Michigan Stadium, also called "the Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the largest stadium in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, the third-largest stadium in the world, and the 34th-largest sports venue globally. Its official seating capacity is 107,601, but it has held more than 115,000 people at times.
The stadium was built with special supports under the ground that could be used to expand its size in the future. Fielding Yost, a leader at the university, imagined a day when 150,000 seats might be needed. To save money during construction, the stadium was built smaller than Yost planned, but the supports for future growth were included.
Michigan Stadium is also used for the University of Michigan's main graduation ceremonies. President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke about his Great Society program during the 1964 graduation event at the stadium. It has hosted hockey games, including the 2014 NHL Winter Classic, where the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings played with an attendance of 105,491 people, a record for a hockey game. In 2014, a soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester United at the stadium had 109,318 attendees, a record for a soccer game in the United States.
History
Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 (about $13.8 million today) and originally held 72,000 people. Before the stadium was built, the Michigan football team played at Ferry Field. Since November 8, 1975, every home game has had more than 100,000 people in attendance, a record of over 300 games. On September 7, 2013, the game between Michigan and Notre Dame had 115,109 fans, the largest crowd for a college football game since 1948 and an NCAA single-game attendance record at that time.
Before Michigan Stadium, games were held at Ferry Field, which could hold up to 40,000 people. Fielding Yost, a leader at the university, wanted a larger stadium after Ferry Field’s expansions were not enough. He convinced the regents to build a permanent stadium in 1926. The stadium was modeled after the Yale Bowl and originally held 72,000 people, though Yost had wanted a capacity of 140,000. Temporary bleachers were added later, increasing the capacity to 82,000.
On October 1, 1927, Michigan played Ohio Wesleyan in the first game at the new stadium, winning 33–0. The stadium was officially dedicated three weeks later in a game against Ohio State on October 22. Michigan defeated Ohio State 21–0 in front of 84,401 fans. In 1930, electronic scoreboards were added, making Michigan Stadium the first in the United States to use them for official game time.
In 1956, a press box was added, increasing the stadium’s capacity to 101,001. One extra seat is said to be reserved for Fritz Crisler, the athletic director at the time. Since then, all official capacity numbers for the stadium have ended in "-01."
Before 1968, women and children were not allowed on the field. Sara Krulwich, now a photojournalist for The New York Times, was the first woman on the field. A longtime announcer called the stadium "The hole that Yost dug, Crisler paid for, Canham carpeted, and Schembechler fills every Saturday afternoon." Since November 8, 1975, every home game has had over 100,000 fans, though the game against Indiana on October 25, 1975, had 93,857 fans. Twenty-four of the 25 most attended NCAA games have been at Michigan Stadium. Much of the stadium is below ground level, making its size less obvious from the outside.
By the mid-1980s, the stadium was known as "The Big House," a nickname popularized by Keith Jackson.
Michigan’s game against Ball State on November 4, 2006, marked the 200th consecutive game with over 100,000 fans. The public address announcer, Howard King, traditionally thanked fans for being part of the largest crowd watching a football game in America.
On September 9, 2006, a lightning strike caused the first weather delay in the stadium’s history during a game against Central Michigan.
On September 3, 2011, a lightning delay led to the cancellation of a game against Western Michigan, the first time a Michigan football game was called due to weather. The stadium was evacuated, and the game ended shortly after.
In 2007, the University of Michigan approved a $226 million (about $328 million today) renovation and expansion project for the stadium. The project included replacing bleachers, widening aisles, adding handrails, and installing a new press box, 83 luxury boxes, and 3,200 club seats. Some students, alumni, and fans opposed the plan, but support grew as the project neared completion.
A disabled-veterans group sued the university in 2007, claiming the stadium’s design did not meet federal accessibility standards. In 2008, the university agreed to reduce the stadium’s official capacity to add more wheelchair-accessible seating, which was completed before the 2010 season.
Renovations in 2008 caused the University of Michigan’s graduation ceremony to be moved to the Diag.
In 2011, the university replaced the stadium’s scoreboard with new boards that measured 4,000 square feet each.
Michigan Stadium was rededicated on September 4, 2010, before the first home game of the 2010 season. The stadium’s capacity was listed as 109,901.
After the renovation, the stadium did not have permanent lights, though platforms for temporary lights were included. In 2010, the university approved adding permanent lights for $1.8 million (about $2.52 million today). The lights were first used in a men’s hockey game in December 2010. The stadium’s first night football game was in September 2011, when Michigan defeated Notre Dame 35–31.
In 2011, the University of Michigan’s lacrosse program became an NCAA varsity team. The team played most of its 2012 games at Michigan Stadium, including a match against Ohio State.
Before the 2023 season, new video boards were installed in the north and south end zones. Each board is 152 feet wide and 55 feet tall, making them the third-largest in college football. The boards were part of a $41 million renovation that also upgraded the production room, audio system, and introduced new LED stadium lighting.
The renovations also included replacing video boards at other university facilities, such as Alumni Field, Cliff Keen Arena, Phyllis Ocker Field, Ray Fisher Stadium, and U-M Soccer Stadium.
Seating and surface
The stadium originally held 72,000 people. Fielding Yost ensured the stadium's foundations could expand to hold more than 100,000 seats in the future. At first, all seats were wooden bleachers. These were replaced with permanent metal seats in 1949 by Fritz Crisler, who was the athletic director at that time. From 1927 to 1968, the stadium's field was covered in natural grass. In 1969, the field was changed to 3M TartanTurf to help players have better traction. However, this surface was considered hard on players' joints, so the stadium returned to natural grass in 1991. This also caused problems because the field's location near the water table made it difficult for grass to grow permanently. In 2003, the field was changed to FieldTurf, an artificial surface designed to feel like natural grass. In 2010, the field was upgraded to a newer version of FieldTurf called Duraspine.
Attendance records
Michigan Stadium holds the NCAA record for the highest average home attendance in a single season. This record was set in 2012, with an average of 112,252 fans per game. In 2023, the stadium had the highest average attendance per game (109,971) and the highest total attendance (769,797) for the season.
On September 7, 2013, Michigan Stadium had 115,109 fans for a game where Michigan defeated Notre Dame 41–30. This was the highest attendance for a college football game since 1948. Before NCAA attendance records were kept, a 1927 game between Notre Dame and USC at Soldier Field in Chicago is estimated to have drawn 117,000–123,000 fans. These records were later broken in 2016 when Tennessee and Virginia Tech played at Bristol Motor Speedway, drawing 156,990 fans.
Michigan Stadium also holds the record for the largest attendance at an NCAA Division II football game, which involved Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. In 1959, a stadium announcer began mentioning Slippery Rock in game updates because of its unusual name. This became a tradition, and Slippery Rock later played at Michigan Stadium in 1979, 1981, and 2014.
In 2010, a hockey game at Michigan Stadium called "The Big Chill at the Big House" had 104,173 fans, setting a record for hockey attendance. This record was broken on January 1, 2014, during the NHL’s 2014 Winter Classic, when 105,491 fans watched the Detroit Red Wings lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On August 2, 2014, a soccer match between Manchester United and Real Madrid at Michigan Stadium drew 109,318 fans, the largest crowd for a soccer game in the United States at that time. This surpassed the previous record set in 1984, when 101,799 fans watched France defeat Brazil at the Rose Bowl. Michigan Stadium also holds three of the top four U.S. soccer attendance records, including games in 2016 and 2018.
On February 12, 2025, the University of Michigan and musician Zach Bryan announced a concert at Michigan Stadium on September 27, 2025, with special guest John Mayer. Other performers included Ryan Bingham, The Texas Gentlemen, and Joshua Slone. This concert became the largest attended U.S. ticketed concert with a single headlining act, drawing 112,408 fans. It broke the previous record set by George Strait in 2024, which had 110,905 fans. This was the first concert at the stadium featuring a headlining act in its 98-year history.
Gallery
- Winter 2002: Michigan Stadium
- 2003: Graduation ceremony held at Michigan Stadium
- 2003: The stadium was full for an American football game
- 2002–2009: Exterior view of Michigan Stadium
- 2009: The team entered the stadium under the M Club banner while the Michigan Marching Band played a salute
- Michigan Marching Band's Block M display
- Completed east side structure, viewed from the first floor of the new Jack Roth Stadium Club
- Inside the second floor of the Jack Roth Stadium Club in the new east side structure
- Inside the dining room on the second floor of the Jack Roth Stadium Club in the new east side structure
- July 14, 2010: Renovated Michigan Stadium, looking west toward new premium seating and press facilities
- December 11, 2010: Opening face-off of The Big Chill at the Big House
- September 10, 2011: The new scoreboard before the stadium's first night game, Notre Dame vs. Michigan
- November 17, 2012: Michigan vs. Iowa at the start of the 2nd quarter
- August 2, 2014: Real Madrid vs. Manchester United friendly game, which set a record for the most fans to watch a soccer game in the United States