Kenan Memorial Stadium

Building Description

Kenan Stadium has often been declared and voted as one of the most beautiful college football venues in the country. It sits in UNC’s central campus, nestled on three sides among hundreds of pine and dogwood trees. The structure is not enclosed, as the east end zone is left open and makes way for the Fieldhouse and the Rams Head Dining Hall. The stadium capacity is around 60,000, with two split-level seating areas. There are no individual seats in the general seating area, only rows of benches. Press boxes and sky-boxes surround the top of the stadium on each sideline. Behind the west end zone and underneath the seating concourse is the Kenan Football Center, designated to celebrate and honor the Carolina Football tradition or today and yesterday. Aside from hosting all Men’s Football home games, Kenan Stadium is often used for the Carolina Marching Band practice, annual 4th of July fireworks display, other sporting events (often including the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s championship football game), and musical concerts (most recently by Bruce Springsteen).

History

Kenan Stadium has been home to Tar Heel football since 1927. Since then, the stadium has undergone numerous changes and renovations, most recently an 8,000 seat expansion and LCD scoreboard/Jumbo-Tron addition in the late 1990’s-early 2000’s. Initially, William Rand Kenan, Jr. planned for the building to be a memorial for his parents. Total cost for the stadium back in the 1920’s came out to be around $300,000, which included the cost for the stadium as well as the fieldhouse, which rests behind the east end zone as a Student-Athlete Development Center. Originally, the building capped out at 24,000 seats; today, Kenan Stadium allows 60,000 fans to pour through its gates. The first game played in Kenan Stadium saw Carolina against in-state rival Davidson, resulting in a 27-0 victory for the “Boys in Blue.” Carolina’s all-time record in Kenan Stadium is 238-148-16.