Peden Stadium
Peden Stadium Interior
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| Former names | Ohio University's Athletic Plant (1929–1946) |
|---|---|
| Location | Richland Avenue & South Green Drive Athens, OH 45701 |
| Coordinates | 39°19′16″N 82°6′10″W / 39.32111°N 82.10278°WCoordinates: 39°19′16″N 82°6′10″W / 39.32111°N 82.10278°W |
| Owner | Ohio University |
| Operator | Ohio University |
| Capacity | 24,000 |
| Surface |
FieldTurf 2002 to present Natural grass 1929 to 2001 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1927 |
| Opened | October 5, 1929 |
| Renovated | 2001 |
| Expanded | 1986, 2001 |
| Construction cost |
$185,000 ($2.58 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | Osborn Engineering Company |
| Tenants | |
| Ohio Bobcats (NCAA) (1929-present) | |
Peden Stadium is an American football stadium on the banks of the Hocking River in Athens, Ohio. The "Crowned Jewel" of the MAC, It has been the home of the Ohio Bobcats football team since 1929, and today has a capacity of 24,000. Peden Stadium is the oldest college football venue in the Mid-American Conference and among the oldest in the nation. It has been designated as an official Ohio historical site.
Serving Ohio University for eight decades, the facility, originally known as Ohio Complex, not to be mistaken with the one in Columbus, was built at a cost of $185,000 and was completed in 1929. Viewed as the "Wrigley Field" of college football due to its intimate and picturesque setting, the stadium originally sat only 12,000 fans with grandstands on each side of the playing field. The first ever game at the venue featured a 14-0 Bobcats victory over archrival Miami University in front of a sellout crowd. Following the retirement of legendary Ohio football coach Don Peden in 1946, the stadium was renamed Peden Stadium. Although a smaller stadium, It was designed by Osborne Architects, who designed illustrious early Americana style brick composed sports venues such as Yankee Stadium.
The "Bobcat's Lair" has undergone several modifications through the years. In 1986, the seating capacity was increased to 19,000 with the addition of two new grandstands in the north end zone. Four years later, a five story tower, called the Peden Tower, was added to the stadium's west side. Today, this state-of-the-art facility houses press boxes, game day suites, football offices, athletic training facilities, team meeting rooms, a recruiting lounge, a ticket office, the football locker room, and Ohio Athletics' academic services and compliance departments. In 1999, a new 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) strength and conditioning center called The Carin Center was added to the ground level of Peden Stadium.
Several other historic events have occurred at the Stadium, including a visit by then President Lyndon B. Johnson, as well as an event which featured a landing by helicopter on the 50-yard line by former President Eisenhower. The stadium has served as a venue for many visiting national collegiate teams including the Big Ten. A bronze life-sized sculpture of an OHIO Bobcat, commissioned by a well known naturalist artist, stands poised at the north of the stadium.
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Wikipedia