Neyland Stadium

Attendance has been recorded for Tennessee Volunteer football games at Neyland Stadium since 1946.[11] Average attendance since that year has been 68,925 fans per game.[11] The largest crowd ever recorded at Neyland Stadium was 109,061 on September 18, 2004, when Tennessee defeated Florida, 30–28.[11] Tennessee set a school record by averaging 107,595 fans per home game in 2000.

Through week six of the 2016 season, the Tennessee Volunteers football team had compiled a record of 464 wins, 118 losses, and 17 ties at Neyland, for a winning percentage of .789.[5] The team has had 36 perfect home records, the last coming in the 2007 season.[5] The team's longest home winning streak was 30, set between December 8, 1928, and October 21, 1933.[5] The Vols have never had more than four consecutive losses at Neyland Stadium.[5]

Neyland Stadium is occasionally used for concerts, political rallies, and religious gatherings. One of Neyland Stadium's most notable non-sporting events took place in May 1970, when the stadium hosted the Billy Graham Crusade, with President Richard Nixon as a guest speaker. The event occurred just three weeks after the Kent State shootings, at the height of the anti-war movement, and several anti-war protestors were arrested for trying to disrupt the event.[12] The Jacksons performed three concerts at Neyland Stadium in August 1984, during their Victory Tour. East Tennessee native Kenny Chesney performed in Neyland Stadium in June 2003.[13]

Neyland Stadium has hosted several NFL exhibition games, most recently in 1995, when the Washington Redskins played the Houston Oilers.[14] The Knox County Football Jamboree, a preseason event for local high school teams, was held annually at the stadium until 2013.[15] The discontinuation of the Jamboree at Neyland Stadium was due in part to maintaining the condition of the field in the month prior to the beginning of college football.[16]

Shields–Watkins Field opened in 1921 with a single grandstand, the Original West Stands, having a capacity of 3,200. The East Stands were added five years later in 1926 to increase capacity to 6,800. The West Stands were increased from 17 rows to 42 rows in 1930, increasing capacity to 17,860.[5]

In 1937, a small row of seats (called North Section X) was constructed across the north end zone, adding 1,500 seats. The next year, in 1938, the East Stands were expanded to 44 rows. The capacity after these expansions was 31,390.[5]

In 1948, another expansion of the stadium was begun which resulted in the south end zone's being enclosed in a horseshoe style (see Harvard Stadium for an example). The South Stands added 15,000 seats, bringing total capacity to 46,290.[5]

Several expansions were undertaken in the 1960s. First, in 1962, the West Upper Deck was built, adding 5,837 seats and a press box. In 1966 North Section X was replaced by a grandstand (the North Stands) with 5,895 seats. In 1968, the East Upper Deck (6,307) was added, bringing total capacity to 64,429.[5]

The two Upper Decks were connected to enclose the south end zone during two expansions in 1972 and 1976. The 1972 Southwest Upper Deck addition extended the West Upper Deck to the south by 6,221 seats, and the 1976 Southeast Upper Deck addition extended the East Upper Deck to the south by 9,600, giving contiguous upper seating around three sides, and increasing total capacity to 80,250.[5]

In 1980, the North Stands were rebuilt, netting a capacity increase of 10,999 seats and enclosing the north end zone in a "bowl" style (see Rose Bowl and Yale Bowl for examples). A net loss of seats in 1987 to accommodate the West Executive Suites construction was more than offset by a student seating adjustment in 1990, increasing capacity to a total of 91,902.[5]

In 1996, the last major expansion was completed with the North Upper Deck to fully enclose the upper level, giving a net gain of 10,642 seats. A 1997 seating adjustment to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was followed by addition of the East Executive Suites, topping total capacity at 104,037 in 2000.[5]

The addition of the East and West Club Seats in 2006 and 2009, respectively, decreased the total capacity to 100,011. In 2010, the completion of the Tennessee Terrace raised stadium capacity to its current total of 102,455 people.[5]

View from the northeast sideline as UT hosted WKU on September 5, 2009

In 2004, the University of Tennessee implemented the Neyland Stadium Master Plan, a long-term strategy for expanding, renovating, and maintaining the stadium. The plan called for the addition of club seats, widening of concourses, creation of entry plazas, and updates to the stadium's infrastructure.[17] The estimated $200 million renovations, which will be carried out over a series of several phases, are to be funded entirely by private donations and revenue generated from priority and club seats.[17]

Phase I of the master plan, completed in 2006 at a cost of $26 million, involved the addition of the East Club Seats, renovation and widening of the north lower concourse, the addition of LED signage, and the addition of extra restrooms and concessions.[18] The East Club Seats, built on the East Upper Deck, includes 422 seats and an adjoining club room overlooking the Tennessee River.[18]

Phase II of the master plan, completed in 2008 at a cost of $27.4 million, involved the renovation and widening of the west lower concourse, renovations to the Peyton Manning Locker Complex and the concourse connecting it with Shields–Watkins Field, and the construction of the Lauricella Center for Letter Winners and the Stokely Family Media Room.[19] The Lauricella Center for Letter Winners, named for Vol All American running back Hank Lauricella, sits adjacent to the locker complex, and provides a gathering area for athletes, coaches, and their family members. The Stokely Family Media Room provides a setting for press conferences and coach and player interviews.[19]

Phase III of the master plan, completed in 2010 at a cost of $83 million, included the construction of the West Club Seats, improvements to the Executive Suites and press box, renovations to the west top level concourse, the addition of elevators and stairwells to the West Side, the creation of the Gate 21 Plaza and other entry plazas, the construction of the Tennessee Terrace, and the installation of a statue of General Neyland, created by sculptor Blair Buswell, to the west entrance.[4] The West Club Seats are similar to the East Club Seats, with 422 seats and an adjoining club room. The Tennessee Terrace features 1,782 priority seats, with an adjacent climate-controlled concourse area, overlooking the west sideline.[20]

Phases IV and V will involve renovation of the south and east concourses and the creation of an entry plaza at Gate 10.[21]

South side of Neyland Stadium as the sun sets