Fargo Dome, Washington-Grizz, Bridgefort, Roos
https://youtu.be/19JdT9rObZw
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Fargo Dome, Washington-Grizz, Bridgefort, Roos
https://youtu.be/19JdT9rObZw
I've been to the popular ones, Washington-Griz, The Fargo Dome, Bobcat Stadium (Montana State), Bridgeforth (JMU), Delaware Stadium, yet the best stadium that I've seen is Princeton and it's not even close imo.
Of those:
1. Wa-Griz
2. Bridgeforth
3. FargoDome
Roos Field? Seriously?? xlolx
Yeah, I'd agree Wa-Griz is the best. Few others I'd put right up there are the Dykhouse Stadium (SDSU), Bobcat Stadium (Montana St), and Hornet Stadium (Alabama St - I think that's the name).
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/fb27...a-Day-5674.jpg
https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.town...ize=1200%2C800
https://lagniappemobile.com/wp-conte...et-stadium.jpg
Cue the #NotAStadium debate. xrolleyesx
Me after our 2014 playoff game at EWUQuote:
Originally Posted by Bisonator
https://i.gifer.com/7Go8.gif
Never been to Bridgefort. Wa-Griz is first of this crop, the Fargo Dome is not a stadium. Dykehouse is a nice stadium but they can't fill it unless NDSU is there and their normal gameday atmosphere is weak.
If Penn could fill Franklin Field (yes, a tall order these days), it would be an amazing place for college football. But Princeton is certainly in the conversation, especially to those fans of Missouri Valley and Big Sky schools which have never seen it in person or on TV.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
Haven't seen Cowboy Stadium (McNeese) mentioned on here. There's a lot of charm in "The Hole" and it kind of has a big time college football feel that you don't get anywhere else in the SLC. It definitely deserves some consideration. And while I haven't been out to Abilene, I hear ACU's new stadium is a thing of beauty. It's brand new.
Been to McNeese's stadium a few times. It is as you describe. It has a charming, old-school feel to it. It has very good sightlines everywhere. And the fans are great.Quote:
Originally Posted by katss07
Griz.
Attachment 31855
Fitton Field is a tremendous stadium (on either side) to actually watch a game, literally on top of the field.....atmosphere can be tremendous too depending on opponent, weather etc
No PL field/stadium really has much in the way of atmosphere.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sader87
I haven't been to any of the suggested best stadiums, though I think it would be hard to beat the atmosphere it looks like they have at Grizz games. Being the state flagship sure helps things.
As much as it pains me to say this, I think Jacksonville State has a great stadium and atmosphere. It used to feel like a big sort of bland HS stadium, but with recent renovations it's an excellent looking stadium where they turned the old home side into the visitors side and built a very impressive structure to serve as the new home side. One thing they did that I really like is kept the video booth on the visitors side so the camera faces the impressive home side - I wish more FCS schools did that as unlike p5 programs, the visitor side is usually smaller and often fairly empty. They have great fan support and a great band. They have a really nice game day atmosphere.
Sadly, not anymore. Up until 10-15 years ago Lehigh had a very worthy 1-AA/FCS atmosphere. Arguably second best to Delaware in the mid-Atantic/Northeast.The days of 13-14k for a big game appear to be over.Quote:
Originally Posted by DFW HOYA
Is someone trying to get views on their youtube video? This seems to be almost click-bait.
Roos does not belong in this argument. The Fargo dome, without the atmosphere, does not belong either.
Probably true, though I'd argue that HC/Fitton still can have a decent atmosphere given the opponent/occasion(Homecoming etc) today.Quote:
Originally Posted by DFW HOYA
The stadium itself is very spartan, agreed....but for sightlines, it really is one of the best places to watch D1 football. With very little sideline space, both sides are literally right on top of the field of play.
I visited Fitton Field fir the first time in 2018. I was very impressed. Best venue in the patriot league that I’ve gone to, others being Lehigh and Fordham.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sader87
Bridgeforth does not belong on the list of best FCS stadiums. Someone on AGS once described it as the "Tallest self-standing aluminum structure on the east coast". Unless you are sitting in the home side box seats it is not a comfortable place. The upper deck on the home side is particularly bad, and on the visitor side the numbered bench spots are too close together. They seat visiting fans adjacent to the end zone where you can't see the video scoreboard at all. There are a lot of stadiums in the CAA which I'd prefer to watch a game: Stony Brook, Delaware, Elon, UNH, Richmond and even URI's Meade Stadium now that they have built a a great new grandstand that you access through the top of their B-Ball arena. Maine has an excellent beer and food service area right behind an end zone which is a great place to watch the 2nd half of a game that your visiting preseason #5 team is losing by 30 points.
Grading the stadiums of the Northeast, apologies if I missed anyone:
A: Delaware, James Madison, Princeton, Stony Brook, William & Mary
B+: Richmond, Maine, New Hampshire
B: Harvard, Dartmouth, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Pennsylvania, Yale
C+: Monmouth, Columbia, Cornell, Norfolk St., Towson
C: Brown, Bucknell, CCSU, Colgate, Hampton, LIU, Merrimack, URI, Villanova, VMI
D: Bryant, Del State, Fordham, Howard, Marist, Morgan St., Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis, Wagner
F: Duquesne, Georgetown
Lehigh and Lafayette blow UNH's renovated digs out of the water. It's not even close. Unless things have changed the away side at Wildcat Stadium is still old and need of replacing. Plus it has a track. You can tell it was done with the same mindset as JMU's stadium. UNH's facility is extremely underwhelming and not trying to be a hater. I can't imagine how bad it was before the rebuilt home side. It's a testament to UNH's football culture they're able to sustain national success. I even said to a local politician who I sat near that Lehigh should embarrassed they didn't submit a bid or install lights.Quote:
Originally Posted by DFW HOYA
https://scontent.fagc1-2.fna.fbcdn.n...aa&oe=5FF10B2D
Away seats...
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._Durham_NH.jpg
The non-stadium in these pics sucks, nice freaking track thoughQuote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
Lafayette...might be another two years until I return. These two pics are from 2016, a week before the UNH game...
https://scontent.fagc1-2.fna.fbcdn.n...8b&oe=5FFCBF0E
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...06&oe=5FFD7E02
Here's a good pic of Lehigh's stadium and most of its athletic campus. Money and land are a helluva combo...
https://www1.lehigh.edu/sites/defaul...dmanCampus.jpg
Yeah, but Wildcat Stadium's nickname is The Dungeon so it's kind of automatically better
Princeton Stadium. Just a beautiful facility!
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/a..._102-00002.jpg
Palmer Stadium which proceeded Princeton Stadium. I wish I could find a decent "modern" pic of it! I vividly remember watching Keith Elias shred Lehigh here in 1993....
https://www.princetonianamuseum.org/...2b01/full.jpeg
The only thing Lehigh should have been embarrassed about that day was the way they played. The fact that a mediocre UNH Team blew out the most promising Lehigh team in a decade in the only game you attended there might have contributed to your less than complimentary assessment. Coach Mac took it easy on your guys that day, we could have scored 80 points instead of 64. Although the old, now visitor's side of the stadium is in no way aesthetically pleasing when you look at it from a distance, it is a great place to watch a football game. All of the seats are high enough off the field to get a decent view of the game even if you sit in the bottom few rows - that totally negates the effect of the track. Where else in the CAA are you going to attend an away game and get to sit in a box seat between the 40's, behind your team's bench? The answer is no where. Everything about the home field side is comfortable and efficient, from the walk in and out of the stadium, the leg and butt room and the sight lines to the field. We also have the best video board in the conference and I've seen almost all of them. The old Cowell Stadium was, well, the old grandstands you don't like to look at with Bleachers on the other side and bleachers also in the south end zone. But the place was magical for a big game with fans pressed up against fencing all around the stadium. We also had the best food available in college football: Hand cut French fries cooked fresh in peanut oil, waffles with real maple syrup, and several other unique items. By the way you were probably talking with a plumber or a lobsterman, we all drink too much on Boulder Field before the game and say we are politicians to visitors. It's quite believable - little NH has the largest state legislature in the country and all of them went to UNH.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
Albany, which except for end zone seating is pretty similar to Stony BrookQuote:
Originally Posted by DFW HOYA
Lehigh was horrific that day! Absolute awful performance considering they were the favorite!..lol. Colgate's upset in 2015 did them no favors either. UNH was out for blood. Coaching defections and losing the PL POY due to mono made things worse.Quote:
Originally Posted by KPSUL
The the local politician was very instrumental in the entire process of the stadium. He was there was another gentleman who was the one who reinforced this guys pull in getting funding for the facility. They sat directly in front me on the away side which I thought was weird. To this day I've always wondered the guys name. Any idea?
It's fascinating to see what money gets you. Due to its history and breadth W&M has the extra jingle in their pockets to add a nice brick facade on their renovated home "side". Most FCS state schools (SIU, UNH, JMU, Montana State, SDSU) don't have the resources to cover that extra level of refinement; etc. I need to get to William & Mary sooner rather than later!
https://wydaily.com/wp-content/uploa...zable-set1.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DXJy236WAAE0O9_.jpg
Dykhouse is basically a little nicer, more modern version of Bobcat Stadium. MSU is building a new athletic facility in the north EZ so the stadium will take on a new look. Both are easily among the best of the best in FCS....Quote:
Originally Posted by Professor Chaos
North Dakota's Alerus Center is definitely one of the most unique facilities in FCS. It's basically a large entertainment/conference center. Here's a couple of pics I took when I was in Grand Forks last month. My hotel would have been awesome for a football weekend!
https://scontent.fagc1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...7a&oe=5FFD8F70
https://scontent.fagc1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...37&oe=5FFD7DB3
Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
Some season ticketholders, and other long time fans, prefer the "old" side for both nostalgia reasons and the fact that you get much more sun over there in the afternoon. I have no idea who those politicians were, but the stadium was funded totally with UNH funds and anticipated revenue. The funds for the 2 million $ Video Board were donated solely by a long serving library employee who left his entire estate to the University, no strings attached. I don't believe the state, county or town paid one nickel for the stadium renovation. NH state government is notoriously very tight with a buck, which by and large is a good thing.
Dykhouse is a lot nicer than MSU's, not even closeQuote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
Yea, it is connected to a Canadian owned Hotel chain. The Alerus Center sucks balls, it isn't as bad at that place in Vermillion, SD but that isn't saying much. Everything north of county road 4 in ND should be annexed to Manitoba.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
Division II West Texas A&M has a better stadium than half of this subdivision.
https://www.d2football.com/images/st...4166811_lg.jpg
So what do you think those small reddish rectangular objects are all over the sides of UNH Wildcat stadium? Cinder Blocks? You can't wait get to Zable even though Wildcat Stadium is very similar in many respects. The worst feature of Zable Stadium is the gapping hole between the 40 yard lines on the visitor's side where a grandstand and seats should be. This is the photo you should have posted to get a better feel for Wildcat Stadium:Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl
Attachment 31859
Attachment 31860
W&M has the brick work extend all around to what appears to be the main entrance as well in addition to the renovated home side. Just another level of refinement in order to blend the stadium in with other campus buildings. That track though! Still a beautiful setting! Reminds of Bucknell with the campus directly in the background.Quote:
Originally Posted by KPSUL
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5071e4be_b.jpg
My interest has now been sparked to find stadiums that incorporate campus architecture into their designs. This is much more common at the FBS level thanks to having the extra money to pull it off. W&M's Zable Stadium is the best "updated" FCS stadium I've found of making the stadium really feel a part of campus. Franklin Field does but that was built as a major cfb stadium. Richmond and Samford both try to pull it off to varying degrees success.
https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.town...ize=1200%2C667
https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.8bllxu...7?pid=Api&rs=1
https://www.bhate-geo.com/wp-content...m-1400x643.jpg
OK, granted, a pointless brick structure surrounding the end zone - very Ivy League-ish, but adds zero to the gameday experience. The "new" side is very comparable to UNH's. I've attended a bunch of games here, and aside for the hot dogs grilled on charcoal there is nothing better about attending a game here than at UNH. Unless you have connections, you can't park anywhere near the place, or tailgate anywhere. And that entry way in your last picture? It eliminates the best potential seating behind the visiting team's benches. And the W&M crowd? While FCS east coast fans in general are becoming more aged each year, the vast majority of the Bill and Mary home crowd are Octogenarians who don't act like they are at an athletic contest. You wouldn't know there were any undergraduates unrolled at W&M by going to a football game.Quote:
Originally Posted by Go Lehigh TU owl