat the Marshall Thundering Herd 44-7 in the Battle of the Bell.
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...
stadium on the banks of the Hocking River
Hocking River
The Hocking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States.The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region...
in Athens, Ohio
Athens, Ohio
Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
. It has been the home of the Ohio Bobcats football
Ohio Bobcats football
The Ohio Bobcats football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Ohio University. The team represents the university as a member of the Mid-American Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the Division 1 Bowl Subdivision level...
team since 1929, and today has a capacity of 24,000. Peden Stadium is the oldest college football venue in the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
and among the oldest in the nation.
History
The facility, originally known as Ohio University’s Athletic Plant, was built at a cost of $185,000 and was completed in 1929. Often referred to as the 'Wrigley Field' of college football due to its intimate and picturesque setting, the stadium originally sat only 12,000 fans with grandstands on each side of the playing field. The first ever game at the venue featured a 14-0 Bobcats victory over archrival Miami UniversityMiami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in front of a sellout crowd. Following the retirement of legendary Ohio football coach Don Peden
Don Peden
Don C. Peden was an American football and baseball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Ohio University from 1924 to 1946, compiling a record of 121–46–11. Peden's winning percentage of .711 is the highest of any coach in the history of the Ohio Bobcats football...
in 1946, the stadium was renamed Peden Stadium.
The stadium has undergone several modifications through the years. In 1986, the seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
was increased to 19,000 with the addition of two new grandstands in the north endzone. Four years later, a five story tower, called the Peden Tower, was added to the stadium's west side. Today, this state-of-the-art facility houses press boxes, gameday suites, football offices, athletic training facilities, team meeting rooms, a recruiting lounge, a ticket office, the football locker room, and Ohio Athletics' academic services and compliance departments. In 1999, a new 10000 square feet (929 m²) strength and conditioning center called The Carin Center was added to the ground level of Peden Stadium.
Several other historically memorable events have occurred at the Stadium, including a visit by then President Lyndon B Johnson, as well as an event which featured a landing, by helicopter on the 50-yard line, by former President Eisenhower.
At the suggestion of Michael A Massa, an alumnus, Peden Stadium was formally designated an official Ohio Historical Site, and an Ohio Historical Marker was placed at the front of the stadium, in August of 2010.
Current facility
Some of the most extensive renovations, though, occurred after the 2000 football season. This $2.8 million project removed the track, lowered the stadium's playing surface by 10 feet (3 m), and increased the seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
to its current mark of 24,000 with the addition of lower-level, bleacher-back seats collectively called the Phillips Club. Also during this renovation, permanent seating for Ohio's marching band, The Ohio University Marching 110
The Ohio University Marching 110
The Ohio University Marching Band, known as the Marching 110, is known for its high-intensity, hard-driving marching style.Originally referring to the 110 members of the band in 1968, the band has now extended its membership to 227 members during this 2011 season...
, was created in the north end zone and Victory Hill, a grass berm for overflow seating, was added to the south end of the field. In 2002, the natural grass playing surface at the stadium was replaced with FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
, and in 2003 a new Daktronics video scoreboard
Scoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game or match. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used a mechanical clock and numeral cards to...
was added to the south endzone. Following the completion of the 2004 season, the stadium underwent another large project that renovated/expanded the stadium's athletic training facilities, added a large team auditorium, improved position meeting rooms, expanded the recruiting lounge, and enlarged office space for the football coaches. In 2009 the Marching 110's former permanent location in the north end zone was transformed into "Touchdown Club" donor seating, and the band will return to their former location in the general admission seating by the Ohio University students.
Capacity
Peden Stadium brought in its largest crowd on September 5, 2009, when 24,617 fans were in attendance to watch the Bobcats drop a 23-16 decision to the Connecticut HuskiesConnecticut Huskies football
The Connecticut Huskies football team is a collegiate football team that competes in NCAA Division I-A and the Big East Conference. Connecticut first fielded a team in 1896, and participated in Division I-AA until 1999. The Huskies began their two-year Division I-A transition period in 2000, and...
. This mark overtook the previous record set on September 9, 2005 of 24,545 fans when the Bobcats defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
16-10. The third largest crowd came on September 17, 2011 when 24,422 fans watched the Bobcats defeat the Marshall Thundering Herd 44-7 in the Battle of the Bell.