Brown Stadium

Brown Stadium is a football stadium located in Providence, Rhode Island. It is the home of Brown University's football and outdoor track teams. The athletic teams at Brown University, known as the Bears, compete in the Ivy League.

Brown Stadium
Entrance to Brown Stadium on Sessions Street
Former namesBrown University Field
Location400 Elmgrove Ave, Providence, RI 02906
Coordinates41°50′32″N 71°23′40″W
OwnerBrown University
OperatorBrown University
Capacity20,000[1]
SurfaceGrass
OpenedOctober 24, 1925[2]
Tenants
Brown Bears (NCAA) (1925–present)

Location and description

Brown Stadium is located on Elmgrove Avenue in the city's East Side, approximately 3/4 of a mile from the rest of the athletic facilities and over a mile from the main campus. The architectural design features a trapezoid-shaped southwest stands and a smaller section of concrete bleachers on the northeast side. Stands sit on both sides of the field along with a running track. The press box traverses the entire top of the southwest stands, and the rear of the southwest side includes several ornate "B" logos and the university's seal, as well as two stone bear's heads on either end of the stands.

The stadium's current capacity is 20,000.[1] The largest crowd ever recorded at the stadium was for the Brown vs. Colgate game on Thanksgiving morning 1932; portable bleachers were brought in to accommodate 33,000 fans.[1]

History

In the early years of Brown sports, the football teams played at Adelaide Park in Elmwood or on the university campus.[1] In 1897, Brown was given land just west of Hope Street about a mile and a half north of campus, on which it built Andrews Field. This combined football/baseball field and running track was used from 1899 to 1925.[3]

Brown Stadium, originally known as Brown University Field, constructed on the other side of Hope Street and slightly to the south, was financed entirely by subscription.[1][4] The new field was dedicated on October 24, 1925, before a crowd of 27,000 spectators.[2][5] The north stands are considerably smaller than the south ones, designed to allow for future expansion to mirror the large south ones and bring the stadium's fixed seating capacity to 32,000, but this expansion was never constructed.[4] Adjacent to the field was Aldrich Baseball Field, and across Elmgrove Avenue was Marvel Gymnasium, completed in 1927.[4]

In 1978 the stadium was completely renovated as part of the football team's 100th anniversary. The original wooden benches were replaced with aluminum.[1] The concrete was restored and waterproofed, and the restrooms, press box, and graphics were painted. an underground sprinkler was installed.[1]

In 1991 a new home team locker room and reception room were constructed.[1]

The stadium's first night game was played on September 25, 2010, as Brown defeated Harvard, 29–14, before a crowd of 17,000 fans.[1]

View from the main grandstand looking toward the field and the visitors stands. Scoreboard at left. Cornell-Brown football game, Oct 20, 2018.

Notable events

Brown has had many successful teams since the stadium opened, including the Iron Man team of 1926, when eleven players played the entirety of two games and most of a third; the 1976, 1999, 2005, and 2008 Ivy League championship teams; as well as players such as Joe Paterno '50, former head football coach at Penn State, and several former NFL stars such as Don Colo of the Cleveland Browns and Steve Jordan of the Minnesota Vikings. The stadium hosted the Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship in 1976 and 1985 and two quarterfinal matches of the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship.

  • View from the grandstand, 2008
  • As seen in 2008
  • Brown vs. Cornell, Oct 20, 2018
  • Scoreboard
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See also

References
  1. "Brown Stadium". Brown University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  2. Widmer, Ted (2015). Brown : the history of an idea. New York: Thames & Hudson. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-500-25216-1.
  3. "Andrews Field". Encyclopedia Brunoniana.
  4. "October 24, 1925: Brown Stadium Dedicated". Brown University Timeline. Brown University. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  5. "Powerful Yale Eleven Outclasses Brown". The Brooklyn Standard Union. October 25, 1925. p. 22. Retrieved February 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
Preceded by
Rutgers Stadium		 Host of the College Cup
1964		 Succeeded by
Francis Field
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