2005 Stadium Expansion
The grand entrance to the new Suites and Club Seats on the west side of
Spartan Stadium will be well protected. Standing inside the three story,
glass-enclosed grand entrance will be the world's largest free-standing
ceramic statue... otherwise know as "Sparty". There are now 2 Sparty's. The
original is now inside the stadium in the glass entrance. The replica is in the
old location. The high ceiling, glass walls, marble floors and Sparty will greet
you upon entering this beautiful new facility.
Twenty-four Suites will be built in a new press tower that will be above the
west deck of Spartan Stadium. The Suites will hold between twelve and
twenty-four guests in extraordinary comfort with theater-style seating and a
living-room style seating area complete with television monitors, refrigerators,
elevator access and private restrooms. Each suite will be climate controlled
and have windows that open and close at the owner's discretion. There isn't
a better way to entertain your family, friends, business partners and clients
than watching Spartan Football from the luxury of the new Spartan Stadium
Suites. The total cost of the expansion is $64 million.
Spartan Stadium
Spartan Stadium opened in 1923 in East Lansing, Michigan. It is home of the Michigan
State University Spartans. With a capacity of 75,005, it is the Big Ten's fifth largest
stadium. It is regarded as one of the loudest stadiums in college football. Spartan
Stadium has been recognized as the 8th most scenic college football venue in the
country.
History
Starting in 1896, Spartan football was played in Old College Field near
Demonstration Hall. Then in the early 1920s school officials decided to
construct a new stadium to replace Old College Field. The resulting stadium
was ready in the fall of 1923 with a capacity of only 14,000. In 1935 the
seating capacity increased to 26,000 and the facility was dedicated as
Macklin Field. John Macklin, who was the football coach from 1911-15, put
Michigan State football on the map with a 29—-5 record over five seasons
with victories over big name programs such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio
State, Penn State and Wisconsin. After admittance into the Big Ten in 1948,
Michigan State increased stadium capacity to 51,000 and the field was
renamed Macklin Stadium. With the Spartan's success attracting national
attention under Clarence "Biggie" Munn and Hugh "Duffy" Daugherty, 9,000
seats were added in 1956. The following season upper decks were added to
the east and west ends boosting the capacity to 76,000. That same season
Michigan State dropped the name Macklin Stadium in favor of Spartan
Stadium.
In 1969, TartanTurf replaced the natural grass field and a modern
scoreboard was added in 1973. Later in the 1970s Astroturf replaced the
TartanTurf. A new modern video scoreboard was added before the 1991
season. Renovations improving sightlines, field security, handicap access
and club seats in 1994 reduced Spartan Stadium's capacity to 72,027. New
turf was also installed in the summer of 1994. In 1998 Spartan Stadium
upgraded their sound system, added a 21' x 27' Mitsubishi Diamond Vision
videoboard to the south end and a message board to the north end. Home
to the number one turfgrass research programs in the nation, Michigan State
installed a natural grass field in 2002. The most recent expansion was
completed in August 2005. A new pressbox, 24 luxury suites, and 862 club
seats were constructed on the west side of Spartan Stadium. This addition
made Spartan Stadium the tallest building in East Lansing.
Spartan Stadium with Astroturf during the 1992 season.
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Spartan Stadium debuting its new field turf in 2002.
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The 18,000 square foot luxury concourse from the 2005
expansion project.
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Tailgating
Tailgating at Spartan Stadium is a tradition that people take very serious. Popular locations include the tennis courts, "the rock", and
around the MSU library area on north campus. When alcohol at Munn Field was banned in 1998, students rioted. Open alcohol is
permitted on campus during tailgating hours, with the exception of Munn field.
Traditions at Spartan Stadium
- "A beautiful day for football" - as the public
address announcer gives the pregame weather
report in the stadium, it is always announced to
be "a beautiful day for football," no matter how
bad the weather is.
- "Thunderstruck" - the team enters the field with
AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" as the large television
screen plays a special video.
- 3rd quarter cheer - performed by the Spartan
Marching Band Drumline in the southeast
endzone between the third and fourth quarters.
- "Rowing" - after a touchdown students place their
hands on the student shoulder in front of them
and rock back and fourth producing a "wave like"
effect.
- Zeke the Wonder Dog - Zeke is a Frisbee
catching dog that is part of the half-time show. A
fan favorite.
Notable Facts about Spartan Stadium
- Spartan Stadium is so loud that Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus (1960) uses a recording
of the crowd noise during the 1959 Michigan State-Notre Dame game.
- The Spartans have ranked among the NCAA's top 20 in attendance each of the last 47
years.
- Michigan State's longest home winning streak was 19 games starting with a 33-14
homecoming victory over William & Mary on October 14, 1950 and ended with a 6-0
loss to Wisconsin on October 2, 1954.
- Spartan Stadium is the tallest structure in East Lansing, topping Hubbard Hall South
and Hubbard Hall North.
- The original, 14,000-seat stadium built in 1923 has undergone 3 major expansions, the
last of which added 16,000 seats in 1957.
- The original stadium was built in 1923 at a cost of $160,000. This would be the
equivalent of $1,767,582.59 in 2005.
- The largest attendance at a hockey match occurred at Spartan Stadium in 2001, MSU
vs U of M, the result was a tie. The match is known as the "Cold War."
Greatest Games at Spartan Stadium
- 1951 – v. Notre Dame – No. 5 ranked Michigan State blanks No. 11 ranked Notre Dame 35-0
before a national audience on NBC. The dominant victory propels Spartan football into the
national spotlight.
- 1953 – v. Michigan – Michigan State defeats Michigan for the first time in Spartan Stadium history
14-6 earning MSU a co-Big Ten championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl.
- 1966 – v. Notre Dame – "Game of the Century" ending in 10-10 tie. ND was ranked No. 1 and
MSU was ranked No. 2 for the entire season previous to the game.
- 1974 – v. Ohio State – unranked MSU upset undefeated and No. 1 ranked Ohio State, 16-13,
ruining the Buckeyes' national title hopes.
- 1987 – v. Michigan – Spartans defeat Michigan 17-11 for their first victory over the Wolverines in
East Lansing since 1969.
- 1987 – v. Indiana – MSU defeated Indiana 27-3 to win the Big Ten title and earn their first Rose
Bowl bid since the 1965 season. Lorenzo White rushed for a then NCAA record tying 56 attempts
for 292 yards.
- 1990 – v. Notre Dame – A stadium record crowd of 80,401 watch a fourth quarter lead slip away
against No. 1 ranked Notre Dame in a 20-19 loss.
- 1995 – v. Michigan – Tony Banks led an 88-yard drive and threw the winning touchdown to Nigea
Carter with 1:24 left in the game to win 28-25 over No. 7 ranked Michigan.
- 1998 – v. Notre Dame – before a national ABC primetime audience the Spartans jumped out to a
42-3 halftime lead en route to a 45-23 win.
- 2001 – v. Michigan – Quarterback Jeff Smoker finds T.J. Duckett in the endzone with no time
remaining in a 26-24 victory.
- 2004 – v. Wisconsin – Michigan State stunned the undefeated #4 Badgers 49-14, ending their
hopes of a National Championship.
The Beaumont Tower near Spartan Stadium.
This clock tower is one of the landmarks of
the beautiful Michigan State campus.
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MSU Spartans Football 2007 Season
MSU vs UAB - Win 55 - 18
Photos
MSU vs Bowling Green - Win 28 - 17
Photos
