The worst college football stadium?

[DJH]

Good lord, I had no idea there were such terrible stadiums in FCS.

There are tiny HS in Iowa that have nicer facilities than some of that crap.

[pantherrob82]

What are you guys, a bunch of ****' vampires?

FWIW, we didn't prepare for the Hens game properly last weekend and Mrs89 got the worst sunburn I've ever seen her get. You assume, October, no problem.

I got burned with 50spf last week it Carbondale.

[ryannewhart]

I nominate dude on left for FCS Fan of the Year!

He's rocking the Chucks and a Beatles T. And is that a softball and a ping pong paddle he's holding?


WTF, over?

He did bring a girlfriend at least. Oh wait, that might be his sister, now I'm confused.

if its Jacksonville it might just be both

[Ivytalk]

Brown used to be the worst Ivy stadium, bar none, but now they have lights, so maybe it doesn't suck as much.

[CoachL]

The Butler Bowl has been undergoing renovations, so you're no longer limited to the odd off-center bleachers (from the 20 to the end zone)

UAalum72: I surprised and disappointed that a fan of Albany, that has the second-worst college football stadium (after Jacksonville) has the temerity to come to this "worst stadium" thread, post out-of-date photos of other stadiums in the FCS, and make uninformed comments.

That rusted-out POS "stadium" at Albany makes the Butler Bowl look like the Taj Mahal! Here's a more recent photo of the still-under-renovation Butler Bowl that was less than an inch away from the old photo that you pulled from the CS stadium directory:

and I've never been there, but I'm told Duquesne's Rooney Field rivals Georgetown's

Same thing goes for Rooney Field at Duquesne. I've been to both Duquesne's Rooney Field and Georgetown's MSF. The person who told you that "Rooney Field rivals Georgetown's" is either an idiot or completely blind... or both!

[ODUsmitty]

I remember in a thread last year seeing a photo at one the Dakota schools where the 'toilets' were 55-gallon drums with holes cut in them. The picture of the "bathroom" was pretty shocking. Does anyone remember? That facility has to be in the running......

[UAalum72]

Don't get your panties in a bunch, coach. I SAID Butler was renovating, and who would have believed stands only in the red zone without a picture?

As for Duq, the 'rivaling MSF' was my implication from his being simply unimpressed by Rooney Field, which in size and being hemmed in is similar to Georgetown. Sorry if I should have said Rooney rivals Wa-Griz.

[youngterrier]

To be fair, that picture was taken before Jacksonville's "renovations" since I couldn't find any. But I did some more research and found newer pics. Apparently they added FieldTurf and a new scoreboard. However, notice that Jacksonville doesn't have any stands. Instead, they just plopped some metal benches on the hills and called it a day. The press box is a shack.

as a track/cross country runner I have to say that that is a VERY good looking track

[clenz]

I remember in a thread last year seeing a photo at one the Dakota schools where the 'toilets' were 55-gallon drums with holes cut in them. The picture of the "bathroom" was pretty shocking. Does anyone remember? That facility has to be in the running......

South Dakota State is at least making strides in their facility.

But yeah, it's pretty dumpy. Not near the worst though, IMO

[g-webb1994]

If Georgia State can play their home games in the Georgia Dome, then why couldn't JU use Municipal Stadium in downtown Jax as well? If not, they should play their home games at Bolles High instead.....

http://www.bolles.org/misc/detail/skinner_barco_stadium

[LastMinuteman]

Are there any good photos on the internet of the complete renovations to Duquesne's stadium? All I can find are those two small peephole photos on the official athletics website. These are satellite photos (apparently pre-renovation):



Other things counting against Duquesne: It's aligned east-west, so one side plays directly into the sun. Also, it's bordered by about 12 lanes of highway behind the press box. Depending on how the renovations came out, this is a strong contender for at least bottom 3.

[LastMinuteman]

Also, JU might be the only school in the country where you can bring tents into the "stands:"

Jacksonville's stadium-campers look significantly happier than ours.

[CoachL]

Don't get your panties in a bunch, coach. I SAID Butler was renovating, and who would have believed stands only in the red zone without a picture?

As for Duq, the 'rivaling MSF' was my implication from his being simply unimpressed by Rooney Field, which in size and being hemmed in is similar to Georgetown. Sorry if I should have said Rooney rivals Wa-Griz.

"Panties in a bunch" and a sarcastic Rooney/Wa-Griz comparison are the best you've got?

[CoachL]

Other things counting against Duquesne: It's aligned east-west, so one side plays directly into the sun.

Yes, and the wind blows and it rains and snows sometimes. Maybe every school should build a dome.

You know how much that east-west alignment really matters? Zip. Nada. Nothing. Zero. There are MANY NFL, NCAA, and High School stadiums/football fields that have an east-west alignment.

This is FOOTBALL for god's sake! "I'm sorry coach, but the sun was in my eyes!"

Also, it's bordered by about 12 lanes of highway behind the press box.

Are you kidding me? No one who has ever been to The Bluff would ever say that Duquesne is "bordered by 12 lanes of highway". DUQUESNE IS UP ON THE FREAKIN' BLUFF! What is behind the press box is Bluff Street and the Bluff Street Walk with its spectacular view of the Monongahela River and the hills on the South Side.

These are pictures of the "highway" behind the press box:

Depending on how the renovations came out, this is a strong contender for at least bottom 3.

Duquesne's Rooney Field is nowhere near "impressive". It is "quaint". In other words, small. If your definition of "worst" is "small", then Duquesne is a contender. Is it "hemmed in"? Yes. There is limited space on The Bluff. Is it an ugly, rusted-out, god-awful place to play and see a football game? (cough..Albany...cough) NO WAY. The field is state-of-the-art. The brand-new restrooms are not 55-gallon drums with holes cut in them. The fans are all right on top of the action. It is a terrific place to play and watch a football game. (Now if Duquesne could just get more folks out to watch ANY athletic event...)

[CoachL]

Since we're digging up old stadium pictures...

Here is one of the really crappy stadiums in which Duquesne has played. Look at those bleachers obviously hemmed in by the buildings surrounding the field! What a POS stadium this was.



Oh, this is a picture of the Duquesne victory over Mississippi State in the 1937 Orange Bowl.

Never mind!

[CoachL]

And how many stadiums have a Historic Place under the stadium?



Armstrong Tunnel (1927) runs under Duquesne University, directly under Rooney Field, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places!

[Thumper 76]

I remember in a thread last year seeing a photo at one the Dakota schools where the 'toilets' were 55-gallon drums with holes cut in them. The picture of the "bathroom" was pretty shocking. Does anyone remember? That facility has to be in the running......

South Dakota State is at least making strides in their facility.

But yeah, it's pretty dumpy. Not near the worst though, IMO

And just when I was going to say that I can't believe a NDSU fan hasn't nominated Caughlin-Alumni, Pillow biter comes through in the clutch. SDSU does have a crappy field for sure, but the pictures taken of the makeshift outhouse were from when we had an overflow of tailgaiting going on and needed to get a quick (all be it shitty) fix. Granted, it didn't bother me any, but hell, they could have left everyone standing in line for the restrooms all day. I would rather have the crappy makeshift urinals than that. Anywho, SDSU does have stadium upgrades on the books, and are being presented to the SD BOR for approval of the gathering of funds for it. But that being said, a year ago before we had the Dykehouse Center, we were definately in the running for this award.

[LastMinuteman]

Other things counting against Duquesne: It's aligned east-west, so one side plays directly into the sun.

Yes, and the wind blows and it rains and snows sometimes. Maybe every school should build a dome.

You know how much that east-west alignment really matters? Zip. Nada. Nothing. Zero. There are MANY NFL, NCAA, and High School stadiums/football fields that have an east-west alignment.

This is FOOTBALL for god's sake! "I'm sorry coach, but the sun was in my eyes!"

This is a thread about the worst college stadiums. Alignment is one factor to consider. East-West is inferior to North-South, everyone knows that. That's why almost every stadium that was planned for use for football was aligned North-South (slightly northwest-southeast is the most common). Every stadium in the CAA is like this except Richmond's new stadium, because they didn't have anywhere else to put it. Same goes for Duquesne. As an urban campus they're locked in a tight spot, and the only place they could put it was an almost perfectly east-west lot crammed between two buildings. It's a helluva lot better than nothing, and the fact that Duquense's practice field is also due east-west probably provides an extra home field advantage, but we're looking for bad stadiums and that's a check in the minus column. At least you put the track around the practice field instead of the real field. That's a check in the plus column.

Also, it's bordered by about 12 lanes of highway behind the press box.

Are you kidding me? No one who has ever been to The Bluff would ever say that Duquesne is "bordered by 12 lanes of highway". DUQUESNE IS UP ON THE FREAKIN' BLUFF! What is behind the press box is Bluff Street and the Bluff Street Walk with its spectacular view of the Monongahela River and the hills on the South Side.

Like I said when I asked for better pictures, all I had to go by was satellite photos, because Duquesne keeps its new facility a state secret. This is how the surrounding area looks from above:



Could be that that whole concrete expanse doesn't really impact the viewing experience much, but as a backdrop it ain't fall foliage in rural New England or snow-capped Rocky Mountains or an Arizona desert landscape. It isn't that industrial mess across from Chattanooga's stadium either though, so it's got that going for it.

Where do you tailgate?

Duquesne's Rooney Field is nowhere near "impressive". It is "quaint". In other words, small. If your definition of "worst" is "small", then Duquesne is a contender. Is it "hemmed in"? Yes. There is limited space on The Bluff. Is it an ugly, rusted-out, god-awful place to play and see a football game? (cough..Albany...cough) NO WAY. The field is state-of-the-art. The brand-new restrooms are not 55-gallon drums with holes cut in them. The fans are all right on top of the action. It is a terrific place to play and watch a football game.

Good stuff to know. I wish we had better restrooms.

Who would you suggest should be in the bottom 3 instead of Duquesne? Albany, Jacksonville and...? Duquesne could be a perfectly acceptable viewing experience and still be bottom 3. I'm sure there's a charm to Jacksonville's setup as well. Albany... not sure what the charm of their deal would be.

[JayJ79]

FWIW, we didn't prepare for the Hens game properly last weekend and Mrs89 got the worst sunburn I've ever seen her get. You assume, October, no problem.

I got burned with 50spf last week it Carbondale.

I didn't, and I was in the sun longer.
(but then, I did have my wicked awesome hat )

[∞∞∞]

Like I said when I asked for better pictures, all I had to go by was satellite photos, because Duquesne keeps its new facility a state secret. This is how the surrounding area looks from above:

I found these pics on flickr:

[danefan]

Duquesne fans should know about how bad an East-West aligned field can be.......although this is probably before your time as a Dukes fan Coach.

http://www.ualbanysports.com/ViewArticl ... LID=849010" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Box Score (Final)
Duquesne vs Albany (Nov 23, 2002 at Albany, N.Y.)

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
#21 Duquesne...... 0 0 0 0 - 0 Record: (11-1)
Albany.............. 17 0 0 7 - 24 Record: (8-4)



Stadium: University Field
Kickoff time: 1:01 pm End of Game: 3:45 pm Total elapsed time: 2:44
Officials: Referee: Greg Camara; Umpire: Ed Shanahan; Linesman: Will Morrissey;
Line judge: Scott Crowell; Back judge: Jerry Sybertz; Field judge: Kevin O'Connor;
Side judge: Scott Santilli; Scorer: Gene Brtalik;
Temperature: 33 deg Wind: NNW30mph Weather: partly sunny, cold

I still contend that Albany has the worst so-called stadium in the country.

Imagine this god awful combination:

E-W facing field in the Northeast,
The worst sight lines you've ever seen,
Home stands that are literally 2x4s bolted to steps and are probably 50 feet from the sideline (not to mention the field) and are in the shade the entire game. People around here complain about a track between them and the field, try adding a road. (See below)
A scoreboard that was put up in 1973,
Away bleachers that probably should have been condemned 10 years ago when I played.

This beats out JU for a lot reason, IMO, including the fact that at least its warm enough to watch a game in Jacksonville for most of the season.



Bad

[Dukie95]

Also, JU might be the only school in the country where you can bring tents into the "stands:"

It's a real-life Napoleon Dynamite!

[weberwildcat]

I remember in a thread last year seeing a photo at one the Dakota schools where the 'toilets' were 55-gallon drums with holes cut in them. The picture of the "bathroom" was pretty shocking. Does anyone remember? That facility has to be in the running......

this one?


viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9383&hilit=fcs+bath ... 25#p170953" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[UAalum72]

See, I didn't even know Rooney was east-west. I thought only Albany, the LA Coliseum, and the new Oklahoma State fields were E-W. UGA is also, and the Orange Bowl was.

Albany actually painted over the rusted seating, and I really like the setting under sunny skies this time of year with the trees turning red and orange. But by the standards of most on this forum, how many NEC and Pioneer fields besides Drake, Welcome and maybe San Diego would NOT be in the bottom 25? Most under 5,000 seats, many one-sided, many with tracks.

[GrizFanStuckInUtah]

Like I said when I asked for better pictures, all I had to go by was satellite photos, because Duquesne keeps its new facility a state secret. This is how the surrounding area looks from above:

I found these pics on flickr:

The improvements they made on this field are ruined by painting the damn soccer lines on the field, the horror! the horror!