Nippert Stadium

From NCAA Wiki

Nippert Stadium

Facility Statistics
Location	Cincinnati, OH
Former Names	N/A
Broke Ground	1895
Opened	1902
Owner	University of Cincinnati
Operator
Tenants	N/A
Surface	Field Turf
Seating Capacity	35,000
Seating Chart	{{{Seating Chart Link}}}
Cost (USD)

Nippert Stadium is home to University of CincinnatiFootball. Nippert Stadium has been home to Bearcats football since 1902, making it the fourth-oldest playing site and fifth-oldest stadium in college football.

The stadium's founder was Arch Carson, who as captain and principal organizer, played a significant role in starting football on the UC campus in 1885. In 1901 as physical director of the university, Carson guided the construction of the field which was later named for him-the playing surface is still called Carson Field.

In 1916, construction began on a permanent brick-and-concrete stadium structure, which was completed, section-by-section, as funds were raised.

During the season-ending clash with rival Miami (Ohio) in 1923, Jimmy Nippert sustained a spike wound injury and died a month later from blood poisoning. His grandfather, James N. Gamble of Procter and Gamble, provided the funds needed to complete the horseshoe-shaped structure, and the James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium was dedicated on Nov. 8, 1924.

Nippert Stadium has undergone a series of expansions. In 1936, the playing field was lowered 12 feet to allow spectator seating to increase to 24,000. The Reed Shank Pavilion was added in 1954 to bring the capacity to 28,000. In 1991, the capacity was upped to 35,000 through extending the upper deck, now called the Herschede-Shank Pavilion, and a new pressbox was built.

Artificial turf was first installed in 1970 and in 2000, the stadium became one of the first in the U.S. to utilize FieldTurf. Early-century brickwork combined with wrought iron gates and trim give Nippert a comfortable old-time stadium charm and appeal, while continuing renovations have enabled it to remain a classic showplace for college football.