http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Alabama_Crimson_Tide_Logo.svg/150px-Alabama_Crimson_Tide_Logo.svg.png
Alabama Crimson Tide

College
12x Champion:
1925, 1926, 1930, 1961, 1964,
1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992,
2009, 2011





Current 92,138
http://www.nmnathletics.com.edgesuite.net/pics14/400/EK/EKDKCEQNRJIRAFL.20060822201650.jpg

Future 100,000+ (should begin in November/December 2008 to be completed before 2010 season)
outside new addition
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s156/CtrlAltieDel/Bama/Facilities%20and%20Stadium/BDS/ModelOne.jpg
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s156/CtrlAltieDel/Bama/Facilities%20and%20Stadium/BDS/ModelTwo.jpg
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s156/CtrlAltieDel/Bama/Facilities%20and%20Stadium/BDS/modelThree.jpg
toward new addition
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s156/CtrlAltieDel/Bama/Facilities%20and%20Stadium/BDS/modelFour.jpg

Going to be nice.

I see sketch-up!

Love it. Definitely my favorite college stadium

This expansion would be able to complete the Bryant-Denny Stadium. What other college football stadiums are considered "complete" after many years of expansion?

^technically florida state completed doak campbell, but i still see a possiblity of increasing capacity over 90k with an addition to the student section..

I see sketch-up!

Yep, so do i, especially considering the fact that those were only sketchup renders

http://www.huntingtontheatre.org/_img/news/trumbo/dennehy_2_300.JPG

Well, Texas can be 5th largest for a couple of years.

Don't worry, Texas' DKR Stadium will eventually hold far more than Denny ever will. Your Longhorns already have design plans in hand for 115k. This is simply wishful thinking by a Tide fan. Checking the web I found no mention of even a fund raising effort for this project, let alone a commitment to begin this fall. I think they'll have to pay off their coach and a few more recruits before they pull out another $50M for this.

Alabama's stadium is nice and will great with the full upper deck inclosed...however i do like Michigan and TeXaS stadiums.

Another rendering of proposed expansion plans for the south endzone of Bryant Denny Stadium (University of Alabama). Tentative schedule is to begin construction after the 2009 season.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2268/2273690987_b72972200f.jpg?v=0

so its 100% clear that it will be expaned?

Pardon my ignorance but we dont really have college sport on a big scale in Europe. Who supports these teams, are they all students or do the people of the towns/cities support them just because they dont have a pro team? How many games a season do they play and do they fill the stadiums? Do they make a profit or does the taxpayer/student fees pay for them?

Are the players all youth players who then go on to play NFL after too?

Pardon my ignorance but we dont really have college sport on a big scale in Europe. Who supports these teams, are they all students or do the people of the towns/cities support them just because they dont have a pro team? How many games a season do they play and do they fill the stadiums? Do they make a profit or does the taxpayer/student fees pay for them?

Are the players all youth players who then go on to play NFL after too?

Students support the team, alumni support the team, and usually the city supports the team. The make money through TV appearances, certain types of games that are played, large donations, and money from ticket sales and concession sales. Tax payers play no part in the financing of these teams. Roughly 6 homes games are played, and another 6 are away games. There are either 1 or 2 post season games depending on the regular season performance. Teams that have stadiums of 80k+ capacity fill the stadiums up on a regular basis. Nebraska, for example, holds the longest streak of selling out games of over 280 games. The streak started in 1962. The college game provides a different atmosphere than the pro game.

The alumni and students of the school have a stronger bond to the team than with a professional franchise. Most people attending the games spent four years at the institution and are very attached. Therefore, the atmosphere is considerably better compared to the professional game.

Wow, that's a big question to answer, but hopefully, I'll make this shorter than a novel... :)

Let's start off on college sports as a whole. College athletics have a major following in the US and is a major multi-billion dollar industry. Even the second most popular sport, Men's Basketball has sold the TV contract for it's playoff tournament to CBS for $6 billion two years ago. The largest athletic programs (Ohio State and Texas) have annual budgets in excess of $100 million and annual profits of $70 million. Each school's athletic department supports a large number of sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, wrestling, gymnastics, rowing, tennis, volleyball, etc.) but the money making sports are football and men's basketball. A few schools make profits on women's basketball, baseball, and hockey, but those are more of exceptions than the norm. The profit from this small number of profitable sports funds the remaining ones.

I can go into lots more detail about the "business" of college sports and but in a nutshell, yes it's profitable. However, one caveat is that we are currently in the midst of an arms race in college athletics that is making it more difficult for a number of programs to remain profitable. The largest programs are expanding, renovating, improving their facilities at an incredible pace. Consequently, some of the smaller programs are having difficulty keeping up or are going into debt to do so. A true story of the "haves" and the "have nots".

For the "haves", their athletic departments are self sufficient without assistance from the university. Their revenues from tickets, alumni donations, merchandise, and TV contracts far exceed their expenses. Because a great deal of exposure of universities is through their athletic programs, many of the "have nots" will choose to supplement these funds and subsidize the cost of the the athletic programs for the greater good of the school.

Of the college sports, college football is the most popular. Unlike other US sports, the college football game has been around much longer (1869 vs. 1920) than the professional game (NFL) and consequently has much stronger ties to tradition and a much more established fanbase. The NFL really didn't gain significantly in popularity until after World War II. Even though they are the same sport, college and professional football have some significant differences:

1) Although it's grown to be a big business, the focus is still on amateurism. Players aren't paid; they are students. The motivation is to bring fame and noteriety to your school. Loyalty is a much stronger factor. Players for the most part start and finish playing for the same school. Transfers are rare.

Winning brings significant notoriety to the school. For example, after Texas won the national championships in 2005, they saw a 40% rise in applications and over $100 million in licensed product sales the next year.

2) For college football fans, it's a very personal connection to their teams. Although some support the team because they live nearby, the vast majority are alumni and students. Since the players are also students, you can imagine the sense of camaraderie that goes along with supporting the people that you sit next to in class, are friends with, etc.

It's through these alumni that many schools get a huge amount of funding. Many donate millions a year to support their teams, not to mention many more "average" fans that donate thousands to have the right to buy season tickets.

Although there is probably some bleed off with professional teams, many fans enjoy all of the different levels of football. Many of the largest college football programs coexist alongside their professional teams. For example in Texas, many of spend our Friday nights watching high school football, Saturday is reserved for college, and then Sunday is for the NFL.

3) Tradition and pagentry reigns. College football thrives on traditions like Ohio State's "Dotting the I" manouver, Michigan's "Hail to the Victors" fight song, Texas' "Hook 'em Horns" hand sign, Notre Dame's "Touchdown Jesus", Georgia's "Between the Hedges", Texas A&M's 12th Man, Tennessee's "Rocky Top", Florida's "Gator Chomp"... not to mention marching bands, cheerleaders, mascots, fight songs... the list goes on and on. This probably stems from the fact that it's been around for so long, but every team/school is incredibly proud of it's unique heritage.

This focus on tradition also explains some of college football's oddities, like being the only sport that names a champion without a tournament/playoff because the tradition of bowl games is so strongly engrained.

4) College football stadiums are usually larger than their professional counterparts. If you look at the top 20 largest stadiums in the US, 19 of them are college football stadiums with the one remaining being from the NFL. This is more impressive considering that they only host 6-7 games a year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_football_stadiums_by_capacity

This strong sense of tradition leads to how most often stadiums are expanded and renovated instead of being built anew to maintain that tradition and nostalgia of the old stadia. That also the reason why the best stadiums are also called the "cathedrals of college football".

The atmosphere and culture at college football games is absolutely electric. The passion in both the atmosphere and the fans make NFL games feel quite sterile in comparison.

This thread can probably give you a better idea of what it's like: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=286428&page=12

5) College football is viewed as the level for an age group instead of a by play level. The NFL cannot draft (select) players until they have been out of high school for 3 years, so all of the NFL players (regardless of early ability) play at the college level. However, the average level of play is higher in the NFL because of experience and the difference in numbers (1700 NFL players vs. ~30,000 college football players). Also as you can see only a small percentage of college football players ever make it to the NFL.

My personal preference is college sports, but I definitely still enjoy both.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your answers. It is a really fascinating pheonoma and just something we dont have over here in Europe. Universities do play sports of course, some even in the professional leagues (usually at a low level) but to be honest nobody would go and watch them apart from their friends, certainly not the other students at the university. I guess the only famous exception would be the Cambridge v Oxford boat race which is a bit of a national institution for some people.

Of the college sports, college football is the most popular. Unlike other US sports, the college football game has been around much longer (1969 vs. 1920) than the professional game (NFL) and consequently has much stronger ties to tradition and a much more established fanbase.

I believe you mean 1869. Other than that, good explanation. I think college sports are the hardest thing to explain to people not familiar with it.

Aw, gee, but there's no roof. (j/k)

Aw, gee, but there's no roof. (j/k)


:wallbash::wallbash::wallbash::wallbash::wallbash:

haha

for more good examples of college stadiums check out www.collegegridirons.com

When will construction start?

Wow, that's a big question to answer, but hopefully, I'll make this shorter than a novel... :)

Let's start off on college sports as a whole. College athletics have a major following in the US and is a major multi-billion dollar industry. Even the second most popular sport, Men's Basketball has sold the TV contract for it's playoff tournament to CBS for $6 billion two years ago. The largest athletic programs (Ohio State and Texas) have annual budgets in excess of $100 million and annual profits of $70 million. Each school's athletic department supports a large number of sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, wrestling, gymnastics, rowing, tennis, volleyball, etc.) but the money making sports are football and men's basketball. A few schools make profits on women's basketball, baseball, and hockey, but those are more of exceptions than the norm. The profit from this small number of profitable sports funds the remaining ones.

I can go into lots more detail about the "business" of college sports and but in a nutshell, yes it's profitable. However, one caveat is that we are currently in the midst of an arms race in college athletics that is making it more difficult for a number of programs to remain profitable. The largest programs are expanding, renovating, improving their facilities at an incredible pace. Consequently, some of the smaller programs are having difficulty keeping up or are going into debt to do so. A true story of the "haves" and the "have nots".

For the "haves", their athletic departments are self sufficient without assistance from the university. Their revenues from tickets, alumni donations, merchandise, and TV contracts far exceed their expenses. Because a great deal of exposure of universities is through their athletic programs, many of the "have nots" will choose to supplement these funds and subsidize the cost of the the athletic programs for the greater good of the school.

Of the college sports, college football is the most popular. Unlike other US sports, the college football game has been around much longer (1869 vs. 1920) than the professional game (NFL) and consequently has much stronger ties to tradition and a much more established fanbase. The NFL really didn't gain significantly in popularity until after World War II. Even though they are the same sport, college and professional football have some significant differences:

1) Although it's grown to be a big business, the focus is still on amateurism. Players aren't paid; they are students. The motivation is to bring fame and noteriety to your school. Loyalty is a much stronger factor. Players for the most part start and finish playing for the same school. Transfers are rare.

Winning brings significant notoriety to the school. For example, after Texas won the national championships in 2005, they saw a 40% rise in applications and over $100 million in licensed product sales the next year.

2) For college football fans, it's a very personal connection to their teams. Although some support the team because they live nearby, the vast majority are alumni and students. Since the players are also students, you can imagine the sense of camaraderie that goes along with supporting the people that you sit next to in class, are friends with, etc.

It's through these alumni that many schools get a huge amount of funding. Many donate millions a year to support their teams, not to mention many more "average" fans that donate thousands to have the right to buy season tickets.

Although there is probably some bleed off with professional teams, many fans enjoy all of the different levels of football. Many of the largest college football programs coexist alongside their professional teams. For example in Texas, many of spend our Friday nights watching high school football, Saturday is reserved for college, and then Sunday is for the NFL.

3) Tradition and pagentry reigns. College football thrives on traditions like Ohio State's "Dotting the I" manouver, Michigan's "Hail to the Victors" fight song, Texas' "Hook 'em Horns" hand sign, Notre Dame's "Touchdown Jesus", Georgia's "Between the Hedges", Texas A&M's 12th Man, Tennessee's "Rocky Top", Florida's "Gator Chomp"... not to mention marching bands, cheerleaders, mascots, fight songs... the list goes on and on. This probably stems from the fact that it's been around for so long, but every team/school is incredibly proud of it's unique heritage.

This focus on tradition also explains some of college football's oddities, like being the only sport that names a champion without a tournament/playoff because the tradition of bowl games is so strongly engrained.

4) College football stadiums are usually larger than their professional counterparts. If you look at the top 20 largest stadiums in the US, 19 of them are college football stadiums with the one remaining being from the NFL. This is more impressive considering that they only host 6-7 games a year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_football_stadiums_by_capacity

This strong sense of tradition leads to how most often stadiums are expanded and renovated instead of being built anew to maintain that tradition and nostalgia of the old stadia. That also the reason why the best stadiums are also called the "cathedrals of college football".

The atmosphere and culture at college football games is absolutely electric. The passion in both the atmosphere and the fans make NFL games feel quite sterile in comparison.

This thread can probably give you a better idea of what it's like: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=286428&page=12

5) College football is viewed as the level for an age group instead of a by play level. The NFL cannot draft (select) players until they have been out of high school for 3 years, so all of the NFL players (regardless of early ability) play at the college level. However, the average level of play is higher in the NFL because of experience and the difference in numbers (1700 NFL players vs. ~30,000 college football players). Also as you can see only a small percentage of college football players ever make it to the NFL.

My personal preference is college sports, but I definitely still enjoy both.

:applause:
This post should be required reading for anyone with any questions about American football, and why we love it :)

Wow, that's a big question to answer, but hopefully, I'll make this shorter than a novel... :)

Let's start off on college sports as a whole. College athletics have a major following in the US and is a major multi-billion dollar industry. Even the second most popular sport, Men's Basketball has sold the TV contract for it's playoff tournament to CBS for $6 billion two years ago. The largest athletic programs (Ohio State and Texas) have annual budgets in excess of $100 million and annual profits of $70 million. Each school's athletic department supports a large number of sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, wrestling, gymnastics, rowing, tennis, volleyball, etc.) but the money making sports are football and men's basketball. A few schools make profits on women's basketball, baseball, and hockey, but those are more of exceptions than the norm. The profit from this small number of profitable sports funds the remaining ones.

I can go into lots more detail about the "business" of college sports and but in a nutshell, yes it's profitable. However, one caveat is that we are currently in the midst of an arms race in college athletics that is making it more difficult for a number of programs to remain profitable. The largest programs are expanding, renovating, improving their facilities at an incredible pace. Consequently, some of the smaller programs are having difficulty keeping up or are going into debt to do so. A true story of the "haves" and the "have nots".

For the "haves", their athletic departments are self sufficient without assistance from the university. Their revenues from tickets, alumni donations, merchandise, and TV contracts far exceed their expenses. Because a great deal of exposure of universities is through their athletic programs, many of the "have nots" will choose to supplement these funds and subsidize the cost of the the athletic programs for the greater good of the school.

Of the college sports, college football is the most popular. Unlike other US sports, the college football game has been around much longer (1869 vs. 1920) than the professional game (NFL) and consequently has much stronger ties to tradition and a much more established fanbase. The NFL really didn't gain significantly in popularity until after World War II. Even though they are the same sport, college and professional football have some significant differences:

1) Although it's grown to be a big business, the focus is still on amateurism. Players aren't paid; they are students. The motivation is to bring fame and noteriety to your school. Loyalty is a much stronger factor. Players for the most part start and finish playing for the same school. Transfers are rare.

Winning brings significant notoriety to the school. For example, after Texas won the national championships in 2005, they saw a 40% rise in applications and over $100 million in licensed product sales the next year.

2) For college football fans, it's a very personal connection to their teams. Although some support the team because they live nearby, the vast majority are alumni and students. Since the players are also students, you can imagine the sense of camaraderie that goes along with supporting the people that you sit next to in class, are friends with, etc.

It's through these alumni that many schools get a huge amount of funding. Many donate millions a year to support their teams, not to mention many more "average" fans that donate thousands to have the right to buy season tickets.

Although there is probably some bleed off with professional teams, many fans enjoy all of the different levels of football. Many of the largest college football programs coexist alongside their professional teams. For example in Texas, many of spend our Friday nights watching high school football, Saturday is reserved for college, and then Sunday is for the NFL.

3) Tradition and pagentry reigns. College football thrives on traditions like Ohio State's "Dotting the I" manouver, Michigan's "Hail to the Victors" fight song, Texas' "Hook 'em Horns" hand sign, Notre Dame's "Touchdown Jesus", Georgia's "Between the Hedges", Texas A&M's 12th Man, Tennessee's "Rocky Top", Florida's "Gator Chomp"... not to mention marching bands, cheerleaders, mascots, fight songs... the list goes on and on. This probably stems from the fact that it's been around for so long, but every team/school is incredibly proud of it's unique heritage.

This focus on tradition also explains some of college football's oddities, like being the only sport that names a champion without a tournament/playoff because the tradition of bowl games is so strongly engrained.

4) College football stadiums are usually larger than their professional counterparts. If you look at the top 20 largest stadiums in the US, 19 of them are college football stadiums with the one remaining being from the NFL. This is more impressive considering that they only host 6-7 games a year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_football_stadiums_by_capacity

This strong sense of tradition leads to how most often stadiums are expanded and renovated instead of being built anew to maintain that tradition and nostalgia of the old stadia. That also the reason why the best stadiums are also called the "cathedrals of college football".

The atmosphere and culture at college football games is absolutely electric. The passion in both the atmosphere and the fans make NFL games feel quite sterile in comparison.

This thread can probably give you a better idea of what it's like: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=286428&page=12

5) College football is viewed as the level for an age group instead of a by play level. The NFL cannot draft (select) players until they have been out of high school for 3 years, so all of the NFL players (regardless of early ability) play at the college level. However, the average level of play is higher in the NFL because of experience and the difference in numbers (1700 NFL players vs. ~30,000 college football players). Also as you can see only a small percentage of college football players ever make it to the NFL.

My personal preference is college sports, but I definitely still enjoy both.




unless they go to USC or Ohio State

Another appeal of college sports are the cross state rivalries and border wars you don't get with professional sports. There is a lot more banter between fans when there are a lot of rival fans living in the same area.

For example Seattle's closest NFL rival is over 650 miles away in San Francisco while the University of Washington in Seattle has a cross state rival with Washington State University, in which most of their alums live in the Seattle area, and a rivalry with the University of Oregon, our "sister" state.

Also, many successful college teams coexist with professional teams. Occasionally in Seattle we have two college games and an NFL game on the same weekend. Those weekends are fun!

When will construction start?

Unfortunately, the school president decided to delay the expansion because it wasn't appropriate given the economic times. But it should still begin in the next 5 years.

Seeing as this started as a pending expansion thread, there aren't really any pictures of the actual stadium, so here we go.
Capacity 92,138
http://sports-venue.info/images/Bryant-Denny_Stadium_1.gif
http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m309/timNem_2006/Bryant-Denny_NightAerial-UH06-2copy.gif
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2313/2314923257_2c81b6504f.jpg?v=0
http://crimsontider.com/images/stadium1.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1072/1304292064_7b79bfd0f6.jpg?v=0
http://www.secsportsfan.com/images/Alabama_football.jpg
http://www.redelephants.com/images/stadium3.jpg

Personally, I hope they dont go through with the expansion. I love the stadium as is and like that one side doesn't have a top deck. If they add the top deck it would feel just like two bowled levels, which to me, isn't as aesthetically pleasing. The stadium will be nice with the expansion, but it won't be as great as it is now, IMO.

Tax payers play no part in the financing of these teams.

That is only true for very few schools. 100's of schools lose money on football which means the college is losing money supporting the sport. Most schools have student fees that pay for sports and have stadiums that are partially financed by the state.

On a side note, the only sport the NCAA does not title a champion is football at the bowl level. Notre Dame, Alabama, USC, ect. in fact have ZERO national championships.

That is only true for very few schools. 100's of schools lose money on football which means the college is losing money supporting the sport. Most schools have student fees that pay for sports and have stadiums that are partially financed by the state.

On a side note, the only sport the NCAA does not title a champion is football at the bowl level. Notre Dame, Alabama, USC, ect. in fact have ZERO national championships.

That all depends on what level you are looking at. At the top, Division 1-A, I would bet that more than 75% of school make a profit off of their football programs. Don't forget, with the deluge of bowl games, most unneeded, programs can receive big paydays for playing in the bowls.

That all depends on what level you are looking at. At the top, Division 1-A, I would bet that more than 75% of school make a profit off of their football programs. Don't forget, with the deluge of bowl games, most unneeded, programs can receive big paydays for playing in the bowls.

Only 56% of I-A's turn a profit in football from the numbers I've seen. I know at least some schools lose money playing in the lower level bowl games when you factor in that they have to pay for a 100 football players, 100s of students in the band, coaches, ect. all to fly, eat, and sleep in hotels.

That is only true for very few schools. 100's of schools lose money on football which means the college is losing money supporting the sport. Most schools have student fees that pay for sports and have stadiums that are partially financed by the state.

On a side note, the only sport the NCAA does not title a champion is football at the bowl level. Notre Dame, Alabama, USC, ect. in fact have ZERO national championships.

In football, of course.

Southern California has 84 NCAA-sanctioned national championships, Notre Dame has 13, and Alabama has 4.

In football, of course.

Southern California has 84 NCAA-sanctioned national championships, Notre Dame has 13, and Alabama has 4.

And UCLA leads the nation with 103 :yes:

News on the proposed expansion to the south endzone.
http://blog.al.com/live/2008/11/trustees_to_discuss_bryantdenn.html

Trustees to discuss Bryant-Denny expansion Friday
Posted by By GENTRY ESTES, Sports Reporter November 11, 2008 5:29 PM

Formal approval for the next stage in the proposed expansion of Bryant-Denny Stadium's south end zone is set to occur during meetings held this week by The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama System in Tuscaloosa.

On the agenda for Friday's report by the Physical Properties Committee is consideration of a "resolution authorizing execution of architect agreement and approving preliminary project budget for Bryant-Denny Stadium south end zone expansion."

During meetings in September, trustees issued the go-ahead to continue exploring the idea of expanding the south end zone seating next to Paul W. Bryant Drive, a move that could bring Bryant-Denny beyond a 100,000-seat capacity.

UA athletics director Mal Moore said in August: "We are working in the athletics department's side with the architects to be ready when we get the nod from the president. We don't know exactly when that will be. Hopefully, soon, but if not, we're ready."

http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2008/11/trustees_move_stadium_expansio.html
Trustees move stadium expansion to next stage ...
Posted by Gentry Estes, Mobile Press-Register November 13, 2008 5:45 PM

http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2008/11/large_BDS%20expansion%20ALcom.jpg

The Physical Properties Committee of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees heard a presentation from UA today regarding the proposed $80.6 million expansion of the south end zone of Bryant-Denny Stadium. The committee unanimously approved the project to move into the third of four stages, the fourth being final approval to begin contruction and bring the facility to a capacity of more than 101,000 seats.

The entire BOT is expected to ratify today's committee action during tomorrow's meetings.

Read much more in tomorrow's Press-Register.

I hate to admit this but if completed that would likely be my favorite among the 100k stadiums. I'd say it would be near ideal if the arc of the stands along the sides wasn't so deep and removed from the actual field. Texas' eventual expansion of DKR will surpass this in grandeur, but this would have a grace and character beyond Neyland, The Horseshoe and Happy Valley.

Still wish the program nothing but losses, though.;)

With how college football stadiums are routinely expanded, it's hard to classify them using this new sub-forum structure with 'Proposed', 'Under Construction', and 'Completed'. With this thread as an example...there is a proposed expansion, but Bryant-Denny obviously is way beyond the drawing board stage and actually exists. While you look at the other threads in this sub-forum and they're more pie-in-the-sky hopeful.

I'm not sure if I really have a solution, except maybe a forum on stadium expansion vs. complete construction. Anyway, just a thought...

The Bryant-Denny Stadium south endzone expansion project has begun.

Bryant Drive has been closed right by the stadium. Construction crews are carrying out utility relocation right now. The sidewalk will be torn up soon after, followed by tearing down the scoreboard.

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/347305292.jpg

This one means they are actually about to start the real work.

http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2009/02/trustees_can_greenlight_bryant.html
Trustees set to green-light Bryant-Denny Stadium expansion this week
Posted by Gentry Estes, Mobile Press-Register February 03, 2009 4:24 PM
Categories: Football

The University of Alabama will ask the UA System Board of Trustees this week for final approval to begin $80.6 million construction on the south end zone of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

(View more details of the project here).

The project will enclose the stadium, adding more than 9,000 seats to bring the capacity to more than 101,000 in time for the 2010 football season. The south end zone expansion will mirror recent north end zone expansion, with video scoreboards in the corners of the end zones.

UA athletics director Mal Moore announced the proposal - which is aimed at the final of four stages of approval from the BOT - during a press conference today at Bryant-Denny Stadium on the eve of National Signing Day.

Moore cited an "unbelievable demand for tickets" and this past season's success as reasons behind expansion. Moore said a waiting list for tickets had grown to more than 10,000 people.


"There's no question the excitement of Coach (Nick) Saban coming in and the success of the team this past year has made a difference in our decision," Moore said. "That is part of the demand for the tickets."

Included in the expansion will be 8,500 upper deck seats, 1,700 club seats, 36 skyboxes at a $500,000 pledge apiece, an upper concourse with restrooms, Crimson Tide Foundation offices, a Donors Hall of Fame and an outdoor market on street level for food and merchandise. It will also increase seating for UA students, Moore said.

The new addition will bring the stadium's edge near Bryant Drive but not alter the current street alignment. Davis Architects of Birmingham will be in charge of the project, which Moore said will not rely on public funds.

"We do not use or never have used state tax money or money from the university itself," Moore said. "The athletic department will fund this through ticket sales, through our ability to raise money and through bond issues that will be coming down the road."

Stadium expansion is one of the issues set to go before the BOT during meetings Thursday and Friday in Birmingham.

Work on the south end zone would begin this spring and be timed so that Alabama can use the stadium for the 2009 season. There will be a few changes. For instance, Moore said the current south end zone scoreboard would not be in place next season.

Saban offered his support in a prepared statement.

"This is yet another very positive sign of the momentum and vision that the entire University of Alabama community shares," Saban said. "We are very optimistic that this expansion will make Bryant-Denny Stadium one of the finest facilities in the country and give our fans an even greater venue to continue their positive support of our team."

http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2009/02/medium_BDS%20expansion%20ALcom.jpg

any webcams

they should donate all the money for this to Utah to give them improvements to their stadium since they are a program that wants to win more then this one. the money would not be wasted.

:cheers:

they should donate all the money for this to Utah to give them improvements to their stadium since they are a program that wants to win more then this one. the money would not be wasted.

:cheers:
I dunno, Utah's expansion of Rice-Eccles probably wouldn't cost nearly as much as this one.

I'm pretty sure Bama is committed to winning--they reeled in the top recruiting class in the nation today according to Rivals.com. The 2008 season came to a disappointing end, but it certainly sent a message to the rest of the SEC, and the country, that Bama is back.

any webcams

none yet since the expansion technically hasn't started yet. They've done the preliminary utility work, but I'm sure there will be some kind of webcam or daily update once real construction begins.

The 2008 season came to a disappointing end, but it certainly sent a message to the rest of the SEC, and the country, that Bama is back.Hmmm. Bama football improves and the country goes into recession. Coincidence? I think not! :banana: :lol:

Seriously, for as much as I loathe the Univ. (sic) of Alabama this is a great stadium.

http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2009/02/board_of_trustees_formally_app.html
UA System Board of Trustees formally approves Bryant-Denny expansion
Posted by Gentry Estes, Mobile Press-Register February 06, 2009 12:56 PM
Categories: Football
UA passed the final hurdle today in its planned expansion of Bryant-Denny Stadium's south end zone.

As expected, The Board of Trustees for the UA System voted this afternoon to approve the $80.6 million project. Construction will now start this spring, with work scheduled to be completed in time for Alabama's 2010 football season.

UA's proposal received committee approval yesterday and got the thumbs-up from the entire Board during today's meetings in Birmingham.

The project will bring Bryant-Denny Stadium's seating capacity to more than 101,000 people, making it the nation's fifth-largest college football stadium behind Penn State (107,282), Michigan (106,201), Ohio State (102,329) and Tennessee (102,037).

Interesting events today. The west side of the South Endzone scoreboard caught fire today while construction crews were in the process of taking it down. Once the scoreboard is down, construction on the South Endzone expansion will begin in earnest.
http://www.tidesports.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TL&Date=20090219&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=902190287&Ref=AR&MaxW=600&border=0
http://www.tidesports.com/article/20090219/NEWS/902190287/1011?Title=Fire-at-Bryant-Denny-Stadium

i could bring that down real quick. why are they taking their time?

i could bring that down real quick. why are they taking their time?

They started taking it down this morning, and were supposed to be finished by this afternoon. They wanted to save the important parts (video screen, PA speakers, and actual clock) so that some smaller schools could use them. (the screen was already out of the structure when it caught fire.)

http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2009/02/large_Bryant-Denny%20fire%20CC%20ALcom.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m48/mrbaddley/BamaScoreboard2.jpg?t=1235076960

Outside the South End. The scoreboard has been taken down.
http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/356138379.jpg

Here is the website about the new expansion. It includes information about the history of Bryant-Denny Stadium. It says the webcam is "coming soon."

http://www.rolltide.com/bryant-denny/

Some of the action outside the south endzone
http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/364796546.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/364796540.jpg

they need to speed up construction

Wow, I'm surprised that they're not excavating more. I remember for DKR's north endzone expansion, they dug down 25-50ft before starting with the rebar and concrete pours.

I don't know exactly how much they're excavating, but I know they've spent a lot of time on the ground work. They've had Bryant Drive closed since December, so I'd imagine they have already done a good amount.

As for how fast they are working, I know the seating area is supposed to be ready in time for the start of the 2010 season, at least by the Penn State game in 2010. If it takes the same amount of time as the opposite endzone expansion, they'll easily be ready by that deadline. This one also doesn't have all of the landscaping work that the other endzone had.

some recent updates as of July 16th:
http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2009/07/large_17715863-3e7b9566b89201be9494ac09a2404bd9.4a623d4f-scaled.jpg
http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2009/07/large_17715947-ca10136adc680bb63684de46e4de1e59.4a623ed0-scaled.jpg
http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2009/07/large_17715984-d89d3e2cb669bf9a8da02c4ac038f556.4a623f11-scaled.jpg
http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2009/07/large_17716054-27a99d42f8b1549aa8360bbfd0e1ca67.4a623f45-full.jpg
http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2009/07/large_17716120.jpg

Can't wait until stadium is finished

http://bdscam.ia.ua.edu/bdscon.jpg

Wow, I'm surprised that they're not excavating more. I remember for DKR's north endzone expansion, they dug down 25-50ft before starting with the rebar and concrete pours.

There are 3-4 underground gyms in the DKR north endzone. I imagine the south endzone will be more like this.

Quote: unless they go to USC or Ohio State

USC maybe, Ohio State? Going to call B.S. on that one. But I am biased, Senior this year, GO BUCKEYES.

There is a strange sense of satisfaction to see some of these college stadiums 'finished'. Another heading over the 100,000 mark - good job.

Not a bad stadium. Looks good when its full of fans. Looks a bit run down when its empty. You've gotta love the capacity with the new addition. Normally i like having one end open on big football stadiums like this, but since there isnt really anything to show off, such as a skyline, i dont mind the addition.

Not a bad stadium. Looks good when its full of fans. Looks a bit run down when its empty. You've gotta love the capacity with the new addition. Normally i like having one end open on big football stadiums like this, but since there isnt really anything to show off, such as a skyline, i dont mind the addition.

Yeah, I don't think people fancy seeing a graveyard every time they look up. haha. As for the run down look, it might be because it is mostly bleachers, and every now and then, they will replace a section of bleachers in the stadium as they get older. Some parts are also more sun exposed because of the ability for season ticket holders to rent seatback cushions and leave them bolted to and on top of the benches throughout the season.

http://bdscam.ia.ua.edu/bdscon.jpg

btw, this picture is the active webcam

http://www.rolltide.com/bryant-denny/webcam.html

Massive!

- A

I have always hated the big circular ramps on stadiums, they look like parking garages.

I have always hated the big circular ramps on stadiums, they look like parking garages.
The ones at PNC Park and Heinz Field look pretty neat.

I must say I really liked the shape of the stadium!

I wonder how two towers would look on thoose circling stairs. :)

Here's some pictures I took this past weekend.

The North Side.
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9931_1163323435862_1011120421_30474800_6540227_n.jpg

The South Side where the construction is. The building is just now starting to rise above the lower level of the stadium.
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9931_1163323475863_1011120421_30474801_8366548_n.jpg
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9931_1163323515864_1011120421_30474802_1839718_n.jpg
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs272.snc1/9931_1163323555865_1011120421_30474803_120580_n.jpg

And just for show, a shot from inside the stadium in the Southwest corner.
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs252.snc1/9931_1163323635867_1011120421_30474805_2969894_n.jpg

'Bama looking like the real deal this year!

And to think, Ingram and Richardson will be in the same backfield for two more seasons...

double post

'Bama looking like the real deal this year!

And to think, Ingram and Richardson will be in the same backfield for two more seasons...

Bama wont beat Florida or Texas

Bama wont beat Florida or Texas

Thats debatable. Alabama is probably better than both of them, not to mention ranked higher in the AP. (the only one that should really matter.) With more convincing wins against higher ranked teams, look for Alabama to be the national champion come January.

Last week before the Alabama-Tennessee game.
http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2176/11305692/22669091/377005315.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2176/11305692/22669091/377005312.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2176/11305692/22669091/377005309.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2176/11305692/22669091/377005306.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/377005461.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/377005459.jpg

will be a nice looking stadium! along with DKR stadium of course :lol::lol:

I was at the Alabama-LSU game this past weekend and the stadium is looking great. Can't wait till the constuction is complete.

I know that capacity will be over 100K ... has an official number been announced?

I was at the Alabama-LSU game this past weekend and the stadium is looking great. Can't wait till the constuction is complete.

I know that capacity will be over 100K ... has an official number been announced?

Not yet, but it will be definitely be over 101,000. I think part of it will be determined by how many additional student tickets will be sold, since the student section is predominately general admission and not a dependent on seat numbers...

Some pictures of the South End Zone.
http://pic90.picturetrail.com:80/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/381142807.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com:80/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/381142806.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com:80/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/381142804.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com:80/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/381142803.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com:80/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/381142802.jpg

Taken middle of February. It should be finished by July.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_QVhp4-udWfQ/S3cN0ZWJRXI/AAAAAAAAIKE/aC2r4dojbWI/s720/DSC01556.JPG
http://media.al.com/alabama-sports/photo/a-club-bbq-event-at-bryant-denny-kauslerjpg-1722986a43c83166_large.jpg

Here's a video tour of the new expansion under construction. Shaping up very nicely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah2i9cG5fmg&playnext_from=TL&videos=722QdJQR3F4

During the 2010 A-Day spring game, April 17.
http://media.al.com/bamabeat/photo/a-day-2-10jpg-3f8f0e69d882cff7_large.jpg
http://media.al.com/birmingham-news/photo/-8602519790f85c5c_custom_665xauto.jpg
http://www.tidesports.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=TL&Dato=20100418&Kategori=TS32&Lopenr=418009999&Ref=PH&Item=8&MaxW=590&MaxH=392&Border=0

and just to keep it interesting, the slightly older North End Zone.
http://www.tidesports.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=TL&Dato=20100418&Kategori=TS32&Lopenr=418009999&Ref=PH&Item=15&MaxW=590&MaxH=392&Border=0

This is a good article about the expansion too.
http://www.tidesports.com/article/20100417/NEWS/100419644/1016/NEWS?Title=Expansion-has-turned-stadium-into-a-crimson-jewel&tc=ar

Taken on May 18, 2010
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd183/theharbinater/bd11.jpg
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd183/theharbinater/bd6.jpg
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd183/theharbinater/bd7.jpg

This is the new ribbon scoreboards being put up on the pre-existing North End Zone.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd183/theharbinater/bd13.jpg

and one minor piece of the renovation, replacing the old ground level walkways with a brick walkway, and lining the field with a wrought iron fence rather than the old chainlink fence.
http://web4.twitpic.com/img/102360710-a7c6dd09f1d2478afef49b819f3b316c.4bf30064-scaled.jpg
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd183/theharbinater/bd9.jpg

webcam...lookin' good...

http://bdscam.ia.ua.edu/bdscon.jpg

Best looking stadium in college football? Definitely top 5.

^^can you put the link for the webcam on here?

^^can you put the link for the webcam on here?

http://www.rolltide.com/bryant-denny/webcam.html

^^thanks:cheers:

Glad to see that the chain link is finally coming down! The paved walkway and new fence will have a huge cosmetic impact on the interior of the stadium. Hope the plans include putting the hedge back at the bottom of the stands (or including one as part of the fencing, ala Georgia).

Working on getting tickets to Alabama/Penn State for this September so I can see it in person!

Glad to see that the chain link is finally coming down! The paved walkway and new fence will have a huge cosmetic impact on the interior of the stadium. Hope the plans include putting the hedge back at the bottom of the stands (or including one as part of the fencing, ala Georgia).

Working on getting tickets to Alabama/Penn State for this September so I can see it in person!

yeah, they're going to put the hedges back at the base of the stands below the front row. It'll be exactly like it used to be, with the exception of the brick walkway vs. the concrete walkway, and the iron fence vs. the chainlink fence.

Almost there!
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/371899/becky_8_stadium_medium.jpg

Looks like they are saying the official capacity will be 101,070 seats.

From June 30, 2010

The new walkway along the East stands.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j247/bla1bla2bla3/2010_01.jpg

The new South Upper Deck getting the finishing touches.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j247/bla1bla2bla3/2010_02.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j247/bla1bla2bla3/2010_04.jpg

One of the new scoreboards in the NorthWest corner.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j247/bla1bla2bla3/2010_03.jpg

The new walkway along the West stands and the scoreboard going up in the Northwest corner.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j247/bla1bla2bla3/2010_05.jpg

Was there a walkway before, or was it hedges?

Was there a walkway before, or was it hedges?

It was a concrete walkway with hedges lining the wall and a chainlink fence separating the field. They are replacing the concrete with brick pavers, and the chainlink with a wrought-iron fence. The hedges will still go back up against the wall.

This older picture shows what it used to be.
http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2009/07/large_17716120.jpg

They've taken the cranes down. Here's some overhead shots.

This one with the new expansion in the foreground.
http://www.craneworks.com/images/bd1b.jpg

This one with the new expansion in the top.
http://www.craneworks.com/images/bd2b.jpg

Red seat areas are starting to encroach on the bench areas in this stadium.

Red seat areas are starting to encroach on the bench areas in this stadium.

I kinda wish they'd replace all the gray bleachers with red ones with seatbacks like at the new Stanford Stadium:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/101/302099706_ae3be5bb0e_b.jpg

While not red, most of the bleachers are covered with removable cushioned chairbacks. They are also grey, so it's hard to see them in pictures. And they are removable so they remain in good condition from not sitting out in the elements during the offseason.

Red seat areas are starting to encroach on the bench areas in this stadium.

I wouldn't look for too many more of those to go in. Those are the club seating areas, or higher donor areas. It'll always be bleachers especially in one of the endzones, which is the student section where people actually usually stand on the bleachers...

Also, this should be finishing up in just a few weeks. The scoreboards are in place, and all of the bleachers throughout the entire stadium have also been replace. New sod has been put in for the field for the next season.

Here are some photos.

The new facade.
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/126820430.jpg?t=1279222848


The new expansion.
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/126821727.jpg?t=1279222893
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs160.snc4/37315_467673297208_44548242208_6449494_6983878_n.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/124003661.jpg?t=1279222932

The new field level concourse walkways. Finishing the brick fence columns and waiting on the gates to be put in.
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/124004784.jpg?t=1279222987

And here are just a few more stadium pictures to admire. All from the existing stadium.
West side.
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/126821078.jpg?t=1279223018
North End (the dirty color is due to a stadium wide bench replacement)
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/126821221.jpg?t=1279223042

New walkways are almost done. Just waiting to finish putting the fencing in.

looking toward the new south endzone upper.
http://pic90.picturetrail.com:80/VOL2176/11305692/20030697/389680113.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/120803013.jpg?t=1279226533

massive

Are the walkways open to regular fans pregame, postgame, possibly even during the game?

Are the walkways open to regular fans pregame, postgame, possibly even during the game?

Because the field is built on ground level, and not sunken, there is a concourse and tunnels on the field level. So, yes, those walkways are open at all times. There are going to be wrought-iron fences between each of those brick columns.

Thanks Scoots! The new fencing is going to look tremendous (I've wanted the chain-link to be replaced for a good while). The paved concourse also add a very nice architectual element. BDS has came a long way since I was a regular as a student.

Here's a video that takes you inside the South Endzone.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=832529741835

Finishing touches.

The new brick walkways and iron fence.
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/133688415.jpg?t=1279821845

New scoreboard. One of these in each corner of the stadium. (also shows the height difference in some of the upper decks, leading to the big gaps between them...)
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/133686164.jpg?t=1279821845

Inside 3rd level. This is a club level, but mostly to be used before and after the game, and during halftime.
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/133683840-bbcd6532ee4a1ef104e9364ba60203ac4c488720-scaled.jpg?t=1279821845

Inside 4th level. This is the first club level that can see the field.
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/133685181.jpg?t=1279821845

Has the final capacity been confirmed yet?

Has the final capacity been confirmed yet?

not yet, but the numbers that have been floating around are 101070, 101400, and 101600. We know for sure it will be at least 101k (they built the South Endzone 4 rows taller than the North to get over the 101k mark...)

Cool thanks. Good to see another college stadium creeping over the 100,000 mark. :)

I pretty much love this place, but there's one thing that just bothers the hell out of me. The sideways "Alabama" on the scoreboard. Whats up with that?

Beautiful. SEC has some amazingly massive stadiums.

The University of Alabama has announced that the official seating capacity of the newly expanded Bryant-Denny Stadium will be 101,821.

http://www.tidesports.com/article/20100804/NEWS/100809854/1011&tc=omni#

also, here's a picture of Bryant Drive, which has now been re-opened.
http://www.tidesports.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TL&Date=20100804&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=100809854&Ref=V1&Profile=1011

Wonderful stadium.

Just so people get an idea of how passionate college football fans in America are...this stadium is located in a city of 77,000 people. Capacity is over 100K.

^^ that is quite amazing, college football is bigger then the NFL is it not??

^^ that is quite amazing, college football is bigger then the NFL is it not??

College stadiums tend to fit more fans in than NFL stadiums, but NFL is still the big money maker. In terms of fan support, NFL is much more popular in the big cities, whereas college football is massive in small, college towns and areas with no NFL team. Also, in general, NFL tends to be bigger in the North, college football is the absolute king in the South (i.e. Tuscaloosa).

College football fans tend to be more passionate than NFL fans, because you actually went to school there and feel a deeper connection with your university than you ever could have for a professional team. The passion alumni have for their team often goes back generations in the family and runs deep in their blood. Long distance travel to attend games is much more common in college football than NFL and many alumni make going to the game an entire-weekend event.

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Plus you don't get much of this anywhere else but a college football tailgate...

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I think the passion of some NFL teams is underrated. Remember that these people have been fans of their NFL teams for their entire lives. Remember that most people don't attend college. The real difference you see in spirit from college games come from the age of students, who make up a decent portion of many stadiums. Without them, I imagine that in-stadium passion would be even more stoic than the NFL, as with most of the larger and fancier college stadiums you get a huge number of fat cat alumni that paid big money for their seats or suites. The NFL on the other hand is a more middle aged crowd outside of the clubs and suites, so its less rowdy at the stadium in some cities and there's no marching band giving it a more traditional flavor. But make no mistake, I'd put the huge fanbases of some teams like Philly, Pittsburgh, Green Bay or Dallas up against any college fanbase. Those teams could easily fill 100,000+ thousand seat stadiums if they had less suites and lower than astronomical ticket prices. Universities and NFL teams simply have different off the field agendas. A University is after some revenue, but they are after donations first as its simply larger dollars. The NFL doesn't have donation, so they are after revenue where they can get it. That means, creating demand and increasing suite numbers. Just two different goals.

College stadiums tend to fit more fans in than NFL stadiums, but NFL is still the big money maker. In terms of fan support, NFL is much more popular in the big cities, whereas college football is massive in small, college towns and areas with no NFL team. Also, in general, NFL tends to be bigger in the North, college football is the absolute king in the South (i.e. Tuscaloosa).

College football fans tend to be more passionate than NFL fans, because you actually went to school there and feel a deeper connection with your university than you ever could have for a professional team. The passion alumni have for their team often goes back generations in the family and runs deep in their blood. Long distance travel to attend games is much more common in college football than NFL and many alumni make going to the game an entire-weekend event.


In the states like Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas the college team is pretty much the local pro team that everybody follows even if they didn't go to college. In cities like St. Louis and Kansas City that I'm familiar with, they are still big into college but its more because KC has a huge number of alumni from KU and Mizzou, and STL has a huge number of Mizz and U of Illinois Alumni so those schools get a lot of coverage in those NFL cities but the pro team is king.
At an NFL game the entire stadium gets loud and into the game, where at college games it seems at most schools its mostly the 18-22 year old students making the noise and jumping and the rest of the stadium is more laid back.

Just so people get an idea of how passionate college football fans in America are...this stadium is located in a city of 77,000 people. Capacity is over 100K.

what's the population of the area it draws fans from though, as clearly, unless 23,000 fans are cloning themselves for every game, it's not purely from the town itself.

it's the entire alumni base and the state as well.

I think the passion thing is a bit skewed, college games are MUCH more affordable than NFL games, the cost of which are higher than car payments in some cases.

At an NFL game the entire stadium gets loud and into the game, where at college games it seems at most schools its mostly the 18-22 year old students making the noise and jumping and the rest of the stadium is more laid back.
That's because here in Kansas City we're familiar with middling college programs such as KU, KSU and MU, whereas Chiefs fans are known as being among the best in the NFL.

In the South, it's a completely different story.

I was really just trying to give an overly-simplistic view of the difference between NFL and CFB. What I've noticed is that in general, NFL atmospheres and other intangibles tend to be more sterile than college. Obviously there are always exceptions (i.e. Packers, Chiefs), but that's the best I could explain it to someone unfamiliar with football.

It may be a bit skewed because I'm a college football nutcase. BTW, the only NFL I find worth watching is Hard Knocks and the Super Bowl.

At an NFL game the entire stadium gets loud and into the game, where at college games it seems at most schools its mostly the 18-22 year old students making the noise and jumping and the rest of the stadium is more laid back.

College fans will never admit this, but they are the same fans that complain about their old alumni telling them to sit down.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/4842166038_f1a4769746_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/newmanblake/4842166038/

^^Still replacing benches at the east side, eh?

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2010/08/10/1224203/alabama-football-bryant-denny.html

^^Still replacing benches at the east side, eh?

Wha?

Wha?

He's referring to the upper deck, which still has it's original bleachers from when it was built, and therefore looks a little less shiny.

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Some pictures of the outside of the stadium.

Outside the North Endzone:
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01662.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01664.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01665.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01667.jpg

East side:
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01668.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01669.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01670.jpg
Southeast corner:
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01671.jpg

South Endzone:
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01672.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01673.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01675.jpg

West Side (The oldest exterior to the stadium):
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Scoots71/DSC01678.jpg

So how close is Alabama to receiving the "Death Penalty"?

how high is the last low?

^^

College fans will never admit this, but they are the same fans that complain about their old alumni telling them to sit down.

Any generalization of college fans vs. pro fans will have exceptions.

For the most part, pro teams draw from the population of the cities they are based in and the fan base is largely anchored there. College teams draw from larger regions and most of them had at least a 50 year head start on the NFL team in their area. The "passion" is usually derived from: a) someone in the family spending 4 years as a student at the school or b) several generations of a family rooting for the team through good years and bad years. Either way, the fan base tends to spread out over time creating a larger foot print. Since football is only played once a week and on a day when most people don't work, a 4 hour drive for a college football game is completely reasonable. I drive 8 when I go back for a Tennessee game. This type of pilgrimage emphasizes the perceived passion.

While most pro teams don't have hoards of people driving 100+ miles to their games and some don't have the benefit of generations of loyalty, many do. My in-laws are die hard Pittsburgh Steeler fans and I'd put their loyalty, passion and knowledge of their team up against any fellow SEC fan I have ever met.

Unless you are comparing the average LSU fan against the average Arizona Cardinal fan (or Vanderbilt fan to a Dallas Cowboys fan), there are many more similarities between the two sport's fanbases than there are differences.

On a side note, yes, going back and sitting in an alumni section really sucks after spending 4 in the student section. 75% of UT alumni sit on their hands until it's 3rd down.

how high is the last low?

Depends on how much alcohol and drugs they've had!





:colgate:

So how close is Alabama to receiving the "Death Penalty"?
as long as they keep making the NCAA lots of money, not at all...

http://tour.ua.edu/images/tourintpics/stadium_3.jpg

http://crimsontider.com/images/stadium1.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_C41_G-vz9G4/SwqlJ8wuopI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/M_YuGP5OHkI/s1600/AlabamaBryantDennyStadium.jpeg

IT'S GAMEDAY Y'ALL!!!!!!!!

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o311/DEEWEEZY06/lsu_logo1.jpg

************VS************

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/30/597/full/2424.gif


And here's a little somethin' somethin' to get everybody fired up:

r4VCu7RYDcA

I'll say I actually liked it better when only one of the endzones was double-decked before the latest expansion.

Me too.