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Camp Randall Stadium

Coordinates: 43°4′12″N 89°24′46″W / 43.07000°N 89.41278°W / 43.07000; -89.41278
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Camp Randall Stadium
View from the north in 2021.
Madison is located in Wisconsin
Madison
Madison
Location in Wisconsin
Madison is located in the United States
Madison
Madison
Location in the United States
Location1440 Monroe Street
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Coordinates43°4′12″N 89°24′46″W / 43.07000°N 89.41278°W / 43.07000; -89.41278
Public transitBus interchange Metro Transit
OwnerBeau Pribula
OperatorUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
Capacity76,057 (2024–present)[1]

Former

List
    • 76,118 (2023)
    • 75,822 (2022)
    • 80,321 (2005–2021)
    • 82,123 (2004)
    • 76,634 (2001–2003)
    • 76,129 (1998–2000)
    • 77,745 (1991–1997)
    • 76,293 (1987–1990)
    • 77,280 (1966–1986)
    • 63,435 (1958–1965)
    • 52,788 (1955–1957)
    • 52,819 (1953–1954)
    • 51,000 (1951–1952)
    • 45,000 (1940–1950)
    • 36,000 (1937–1939)
    • 32,700 (1932–1936)
    • 38,293 (1926–1931)
    • 29,783 (1925)
    • 20,000 (1921–1924)
    • 11,900
SurfaceFieldTurf (2003–present)[1]
AstroTurf (1968–2002)
Natural grass (1917–1967)
Construction
Broke ground1917
OpenedNovember 3, 1917
107 years ago
Renovated2004,2022 (Only South Side)
Expanded1921, 1924, 1940, 1951, 1958,
1966, 2004
Construction cost$15,000
($356,727 in 2023 dollars[2])
ArchitectArthur Peabody[3]
Berners-Schober Associates, Inc.
(2005 renovation)
Tenants
Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA) (1917–present)
Website
camprandallstadium.com

Camp Randall Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. It has been the home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team in rudimentary form since 1895, and as a fully functioning stadium since 1917. It is the oldest and fifth largest stadium in the Big Ten Conference. The field has a conventional north–south alignment, at an approximate elevation of 880 feet (270 m) above sea level.

History

[edit]

The stadium lies on the grounds of Camp Randall, a Union Army training camp during the Civil War.[4][5] The camp was named after then Governor Alexander Randall, who later became Postmaster General of the United States.

Randall Field in 1904,
prior to stadium construction

After an outcry from veterans over plans to turn the site into building lots, the state bought it in 1893 and presented it to the university. Soon afterward, it was pressed into service as an athletic ground. It was originally used by the track and field team before the football and baseball teams moved there in 1895. The wooden bleachers were very difficult to maintain, and some were condemned as unsafe in 1914. The university then asked for $40,000 to build a concrete-and-steel stadium, and got $20,000. After three sections of bleachers collapsed during a 1915 game, the state readily granted the additional money. The new stadium opened for the first time on October 6, 1917. It consisted of 7,500 concrete seats—roughly corresponding to the lower portion of the current stadium's east grandstand—and 3,000 wooden seats from the old field.

After the wooden seats burned down in 1922, more permanent seats were added in stages until it consisted of a horseshoe opening to the south, with a running track around the field. The stadium was renovated at various points to raise the size of the horseshoe by nearly doubling the number of rows around the stadium in stages, placing south stands in front of the Wisconsin Field House (built in 1930), the removal of the track and addition of nearly 11,000 seats in 1958, the addition of the upper deck on the west side in 1966, and finally the 2005 addition of boxes along the eastern rim of the stadium.

Originally natural grass, the field was one of the first in the United States to convert to artificial turf in 1968.[6][7][8] Superturf was installed in 1980,[9] and a new AstroTurf field was installed in 1990,[10] and replaced in 1998.[11] A new type of artificial grass, infilled FieldTurf, was installed for the 2003 season, replaced after the spring term in time for the 2012 season.[12]

The stadium also houses athletic offices of the university. In 2002, a large-scale reconstruction project commenced, which added luxury boxes, a five-story office building, and separate football program offices. In addition, concessions, restrooms and other infrastructure items were upgraded, the walkway around the field was removed, and new scoreboards were installed. The construction was completed prior to the start of the 2004 season. The football team continued to play at the stadium throughout the construction.

Also during this period of reconstruction at the stadium, changes were made to the visiting team locker room. Known as one of the best visiting team locker rooms in the Big Ten Conference, it was initially painted a bright pink, a color thought to affect the play of the visiting team (similar to Iowa's pale pink visiting locker room). The UW Athletic Dept. decided that the color may irritate the opposing team and had the room painted a pale shade of blue called "prison blue", named for the shade of paint used in Wisconsin Department of Corrections facility cells, which is intended to have a "calming effect." Since this change, the Badgers have had a 43–4 home record.

Camp Randall scoreboard at Movie Night 2013
Camp Randall scoreboard at Movie Night 2013

The numbers of Wisconsin's two Heisman Trophy winners, Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne, are displayed on the upper deck façade. Both of their numbers (35 and 33, respectively) are retired; The retired numbers of Elroy Hirsch (40), Dave Schreiner (80), Allan Shafer (83), and Pat Richter (88) were added during the 2006 football season.[13]

At Barry Alvarez's final game as head coach in 2005, plans were announced to place a statue of him in the Stadium's Kellner Plaza. The bronze statue was unveiled in 2006 on October 13. On November 17, it was joined by a similar statue of former UW athlete and athletic director Pat Richter.[14]

Announced in the fall of 2010 and completed in January 2014, the Student Athlete Performance Center, an expansion of Camp Randall to the north, included a new scoreboard, academic and strength training facilities, multimedia instructional space, lower-level football team access tunnel, and renovated locker rooms, shower rooms and equipment space. The new scoreboard is 50 by 170 feet (15 by 52 m) and the Daktronics screen is 4,271 square feet (396.8 m2) (per @BadgerFootball), with two smaller screens flanking either side.[15]

In 2018, a plan was announced to build premium seating in the south end zone (replacing existing bleacher seating), replace the artificial turf, upgrade utilities, and improve the press box. These projects were completed over the summer of 2022, cutting the stadium's capacity from 80,321 down to its current number of 75,822.[16] With the 2024 expansion of the Big Ten and its new television contract adding new evening games to the schedule deep into November, and the possibility of hosting College Football Playoff games, UW–Madison replaced the field after the 2023 season with a heated surface and winterization measures which will allow it to continue hosting games until the end of the year. The scoreboard will also have additional panels added on to replace traditional static advertising hoardings.[17]

Crush

[edit]
November 2006
See also: 1993 Wisconsin Badgers football team

On October 30, 1993, Wisconsin defeated the Michigan Wolverines, 13–10, for the first time since 1981. As the final gun sounded, students began to charge the field to celebrate, but were blocked by the guardrails surrounding the field. The crowd in the back, not aware of what was going on at the front, continued to move forward, aided by gravity. Those in front were crushed against the rails and then trampled when the rails finally gave way and the throng spilled onto the field.[18] There were no fatalities, but 73 students were injured, six of them critically.[19] Several Badgers football players assisted with removing the injured from the tangle. Per Mar Security (stadium security) and the University of Wisconsin were later found liable for this situation.[20]

As a result, design changes were made in the stadium that increased the size and strength of the fences. Stadium personnel also received training to help them better handle a field rush. A field rush after a defeat of no. 1 Ohio State on October 16, 2010, showed that the measures taken after 1993 worked, as only one minor injury took place.[21][22]

Off-the-field traditions

[edit]

Badger football events at Camp Randall Stadium include numerous traditions. Some of these include:

The Fifth Quarter

[edit]

In 1969, the Badgers had lost 24 straight games, and Michael Leckrone took over the Wisconsin Marching Band. Working with athletic director Elroy Hirsch, Leckrone and the band created a fan event called "The Fifth Quarter", that took place at the end of the game.

Songs typically played during the Fifth Quarter include "On Wisconsin", "You've Said It All" (also known as the "Bud" song, referring to its beginning as a jingle in a Budweiser beer commercial), "Space Badgers" (A variation on the opening to Also sprach Zarathustra), "Dance Little Bird" (The Chicken Dance), "Beer Barrel Polka", "Tequila", and "Hey Baby." Many spectators remain in the stands for 20 minutes after the game to enjoy the performance. Many of the songs are associated with specific choreography in which the band, cheerleaders and the audience all participate.

At the end of the Fifth Quarter, the band lines up to play "Varsity" as the spectators sing. The band then exits the field via the north entrance to perform more and sing "It's Hard to Be Humble", after which the band marches to the Mosse Humanities Building, where it is dismissed.

The Fifth Quarter was officially named in 1978, and its traditions have been passed down since then.

Leckrone directed his final "Fifth Quarter" performance on November 24, 2018, after a 50-year career as director of the band.[23]

Badger fans fill the stadium during a 2005 football game with Michigan

"Jump Around" tradition

[edit]

Another tradition at UW football games is the "Jump Around", where fans dance to the House of Pain song of the same name. This takes place between the third and fourth quarters. The tradition began during the 1993 football season with the men's swim team smuggling in a megaphone and discman and playing the song to rile up sections O and P. The media start was on Saturday, October 10, 1998, at the Badgers' Homecoming game against the Purdue Boilermakers.[24] After no offensive points were scored in the third quarter, the Badgers' marketing agent in charge of sound piped the song through the loudspeakers.[25] It stirred up fans and players and has become a tradition of the last decade.

On September 6, 2003, (the Badgers' first home game of the season), with construction of the skyboxes surrounding the stadium, UW officials decided to cancel the "Jump Around" tradition that had been a staple for five years. Stadium security and the local police department had been informed of this decision, but no notification had been given to the fans.[26] As the fourth quarter began and students realized there had been no "Jump Around", they became upset. Some jumped around without the requisite music. Then an entire section sat down in protest, a majority directed their middle finger at the sound booth, and a chant of "Fuck the sound guy" began. Sitting down was particularly significant as the student section generally stands on the bleachers while the team is playing. Chanting and booing continued through the majority of the fourth quarter. With 6:29 to go in the game, Lee Evans scored on a 99-yard play and led the Badgers to a victory.

When news surfaced on Monday, September 8, 2003, that this event was not a technical or human malfunction, but rather a decision by campus officials, the students launched a protest. Petitions circulated and students pushed back against administration. Structural engineers confirmed that the stadium could withstand the vibrations created by jumping. Two days later, Chancellor John D. Wiley announced that the "Jump Around" tradition would resume.[27]

Other uses

[edit]
Packers host the Denver Broncos at Camp Randall on August 23, 1999

The stadium is also used by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association for its state football championships.

NFL

[edit]

The Green Bay Packers played twelve exhibition games at Camp Randall, which, up until 2013, had a larger seating capacity than the Packers' home stadium, Lambeau Field. The series began in 1986, shortly after the Chicago Bears began to use nearby University of Wisconsin-Platteville as a training camp site. The most recent pre-season Packers game at Camp Randall was played in 1999.

Hockey

[edit]
Men's ice hockey match

The University of Wisconsin men's and women's ice hockey teams each played an outdoor hockey game at Camp Randall Stadium on February 6, 2010, as part of the Culver's Camp Randall Hockey Classic. The Wisconsin women defeated Bemidji State 6–1, while the Badger men beat Michigan 3–2.

Entertainment

[edit]

Camp Randall has also hosted a number of major concerts.

Date Artist Opening act(s) Tour / Concert name Attendance Revenue Notes
May 20, 1988 Pink Floyd — A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour 45,132 / 55,000 $902,640
June 9, 1992 Genesis — We Can't Dance Tour — —
September 13, 1992 U2 Big Audio Dynamite II
Public Enemy		 Zoo TV Tour 62,280 / 62,280 $1,868,400
July 3, 1994 Pink Floyd — The Division Bell Tour 60,960 / 60,960 $1,942,780
August 26, 1994 The Rolling Stones Bryan Adams
Blind Melon
Lenny Kravitz		 Voodoo Lounge Tour 51,201 / 51,201 $2,420,485
June 25, 1997 U2 Fun Lovin' Criminals PopMart Tour 34,002 / 40,000 $1,701,045
October 6, 1997 The Rolling Stones Blues Traveler Bridges to Babylon Tour 27,087 / 35,000 $1,460,425
July 19, 2025 Coldplay — Music of the Spheres World Tour — —

Complex

[edit]

The Camp Randall athletic complex includes three additional facilities: the Field House, home to the UW basketball teams until January 1998, and now the wrestling and women's volleyball teams; the Dave McClain Athletic Facility, an indoor football practice facility named for the late Badgers football coach, Dave McClain, which also houses locker rooms for football, men's and women's track, and soccer, and strength and conditioning, sports medicine, and academic services; and the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center ("The Shell"), which contains a 200-meter indoor track that surrounds facilities for intramural sports. The indoor track is used by the UW track teams during their indoor seasons. The Shell also houses a practice ice sheet.

Longest home winning streaks

[edit]
Rank Started Snapped Streak
1st October 31, 2009 October 27, 2012 21
2nd September 9, 2006 October 4, 2008 16
3rd October 29, 2016 September 15, 2018 12
4th September 4, 2004 November 12, 2005 11
5th September 6, 2014 October 3, 2015 10
T-6th October 31, 1953 October 1, 1955 9
T-6th November 18, 1961 October 26, 1963 9
T-8th October 4, 1930 October 3, 1931 8
T-8th September 12, 1998 September 25, 1999 8
T-8th September 7, 2019 December 5, 2020 8

[1]

Note: Streaks do not include ties.

Largest crowds

[edit]

The following are the ten largest crowds in stadium history:

  • 1. 83,184 November 12, 2005 vs Iowa
  • 2. 83,069 November 6, 2004 vs #24 Minnesota
  • 3. 83,022 September 24, 2005 vs #13 Michigan
  • 4. 82,828 October 22, 2005 vs Purdue
  • 5. 82,630 September 22, 2007 vs Iowa
  • 6. 82,468 October 23, 2004 vs Northwestern
  • 7. 82,352 November 10, 2007 vs #13 Michigan
  • 8. 82,330 October 1, 2005 vs Indiana
  • 9. 82,306 October 2, 2004 vs Illinois
  • 10. 82,179 September 25, 2004 vs Penn State
[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Camp Randall Stadium" (PDF). Wisconsin Football: 2024 Fact Book. Wisconsin Badgers. August 19, 2024. p. 245. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ Levitan, Stuart D. (2006). Madison: 1856–1931. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press. p. 196. ISBN 0-299-21674-8. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  4. ^ Merk, Frederick (July 30, 1916). "State's lesson in Civil War". Milwaukee Journal. Wisconsin Historical Society. p. 4. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  5. ^ Davenport, Don (May 31, 1982). "A northern resting place for the Confederacy's dead". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1, part 1. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  6. ^ "UW Considering Artificial Grass at Camp Randall". Milwaukee Journal. UPI. April 30, 1967. p. 3, sports. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  7. ^ "Camp Randall Will Get Turf". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. July 13, 1968. p. 15. Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  8. ^ "Synthetic Grass at UW Passes 1st Test". Milwaukee Sentinel. September 10, 1968. p. 1, part 2. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  9. ^ "Camp Randall Makeover Puttin' on the Glitz". Milwaukee Journal. July 24, 1990. p. C2. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  10. ^ Jone, Richard P. (March 9, 1990). "New Turf for Camp Randall Backed". Milwaukee Journal. p. 7B. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  11. ^ Sandin, Jo (October 23, 1998). "UW Delivers a Piece of Gridiron Action". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 2B. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  12. ^ Guiher, Joshua (June 14, 2012). "Wisconsin Turf Finished at Camp Randall Stadium". Collegiate Stadiums. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  13. ^ Baggot, Andy (August 17, 2006). "Count Again, UW It Retired 4 Numbers But Will Display 5". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  14. ^ "Richter's Jersey Number to be Retired". The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. November 3, 2006. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  15. ^ "Daktonics Screen Size". June 18, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  16. ^ Milewski, Todd D. (August 22, 2018). "Here's where the Wisconsin Badgers are looking at facility renovations". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  17. ^ Radcliffe, JR (5 December 2023). "With eye on expanded playoffs, Wisconsin begins implementing heated field at Camp Randall Stadium". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  18. ^ Jones, Richard P. (November 1, 1993). "Police chief won't say if officers hit students". Milwaukee Journal. p. A6. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  19. ^ "State inspectors check out Camp Randall". Ludington Daily News. Michigan. Associated Press. November 4, 1993. p. 14.
  20. ^ Carleton, Gwen (January 7, 1999). "Justices Hear 'Stampede' Case". The Capital Times. Madison. p. 3A.
  21. ^ "Thirty-Five Arrested, More Than 100 Ejected From Ohio State Game But No Serious Injuries". Wisconsin State Journal. October 17, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  22. ^ Rainey, Ryan; Zettel, Jen (October 17, 2010). "Students Rush Field, Memories of 1993 Crush Fizzle". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  23. ^ Jones, Meg (2018-11-24). "After 50 years leading UW marching band, Mike Leckrone leaves Camp Randall". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  24. ^ Greater Bucky Open – Camp Randall Stadium, Accessed June 3, 2008. Archived July 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine[dead link]
  25. ^ Brown, Jen (September 30, 2005). "Wisconsin Football: More Than a Game". ABC News. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
  26. ^ Orris, Michelle (September 8, 2003). "Kiss 'Jump Around' Goodbye". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
  27. ^ "'Jump Around' Tradition Returns to Student Section". University of Wisconsin-Madison. September 10, 2003. Retrieved June 3, 2008.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Mattern, Carolyn J. Soldiers When They Go: The Story of Camp Randall, 1861–1865. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1968.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Camp Randall Stadium.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
wooden stadium on present site
 Host of the
Wisconsin Badgers
1917 – present 		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by Host of the
Drum Corps International
World Championships
1985 – 1987
1992
1999
2002
2006 		Succeeded by
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