Ryan Faller

Amazing how the most ordinary of events can spark ideas. Just the other day, I was speaking to a good friend on the phone who had what I am sure has become an all too familiar experience for many men. No, not that. He told me he was attending a trivia night at an area church and looking to make a strong individual contribution, especially when it came to the sports category. Lo and behold, nearly a six pack and countless bowls of salted peanuts later, he came across what seemed to be the perfect opportunity, when the next category required knowledge of several NFL stadiums. However, his glee was short-lived as he continually rambled off the correct answers, only to be out-manned and underestimated by his teammates.

This got me thinking. In addition to being impressed by my former roommate’s football IQ, I thought to myself how hard indeed it would be to correctly name each stadium for all 32 NFL teams. In a day and age when expansion and free agency can make it hard enough to keep track of players and coaches, corporate sponsorship in the form of naming rights for stadiums/fields/coliseums, etc. has now run rabid in professional football, making it nearly impossible to identify any one team’s current home from season to season. However, amidst the lure of the almighty dollar, there are those gridiron cathedrals that have withstood the test of time and corporate America. For all that is purely football and untainted, I present this list…

1. Lambeau Field (Green Bay, Wisconsin)

St. Peters Basilica in Rome, the Sphinx in Egypt, Lambeau Field. Each place built to symbolize a national passion and a monument that has kept intact the very principles upon which it was constructed. Named City Stadium until 1965 when the decision was made to honor Packers’ founder E.L. Lambeau, the most revered structure in all of Wisconsin is the epitome of everything that is good and holy in football. Presumably the best possible site to take in a game, Lambeau offers a no-frills approach to the gridiron experience that is as real as its endless rows of steel, icicle-ridden bleachers. Plus, how cool would it be as a fan to walk into the tunnels of such a place knowing you are part owner of the team in which it resides?

2. Soldier Field (Chicago, Illinois)

Unique in its design as it is in its namesake, the old Soldier Field in Chicago was built with the same dedication and steadfastness that embodied those for which it was named. Completed in 1928 as a monument to those who gave their lives in World War I, Soldier Field was more than just an arena for championship football. Its iconic roman-like temples situated at the four corners featured detailed, distinctive columns that gave Soldier Field a feel of antiquity. Kudos to the Bears organization for centering the construction of Soldier Field II, completed in 2003, around the columns that highlight of an otherwise truly modern stadium.

3. Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)

The fact that this Midwestern marvel has a look and feel all its own is what makes it so special. And that’s probably a reason why Arrowhead Stadium is consistently full to the brim, making it one of the league’s hardest places to play year-in, year-out. In addition to offering a true football-purist experience inside its walls, Arrowhead is neighbor to a sprawling slab of concrete that serves as a haven for anxious Sunday afternoon tailgaters and makeshift field for many a pickup game. Luckily, the effects of the adult beverages take some of the pain out of getting tackled on the unforgiving gravel.

4. Ralph Walsh Stadium (Orchard Park, New York)

Based on principle alone, Ralph Wilson could possibly grab the top spot on the list when taking into account the fact that, after becoming one of the first to sell the naming rights of its stadium, the Buffalo Bills organization later realized the error of its ways. After bearing the name Rich Stadium (Rich Foods) for twenty five years, the proper decision was made to honor the Bills’ beloved owner. Despite having a capacity of nearly 80,000, Ralph Wilson Stadium manages to keep an intimate feel that almost gives it a college-like atmosphere that radiates pageantry and enthusiasm. Throw in the multi-colored array of ponchos that is the official dress code of rain-soaked Bills fans, and you got yourself something special.

5. Texas Stadium (Dallas, Texas)

While it’s nice sometimes to take in the elements that frequently make the game of football even that more riveting, perhaps it is even better, as a fan, to have the luxury of letting the players deal with the muck and mire while you sit under welcomed cover. The one-of-a-kind design used in engineering Texas Stadium likely won’t ever be seen anywhere else in the country, unless you count Arlington, Texas. The site for Dallas’ new $ 1 billion, state-of-the-art stadium, Arlington will be the new home of the Cowboys come the 2009 season. Lucky for us, the team has opted to stick with half dome, half open roof concept, albeit the retractable variety.

6. Louisiana Superdome (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Never one that has been too savvy at effectively following directions, it is conceivable that I would easily get lost while trying to find my seat in the expansive Superdome. This 70,000 plus seat monster, resembling an extraterrestrial mother ship rather than a multi-purpose building, suggests alien life forms suddenly got a hankering for a little Bourbon Street nightlife some 33 years ago. In addition to six Super Bowls, this amazing assembly of concrete and steel has played host to a multitude of events and housed some 30,000 New Orleans natives in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Superdome has come to take on the same resiliency that defines those who reside in southern Louisiana as it nears the end of its recovery from sustaining almost $200 million in damages as a result of the catastrophic disaster.

7. Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Many monikers have been conjured in an effort to accentuate the Metrodome’s shortcomings, including its infamous “Hefty bag” outfield wall and balloon-like roof that acts as a cornerstone in the building’s air-support system. But for those in Minneapolis who have been willing to overlook those faults for over two decades, the next four years will be a chance to say goodbye to the home of the Vikings and Twins since 1982. Negotiations are in place for the construction of a new 70,000 seat stadium at the site where the Metrodome stands and would carry a “hefty” price tag near $1 billion. Presumably fault-free, Vikings Stadium would feature a retractable roof as well as removable glass panes that would allow fans an obstruction-free glimpse of the Minneapolis skyline.

8. Giants Stadium at The Meadowlands (East Rutherford, New Jersey)

Remember the days when the Giants played at Yankee Stadium and the Jets at Shea Stadium. Neither do I. But for hard core fans of either team, the days when the two organizations didn’t share the same residence are not much of a distant memory. Since the completion of Giants Stadium in 1976, both New York franchises have pulled off the rather unconventional feat of playing their home games at the same stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. And it appears they will continue to do so for a very long time. After entertaining the idea of constructing two separate facilities, the Giants and Jets agreed in 2005 on plans to build New York Stadium, the 82,500 seat project that will be erected adjacent to the current home of both teams and scheduled to be completed in 2010. Old Giants Stadium will remain standing.

9. Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)

I don’t know if it was the atmosphere, the frequent celebrity sightings or just the fact that I had successfully escaped a Midwest winter in favor of what would be a colder northern Florida landscape, but I will always have a small place in my heart for the city of Jacksonville as a result of my trip there in 2005. Though Municipal Stadium is located on the edge of downtown Jacksonville, it serves as the crown jewel of the city skyline as it sits nears the banks of the St. John’s River. Called Alltel Stadium when it hosted Super Bowl XXXIX between the Patriots and Eagles, the home of the Jags is a vibrant place as the nearly 70,000 turquoise seats would suggest. For five straight days that year, smack talk was the native tongue for both New Englanders and Philadelphians alike. And, as both the squabbling and my trip came to an end, the unseasonably cool Florida weather moved out, making way for sunshine and warmer temperatures.–that figures.

10. Cleveland Browns Stadium (Cleveland, Ohio)

Former Cleveland cornerbacks Frank Minnifield and Hanford Dixon are credited with initiating the idea for the original ‘Dawg Pound’ that resided in the bleacher seats located in the end zone area of old Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Thousands of thrown milk bones and acts of drunkenness later, a slightly different, more white-collar cast of rabid Brownies fans now occupies the east end zone of Cleveland Browns Stadium nearly twenty-five years after the inception of this cult-like following. And now, with the sting that followed former owner Art Modell’s decision to move the team to Baltimore in 1996 surely dissipating, Cleveland fans of all ages and demeanors can take in a game in a top notch facility that likely won’t see its name compromised by corporation any time soon.

Stay tuned, as I’m sure version 2 of this list will change dramatically after more owners catch the luring scent of crisp non-consecutive hundred dollar bills fanned by the blow-hards that are corporate CEOs

Source: www.stadiumsofnfl.com

 

Tags: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL, stadium

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