Former capacity :
134-634: Kenan Stadium (formerly Kenan Memorial Stadium and commonly known as Kenan ) is a college football stadium located on Stadium Drive in Chapel Hill, North Carolina . Opened in 1927, it is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 's (UNC) football team , which competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference . The facility replaced Emerson Field , where the school's football program had been based since 1916. Plans for
268-505: A 0–0 tie. The Army–Navy game of 1893 saw the first documented use of a football helmet by a player in a game. Joseph M. Reeves had a crude leather helmet made by a shoemaker in Annapolis and wore it in the game after being warned by his doctor that he risked death if he continued to play football after suffering an earlier kick to the head. In 1879, the University of Michigan became the first school west of Pennsylvania to establish
402-463: A 56-game undefeated streak that included a 1902 trip to play in the first college football bowl game , which later became the Rose Bowl Game . During this streak, Michigan scored 2,831 points while allowing only 40. Organized intercollegiate football was first played in the state of Minnesota on September 30, 1882, when Hamline was convinced to play Minnesota . Minnesota won 2 to 0. It
536-413: A better facility to showcase a resurgent football program, which had gone from consecutive 1–10 seasons in 1988 and 1989 to a run of success not approached since the 1940s. The stadium was lacking in many areas. For instance, Kenan was one of the few Division I stadiums not to have permanent seating in at least one end zone; the only end zone seats at the time were the portable bleachers added in 1963. Also,
670-404: A bronze tablet in the stadium. All other donors would get their names placed on plaques with other similar donation levels. On November 13, 1926, 1894 graduate William R. Kenan Jr. donated $ 275,000 to build a new football stadium on campus in a meeting with then school president Harry Woodburn Chase , Charles T. Woollen, and two members of the fundraising team organized to run a campaign to fund
804-399: A century were replaced with individual seats, reducing capacity to 50,500. The stadium switched the playing surface from natural grass to a RootZone synthetic grass surface manufactured by AstroTurf for the 2019 season. William R. Kenan, to whom (along with his wife) the stadium was dedicated since its construction in 1927, was involved with the white supremacist Red Shirts who conducted
938-514: A college football team. On May 30, 1879, Michigan beat Racine College 1–0 in a game played in Chicago. The Chicago Daily Tribune called it "the first rugby-football game to be played west of the Alleghenies ." Other Midwestern schools soon followed suit, including the University of Chicago , Northwestern University , and the University of Minnesota . The first western team to travel east
1072-818: A couple football division championships of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association each year. On August 11, 1990 an event called "Carolina Kickoff II" was held in the stadium by future owner and founder of the Carolina Panthers Jerry Richardson . It was done to help show the Carolinas could support a professional team in the National Football League . The contest was between the Atlanta Falcons and
1206-447: A great deal to Harvard's rugby. They decided to play with 15 players on each team. On November 13, 1875, Yale and Harvard played each other for the first time ever, where Harvard won 4–0. At the first The Game (as the annual contest between Harvard and Yale came to be named) the future "father of American football" Walter Camp was among the 2000 spectators in attendance. Walter, a native of New Britain, Connecticut , would enroll at Yale
1340-416: A half a day due to weather. Prior to receiving the final layer of top soil, the field received an underground wiring system that will allow for flood lighting to be used in the stadium for "night spectacles" and also included telephone and telegraph wires. Architects Atwood-Nash and Woollen made plans for a covered area for press members to write up reports, use the typewriter and transmit reports by radio. By
1474-548: A liking to the rugby game, and its use of the try which, until that time, was not used in American football. The try would later evolve into the score known as the touchdown . On June 4, 1875, Harvard faced Tufts University in the first game between two American colleges played under rules similar to the McGill/Harvard contest, which was won by Tufts 1–0. The rules included each side fielding 11 men at any given time,
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#17327835050151608-530: A new academic support center in place of Kenan Field House, plus anywhere from 5,000 to 15,000 additional seats. The new seats would be added in the east end zone, turning the stadium into a bowl. Plans would have to be approved by the chancellor and the board of trustees, and would almost certainly require a fundraising effort by the Rams Club. No specific timetable was set, but Baddour said that he hoped to begin construction within 18 months. This "masterplan"
1742-501: A new code of rules based on the rugby game first introduced to Harvard by McGill University in 1874. Three of the schools—Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton—formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, as a result of the meeting. Yale initially refused to join this association because of a disagreement over the number of players to be allowed per team (relenting in 1879) and Rutgers were not invited to
1876-503: A player to pick up the ball and run with it whenever he wished. Another rule, unique to McGill, was to count tries (the act of grounding the football past the opposing team's goal line; there was no end zone during this time), as well as goals, in the scoring. In the Rugby rules of the time, a try only provided the attempt to kick a free goal from the field. If the kick was missed, the try did not score any points itself. Harvard quickly took
2010-465: A professional roster spot as an undrafted free agent . Despite these opportunities, only around 1.6% of NCAA college football players end up playing professionally in the NFL. Even after the emergence of the professional National Football League (NFL), college football has remained extremely popular throughout the U.S. Although the college game has a much larger margin for talent than its pro counterpart,
2144-655: A rate of 500 a day..." for the upcoming match against Virginia. The tickets were planned to be first be mailed out on November 15. Plans were being made at this time for a large police force to be present for the Virginia game to hep with traffic and directing the spectators. Kenan Memorial Stadium opened for the first game on November 12, 1927, when the Tar Heels faced the Davidson Wildcats at 2 PM local time where tickets were $ 1.50. Around 9,000 spectators attended
2278-510: A rougher version of football called "the Boston Game" in which the kicking of a round ball was the most prominent feature though a player could run with the ball, pass it, or dribble it (known as "babying"). The man with the ball could be tackled, although hitting, tripping, "hacking" and other unnecessary roughness was prohibited. There was no limit to the number of players, but there were typically ten to fifteen per side. A player could carry
2412-533: A round ball instead of a rugby-style oblong ball. This series of games represents an important milestone in the development of the modern game of American football. In October 1874, the Harvard team once again traveled to Montreal to play McGill in rugby, where they won by three tries. In as much as Rugby football had been transplanted to Canada from England, the McGill team played under a set of rules which allowed
2546-408: A six-week delay. This delay also led those to believe that seeding would not take place and instead grass would be brought in and planted. Concrete was ready to be poured into the wooden formers on the east side of the project. By mid-June, the seats were being made at a rate of 500 per day which is the amount of seats in one section, the stadium was to hold 48 all together. In addition, the excavation
2680-640: A span of two floors. However, the most significantly visible portion of the renovation was the addition of 2,980 seats. The additional seats in the end zone, named the Blue Zone, would be "1,836 seats in the Concourse Club just a few feet from the field, 824 seats in the Upper Club/Loge on the fourth floor and 320 seats in 20 suites on the fifth floor". The individual suites, each of which has 16 seats, will sell for $ 50,000 per year. Each seat in
2814-440: A stadium that will seat comfortable the large crowds that come to Chapel Hill for the big games. The Tar Heel in a column on November 16, 1927 commenting on Kenan's donation After Kenan's donation, there was still no decision over where the exact location of the stadium would be. The Board of Trustees committee on buildings planned to met on Monday November 29, 1926 to determine the location. The location south of campus at
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#17327835050152948-1068: A subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company ) in Niagara Falls, New York . Between 1899 and 1900, he helped develop Florida 's east coast with oilman Henry Flagler . This included the construction of the Florida East Coast Railway and the Florida East Coast Hotel Company, including the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida . In 1901, Flagler married Kenan's sister, Mary Lily Kenan. In 1904, William Kenan married Alice Pomroy, whom he had met at Flagler's home. After Flagler's death in 1913, Mary Lily and Flagler's surviving two sisters inherited his estate. In 1917, Mary Lily died and Kenan inherited most of Flagler's estate. He moved to Lockport, New York , his wife Alice's hometown, and ran
3082-537: A team be required to advance the ball a minimum of five yards within three downs. These down-and-distance rules, combined with the establishment of the line of scrimmage, transformed the game from a variation of rugby football into the distinct sport of American football. Camp was central to several more significant rule changes that came to define American football. In 1881, the field was reduced in size to its modern dimensions of 120 by 53 1 ⁄ 3 yards (109.7 by 48.8 meters). Several times in 1883, Camp tinkered with
3216-624: A ticket to hear former University President Graham, Kennedy's brother and United States Senator Ted , and Kennedy's mother Rose speak. Between 1963 and 1971, the university held festival at the end of the spring term called Jubilee and as the event grew several performances took place in Kenan Stadium in 1969 and 1970. Aside from the Jubliee, Kenan Stadium has hosted several concerts throughout its history: Jimmy Buffett (1979), The Spinners (1979), The Beach Boys (1980), Joan Jett and
3350-577: A victory celebration was planned to be hosted in Kenan, but was instead held at the Dean Smith Center because of rain. For several years Kenan hosted a fireworks display on July 4, but this was moved away from the stadium in 2019 because of increased costs to protect the stadium's artificial turf. In addition, there were some safety concerns after one fireworks was deflected off the stadium's barrier walls, but none were harmed. The stadium hosts
3484-512: A youth, he excelled in sports like track , baseball, and association football, and after enrolling at Yale in 1876, he earned varsity honors in every sport the school offered. Following the introduction of rugby-style rules to American football, Camp became a fixture at the Massasoit House conventions where rules were debated and changed. Dissatisfied with what seemed to him to be a disorganized mob, he proposed his first rule change at
3618-495: Is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football first gained popularity in the United States . Like gridiron football generally, college football is most popular in the United States and Canada. While no single governing body exists for college football in the United States, most schools, especially those at
3752-529: Is generally considered to be the second tier of American and Canadian football; ahead of high school competition , but below professional competition . In some parts of the United States, especially the South and Midwest , college football is more popular than professional football. For much of the 20th century, college football was generally considered to be more prestigious than professional football. The overwhelming majority of professional football players in
3886-503: Is growing, and we've got to look a long way ahead." After the meeting two additional sites were being considered: one 400 feet down from the ravine and southeast of the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery . By December 3, surveyors were working on the two new sites, as well as the original proposed location in the ravine, and they were to prepare reports for the committee's meeting the following Monday. The site 500 feet down from
4020-449: Is seven in the 1980 and 2015 seasons. The most home losses in one season is six in the 2002 and 2017 seasons. In total there have been two winless seasons: 1952 (0–4) and 2002 (0–6). Aside from hosting college football events the stadium has been used for several purposes. It serves as the venue for the spring commencement ceremonies for the school. United States Presidents John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton both spoke in
4154-684: Is widely regarded as having originated with a game played in Montreal, in 1865, when British Army officers played local civilians. The game gradually gained a following, and the Montreal Football Club was formed in 1868, the first recorded non-university football club in Canada. Early games appear to have had much in common with the traditional " mob football " played in Great Britain. The games remained largely unorganized until
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4288-465: The Longleaf pine and oak trees to reach the stadium. The site of the new stadium was believed to be roughly 600 feet from the proposed library. Many traveled to visit the construction site when it began. By February the steam shovel had been joined by three tractors to help move the dirt and crews had started working double shifts with the main goal of building up the northeast end of the field where
4422-566: The NFL and other leagues previously played college football. The NFL draft each spring sees 224 players selected and offered a contract to play in the league, with the vast majority coming from the NCAA . Other professional leagues, such as the CFL and UFL , additionally hold their own drafts each year which also see primarily college players selected. Players who are not selected can still attempt to obtain
4556-693: The Old Main lawn on campus in State College, Pennsylvania . They compiled a 12–8–1 record in these seasons, playing as an independent from 1887 to 1890. In 1891, the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Football Association (PIFA) was formed. It consisted of Bucknell University , Dickinson College , Franklin & Marshall College , Haverford College , Penn State, and Swarthmore College . Lafayette College , and Lehigh University were excluded because it
4690-532: The Virginia Cavaliers and won 14–13. The North Carolina football team had been playing in Emerson Field since 1916 and by the mid-1920s the stadium, which sat 2,400 was too small for demand. When the school played their annual rivalry game against Virginia in 1925, 16,000 fans stood on the sideline or sat in wooden bleachers which were not "favorably situated" to view the game. The issue
4824-538: The Washington Redskins , where the Falcons won 31–27. On July 19, 2023 Kenan hosted a friendly between Chelsea F.C. and Wrexham A.F.C. as a part of the 2023 Florida Cup , where Chelsea won 5–0. In 2024, Kenan hosted a friendly between Manchester City and Celtic which Man. City lost 4-3. College football NAIA : NJCAA : College football ( French : football universitaire )
4958-596: The Wilmington insurrection of 1898 . In 2018, the university removed the dedication plaque and renamed the venue Kenan Stadium in honor of Kenan Jr. who made the original donation. Through the 2022 season the Tar Heels have played 95 seasons at Kenan Stadium earning a record of 317–198–16 (0.612) during that period. In that time, the Tar Heels won two Southern Conference football championships ( 1946 and 1949 ) and five Atlantic Coast Conference football championships ( 1963 , 1971 , 1972 , 1977 , and 1980 ). After
5092-401: The 19th century, when intramural games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football. Princeton University students played a game called "ballown" as early as 1820. In 1827, a Harvard tradition known as "Bloody Monday" began, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes. In 1860, both the town police and
5226-597: The 2011 season. In 2003, a modern scoreboard with video capability was added in front of Kenan Field House. The next addition came before the 2007 season, when the old matrix boards on the sidelines were replaced with ribbon boards. In December 2006, the Chapel Hill Town Council approved changes to UNC's development plan that included at least 8,800 additional seats for Kenan Stadium. In October 2007, athletic director Dick Baddour announced plans for extensive renovations to Kenan Stadium. Plans called for
5360-521: The 40-yard lines, expanding capacity to 52,000. Part of the 1987-88 project were a permanent lighting system, a chancellor's lounge on the north side of the field and a football lettermen's lounge on the south side. The lights are part of a General Electric low-mount system which minimizes the height of the lightpoles. Cost of the entire project was $ 7 million. It was funded by private gifts and bonds. The stadium's biggest renovation project to date took place from 1995 to 1998. Head coach Mack Brown wanted
5494-810: The ACC divided into two divisions, the Atlantic and Coastal, North Carolina won the Coastal division twice in 2015 and 2022, but failed to win the ACC Championship Game each time. North Carolina's football team has gone undefeated at home eight times: 1927 (2–0), 1935 (4–0), 1939 (5–0), 1972 (6–0), 1974 (6–0), 1980 (7–0), 1996 (5–0), and 2015 (7–0). Including ties, the Tar Heels had an additional four seasons with an undefeated home record: 1930 (3–0–2), 1942 (3–0–1), 1946 (4–0–1), and 1948 (4–0–1). The most home victories obtained in one season
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5628-464: The Blackhearts (1982), U2 (1983), Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five (1983), and Bruce Springsteen (2003), among others. Following the men's basketball team following their victory in the 1982 National Championship game, the stadium hosted a welcome home celebration for the team where over 20,000 fans attended. Following the school's victory in the 1993 national championship game ,
5762-525: The College of New Jersey, in the first collegiate football game . The game more closely resembled soccer than football as it is played in the 21st century. It was played with a round ball , and used a set of rules suggested by Rutgers captain William J. Leggett , based on The Football Association 's first set of rules , which were an early attempt by the former pupils of England's public schools, to unify
5896-770: The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City to codify the first set of intercollegiate football rules. Before this meeting, each school had its own set of rules and games were usually played using the home team's own particular code. At this meeting, a list of rules, based more on the Football Association's rules than the rules of the recently founded Rugby Football Union , was drawn up for intercollegiate football games. Old "Football Fightum" had been resurrected at Harvard in 1872, when Harvard resumed playing football. Harvard, however, preferred to play
6030-577: The Florida East Coast Railway. He made the donation in memory of his parents Mary Hargrave and William Rand Kenan for the stadium to be called Kenan Memorial Stadium. With Kenan's donation, the fundraising campaign was now unnecessary. When the donation was made, the exact location of the stadium had not been determined. The stadium was to feature 12,000 seats on each side, to seat 24,000 in total. The endzones were to have no seats in order to have no bad seats and allow air to pass through
6164-561: The NFL, are not permitted by the NCAA to be paid salaries. Colleges are only allowed to provide non-monetary compensation such as athletic scholarships that provide for tuition, housing, and books. With new bylaws made by the NCAA, college athletes can now receive "name, image, and likeness" (NIL) deals, a way to get sponsorships and money before their pro debut. Modern North American football has its origins in various games, all known as "football", played at public schools in Great Britain in
6298-688: The North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina . On November 13, 1887, the Virginia Cavaliers and Pantops Academy fought to a scoreless tie in the first organized football game in the state of Virginia . Students at UVA were playing pickup games of the kicking-style of football as early as 1870, and some accounts even claim that some industrious ones organized a game against Washington and Lee College in 1871, just two years after Rutgers and Princeton's historic first game in 1869. But no record has been found of
6432-422: The Tar Heels hosted the Virginia Cavaliers for their 31st annual meeting. The stadium was completely full, 28,000-30,000 fans attended the matchup, which meant over 3,000 had to stand to view the game or peer through fences. While honoring Kenan, approximately 200 students wearing blue and white spelled out "K-E-N-A-N" on the field and said "We thank you" three times as they had nine rahs. John Sprunt Hill presented
6566-570: The Thompson Co. to use for when making the stands. Due to the amount of blasting done by the Teer company, some of the excavation workers began calling it "Teer Stadium" as he was believed to have lost around $ 10,000 by May 1927. Within two weeks of this report, the Graduate manager Woollen stated November 1 was the tentative finish date and most of the rock had been blasted away and in total led to
6700-606: The Western Block Company, the largest maker of block and tackle in the United States. He maintained Randleigh Farm, a model dairy farm for research with Jersey cattle . He spent the rest of his life writing and donating resources to philanthropic endeavors. In 1944, Kenan was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of North Carolina. Kenan died in 1965. In 1986, the Kenan Center
6834-428: The ball only when being pursued. As a result of this, Harvard refused to attend the rules conference organized by Rutgers, Princeton and Columbia at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City on October 20, 1873, to agree on a set of rules and regulations that would allow them to play a form of football that was essentially Association football; and continued to play under its own code. While Harvard's voluntary absence from
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#17327835050156968-481: The ball was advanced by kicking or carrying it, and tackles of the ball carrier stopped play – actions of which have carried over to the modern version of football played today Harvard later challenged its closest rival, Yale, to which the Bulldogs accepted. The two teams agreed to play under a set of rules called the "Concessionary Rules", which involved Harvard conceding something to Yale's soccer and Yale conceding
7102-473: The bench seating). This allows them to seat more fans in a given amount of space than the typical professional stadium, which tends to have more features and comforts for fans. Only three stadiums owned by U.S. colleges or universities, L&N Stadium at the University of Louisville , Center Parc Stadium at Georgia State University , and FAU Stadium at Florida Atlantic University , consist entirely of chair back seating. College athletes, unlike players in
7236-474: The center. Later changes made it possible to snap the ball with the hands, either through the air or by a direct hand-to-hand pass. Rugby league followed Camp's example, and in 1906 introduced the play-the-ball rule, which greatly resembled Camp's early scrimmage and center-snap rules. In 1966, rugby league introduced a four-tackle rule (changed in 1972 to a six-tackle rule) based on Camp's early down-and-distance rules. Camp's new scrimmage rules revolutionized
7370-470: The changing of the leaves colors. The trees cut were to be fed into the saw mill to provide planks for seating. A steam shovel located in Carrboro, North Carolina was at the ready to be used once the land was cleared. Engineers in the planning phase felt the whole process would take ten months. The committee met on the 29th, but adjourned the meeting without making a decision and those planned to meet again
7504-563: The city of New Haven , banned the play of all forms of football in 1860. American football historian Parke H. Davis described the period between 1869 and 1875 as the 'Pioneer Period'; the years 1876–93 he called the 'Period of the American Intercollegiate Football Association'; and the years 1894–1933 he dubbed the "Period of Rules Committees and Conferences". On November 6, 1869, Rutgers University faced Princeton University , then known as
7638-545: The club levels range from $ 750 to $ 2,500 per season. Furthermore, the construction of a new concourse in front of the Carolina Student-Athlete Center for Excellence would allow fans to move around the entire perimeter of Kenan Stadium for the first time. The exterior of the new section is similar in appearance to the Bell Tower. The 2011 renovation and expansion fully enclosed the stadium for
7772-489: The college authorities agreed the Bloody Monday had to go. Harvard students responded by going into mourning for a mock figure called "Football Fightum", for whom they conducted funeral rites. The authorities held firm, and it was another dozen years before football was once again played at Harvard. Dartmouth played its own version called " Old division football ", the rules of which were first published in 1871, though
7906-400: The concrete being poured on the dirt, it was steamrolled. The stands were planned to have 41 rows of seats. In late February and early March, the excavation team led by Teer began to encounter large amount of granite rock and were forced to dynamite the blocks and then remove the pieces with chains and Caterpillar tractors. By mid-March, T. C. Atwood felt the excavation was over halfway and
8040-404: The concrete would be laid by June 1 and the stadium was on track be done by their target date. At this point, the playing field's middle section was completed and settling. A group of four students were bombarded with stone following a dynamite blast as they wandered around the southern woods of campus, which led to the crew sounding a horn before firing to alert surrounding areas and people. None of
8174-477: The creation of the Durham Stadium Committee and a sub-committee whose goal was to determine the exact needs for the school and to prepare a report to deliver to a general alumni meeting that will be held at the same hotel on June 4 at noon, with lunch to follow. It was hoped that the meeting would be largely attended since commencement was to happen around it. In the days preceding the meeting,
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#17327835050158308-483: The current stadium's sideline seats—seated 24,000 people. However, temporary bleachers were added to the end zones to accommodate overflow crowds, allowing Kenan to accommodate over 40,000 people at times. This happened fairly often over the years, especially during the Choo Choo Justice era of the late 1940s. At the time it was built, it was located on the far southern portion of campus, but expansions over
8442-563: The deaths of US Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Kennedy, memorials were held in their honor at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Roosevelt's service was held on April 14, 1945 where over 6,000 people attended and university President Frank Porter Graham spoke regarding the deceased. The service in honor of Kennedy was held on May 17, 1964 and was held in part to raise money for the Kennedy Memorial Library on Harvard University 's campus. Over 10,000 people attended and paid $ 10
8576-412: The eastern stands were poured and only some minor finishing touches remained. In total it was completed three months prior to the original finish date, with construction taking seven months total. Around the middle of August, the grass in the center of the field was reportedly off to a "good start" believed to be due to the soil used and a "vigorous fertilizer." The Washington Douglas fir wooden seats half
8710-472: The end of February, the field was almost completely leveled. T. C. Thompson and Bros. started construction once the excavation was finished. In total about 55,000 cubic yards of dirt was relocated and the stadium was projected to have around 4,000 cubic yards of concrete. All of the concrete provided for the project came from the Atlas Portland Cement company. Final gift total $ 300,000. Prior to
8844-403: The event which saw the Tar Heels win the game 27–0. Edison Foard scored the new stadium's first touchdown six minutes into the game. Dr. William Chambers Coker , who was a botanist and had previously worked with trees and shrubbery around campus, helped out with enhancing the appearance of the new stadium. On November 24, 1927, the stadium was officially opened and dedicated during a game where
8978-421: The field. A quarter-mile "cinder track" around the field was planned to be used to host the school's track and field events. In addition, the stadium will host band concerts, commencement, and other attractions. The Tar Heel wrote that donations had been progressing and Kenan's donation ended the campaign, which was great as the stadium could be finished "in ten months instead of perhaps two or three years." Work
9112-593: The first game in Virginia. On April 9, 1880, at Stoll Field , Transylvania University (then called Kentucky University) beat Centre College by the score of 13 + 3 ⁄ 4 –0 in what is often considered the first recorded game played in the South . The first game of "scientific football" in the South was the first instance of the Victory Bell rivalry between North Carolina and Duke (then known as Trinity College) held on Thanksgiving Day , 1888, at
9246-404: The first meeting he attended in 1878: a reduction from fifteen players to eleven. The motion was rejected at that time but passed in 1880. The effect was to open up the game and emphasize speed over strength. Camp's most famous change, the establishment of the line of scrimmage and the snap from center to quarterback , was also passed in 1880. Originally, the snap was executed with the foot of
9380-522: The first time in its history. This facility houses the Loudermilk Center for Student Excellence as well as 3,000 additional premium club, suite seating and lounge areas in the east end zone, bringing total stadium capacity to 63,000. As part of this addition, HD video boards were installed on each end of the stadium. In 2016, new ribbon boards and updated concessions were added. In 2018, the metal bleachers that had been in place for almost half
9514-404: The first time. The Yale team was coached and captained by David Schley Schaff, who had learned to play football while attending Rugby School . Schaff himself was injured and unable to play the game, but Yale won the game 3–0 nonetheless. Later in 1872, Stevens Tech became the fifth school to field a team. Stevens lost to Columbia, but beat both New York University and City College of New York during
9648-447: The following Monday. The site in the ravine had been ruled out because it was thought that when the university expanded further south that "noisy athletic celebrations would be too near the precincts devoted to scholarly pursuits," in particular a library to be built. The decision was pushed back in part because of President Chase's absence and as one committee member stated "It's too important a question to be settled hastily. The University
9782-454: The following year. By 1873, the college students playing football had made significant efforts to standardize their fledgling game. Teams had been scaled down from 25 players to 20. The only way to score was still to bat or kick the ball through the opposing team's goal, and the game was played in two 45-minute halves on fields 140 yards long and 70 yards wide. On October 20, 1873, representatives from Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers met at
9916-431: The game dates to at least the 1830s. All of these games, and others, shared certain commonalities. They remained largely "mob" style games, with huge numbers of players attempting to advance the ball into a goal area, often by any means necessary. Rules were simple, and violence and injury were common. The violence of these mob-style games led to widespread protests and a decision to abandon them. Yale , under pressure from
10050-404: The game, though not always as intended. Princeton, in particular, used scrimmage play to slow the game, making incremental progress towards the end zone during each down . Rather than increase scoring, which had been Camp's original intent, the rule was exploited to maintain control of the ball for the entire game, resulting in slow, unexciting contests. At the 1882 rules meeting, Camp proposed that
10184-636: The highest levels of play, are members of the NCAA . In Canada, collegiate football competition is governed by U Sports for universities. The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (for colleges) governs soccer and other sports but not gridiron football. Other countries, such as Mexico , Japan and South Korea , also host college football leagues with modest levels of support. Unlike most other major sports in North America , no official minor league farm organizations exist for American football or Canadian football . Therefore, college football
10318-433: The immediate commencement on construction of the "Carolina Student-Athlete Center for Excellence", a $ 70 million expansion that would replace Kenan Field House. The entire project was funded by private donations and the selling of club seats and individual suites. This facility would be a combination of an academic center, "Carolina Leadership Academy", Olympic sports' strength and conditioning center, and visitor lockers within
10452-408: The land falls away. The playing field was announced to be planted June 1, which then required frequent maintenance to be ready in time for use on Thanksgiving Day. Throughout the construction process many people came to watch the process take place throughout all times of the day. Since the start of January, the superintendent of T.C. Thompson & Bros. spoke that since January, the crews had only lost
10586-472: The last two decades of the 19th century. Several major rivalries date from this time period. November 1890 was an active time in the sport. In Baldwin City, Kansas , on November 22, 1890, college football was first played in the state of Kansas . Baker beat Kansas 22–9. On the 27th, Vanderbilt played Nashville (Peabody) at Athletic Park and won 40–0. It was the first time organized football played in
10720-462: The locker rooms were somewhat cramped by 1990s standards. Several generous gifts resulted in the addition of a new playing field and a brand-new facility for the football team, the Frank H. Kenan Football Center, named for the great-grandson of the stadium's original benefactor. The Kenan Center included a memorabilia section showcasing the football program's history. The most visible addition, however,
10854-498: The meeting made it hard for them to schedule games against other American universities, it agreed to a challenge to play the rugby team of McGill University , from Montreal , in a two-game series. It was agreed that two games would be played on Harvard's Jarvis baseball field in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 14 and 15, 1874: one to be played under Harvard rules, another under the stricter rugby regulations of McGill. Jarvis Field
10988-415: The meeting. The rules that they agreed upon were essentially those of rugby union at the time with the exception that points be awarded for scoring a try , not just the conversion afterwards ( extra point ). Incidentally, rugby was to make a similar change to its scoring system 10 years later. Walter Camp is widely considered to be the most important figure in the development of American football. As
11122-452: The mid-19th century. By the 1840s, students at Rugby School were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as rugby football . The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges. The first documented gridiron football game was played at University College , a college of the University of Toronto , on November 9, 1861. One of
11256-730: The nearest college to play football. It took place at Hamilton Park in New Haven and was the first game in New England. The game was essentially soccer with 20-man sides, played on a field 400 by 250 feet. Yale wins 3–0, Tommy Sherman scoring the first goal and Lew Irwin the other two. After the first game against Harvard, Tufts took its squad to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine for the first football game played in Maine . This occurred on November 6, 1875. Penn 's Athletic Association
11390-407: The next three seasons were shot off behind the west end zone. The stadium was first expanded in 1963, when Kenan (who died in 1965) donated $ 1 million to double-deck the sideline seats and add permanent bleachers to the end zones, expanding capacity to 48,000. A seating adjustment in 1979 boosted capacity to 50,000. In 1988, the old press box and chancellor's box were replaced by 2,000 seats between
11524-620: The next year. He was torn between an admiration for Harvard's style of play and the misery of the Yale defeat, and became determined to avenge Yale's defeat. Spectators from Princeton also carried the game back home, where it quickly became the most popular version of football. On November 23, 1876, representatives from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia met at the Massasoit House hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts to standardize
11658-593: The north end in the valley between entry gates. It was confirmed that the Carolina–Virginia game would be where the stadium is dedicated. In the week preceding the Davidson game, the goal posts were placed and painted white and the pedestrian walkways around the stadium were covered in gravel . The field house's scaffolding was removed and the red tile roof was placed. As the stadium's first game approached, Woollen stated that "Orders for seats are now pouring in at
11792-419: The participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was William Mulock , later chancellor of the school. A football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play then are unclear. In 1864, at Trinity College , also a college of the University of Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland and Frederick A. Bethune devised rules based on rugby football. Modern Canadian football
11926-408: The project was also planned. This includes new club-level seats around the perimeter of the stadium, a new suite level above the club seats, a much larger press box, and a brick facade encircling the outside of the stadium. Construction of this phase has not been scheduled, however, due to budgetary constraints. On May 27, 2010, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees approved
12060-452: The ravine was chosen and during the meeting, the committee walked through the future site where areas had been staked marking limits of the field and the stands. Woollen, who was on the committee, reaffirmed the prior statements that the stadium would be completed before Thanksgiving 1927. By December 9, most of the undergrowth had been removed and some tree felling had started. The tree stumps were to be "grubbed up," dynamited, or removed with
12194-489: The rules of their various public schools. The game was played at a Rutgers Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey . Two teams of 25 players attempted to score by kicking the ball into the opposing team's goal. Throwing or carrying the ball was not allowed, but there was plenty of physical contact between players. The first team to reach six goals was declared the winner. Rutgers won by a score of six to four. A rematch
12328-625: The rules were changed to allow tackling below the waist, and in 1889, the officials were given whistles and stopwatches. After leaving Yale in 1882, Camp was employed by the New Haven Clock Company until his death in 1925. Though no longer a player, he remained a fixture at annual rules meetings for most of his life, and he personally selected an annual All-American team every year from 1889 through 1924. The Walter Camp Football Foundation continues to select All-American teams in his honor. College football expanded greatly during
12462-431: The rules were formulated before the game. William R. Kenan Jr. William Rand Kenan Jr. (April 30, 1872 – July 28, 1965) was an American chemist, engineer, manufacturer, dairy farmer, and philanthropist. William Rand Kenan Jr. was born in Wilmington, North Carolina , on April 30, 1872, son of William Rand Kenan (1845–1903) and Mary Hargrave. His father, who became a trustee of the University of North Carolina,
12596-464: The score board, while the east stands housed the Governors Box at te top. On July 27, two tons of fertilizer was spread over the field, with the grass previously sowed, it was estimated the grass would sprout by the middle of August. T. C. Thompson used a Bermuda grass and lawn grass which was found best for football fields at the time. The stadium was completed on August 6, when the last of
12730-591: The score of this contest. Washington and Lee also claims a 4 to 2 win over VMI in 1873. On October 18, 1888, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 6 to 4 in the first intercollegiate game in the state of North Carolina . On December 14, 1889, Wofford defeated Furman 5 to 1 in the first intercollegiate game in the state of South Carolina . The game featured no uniforms, no positions, and
12864-431: The scoring rules, finally arriving at four points for a touchdown, two points for kicks after touchdowns , two points for safeties, and five for field goals . Camp's innovations in the area of point scoring influenced rugby union's move to point scoring in 1890. In 1887, game time was set at two-halves of 45 minutes each. Also in 1887, two paid officials—a referee and an umpire —were mandated for each game. A year later,
12998-427: The sheer number of fans following major colleges provides a financial equalizer for the game, with Division I programs – the highest level – playing in huge stadiums, six of which have seating capacity exceeding 100,000 people. In many cases, college stadiums employ bench-style seating, as opposed to individual seats with backs and arm rests (although many stadiums do have a small number of chair back seats in addition to
13132-531: The south side of the project. In addition, the playing field was near ready for planting after hundreds of truckloads brought a total of 10,000 cubic yards of sand and topsoil. A parapet was constructed 15 feet behind the eastern stands. This building was expected to be completed in early September. The west stand was to house at the top of the press box, while the edge of the field would have telephones placed so that reporters can have exact yardage, plays, penalties, and more relayed to them. The south end zone housed
13266-420: The south stands are reserved for students. The student section of the west end zone is popularly known as the "Tar Pit"—a name applied to the entire stadium during the late 1990s. From 2007 to 2010, fireworks were shot from atop Kenan Field House whenever the Tar Heels took the field, as well as after every score and win. They were removed in 2011, but reinstated in 2012 after Larry Fedora 's arrival, and for
13400-430: The spectators' view on midfield. In total the stadium was to be 500 feet in length and the distance from the back of each set of stands to the other was 480 feet. Parking was planned to be hosted on the open athletic fields as the trees surrounding the stadium were to be kept to "preserve the beauty of the woods," which meant fans would get to the stadium on foot. The underbrush was to be cleared to allow for walkways through
13534-414: The stadium around the 50 yard line to be sold to persons willing to donate $ 100 per seat and receive the seat of choice for 10 years. Three tiers of donation levels were created: donors giving between $ 100 and $ 1000 would be known as "Subscribers", those giving between $ 1,000 and $ 5,000 would be "Donors," and those giving above $ 5,000 would be called "Founders." Any "Founder" would have their name placed on to
13668-512: The stadium began as attendance increased. Ground was broken on the stadium in December 1926 and work completed in August 1927. The stadium hosted its first game on November 12, 1927, when the Tar Heels faced the Davidson Wildcats , where the Tar Heels won 27–0 in front of 9,000 spectators. On November 24, 1927, the stadium was officially opened and dedicated during a game where the Tar Heels hosted
13802-503: The stadium in 1961 and 1993, respectively. On October 12, 1961, Kennedy spoke in a fourteen minute speech to a crowd of around 32,000 in Kenan Stadium as he accepted an honorary law degree from the university. President Clinton spoke before a crowd of over 50,000 on Tuesday night October 12, 1993 where he urged the passage of the Brady Bill , while also discussing health care reform and family medical leave, among other topics. Following
13936-554: The stadium plans were rumored to cost around $ 500,000 and the stadium was planned to seat 35,000 people in a horseshoe shaped venue that was immediately south of Emerson Field in a natural amphitheater. The plans were readily accepted by the General Alumni Association and Alumni Monogram Club and the meeting confirmed the estimated cost of $ 500,000, but the seating capacity was estimated to be around 33,500 with an ability to later increase capacity to 55,500. The goal
14070-407: The stadium to Governor of North Carolina Angus Wilton McLean and the board of trustees in a speech that talked of the Kenan family generosity over the years including the formation of the Kenan trust and the starting of the first university power plant . McLean spoke, accepting the new stadium and made similar remarks towards Kenan Jr. Kenan did not make a speech at the event. The entire dedication
14204-490: The stadium. While at North Carolina, Kenan played for the baseball team all four years and the football team for two. Kenan performed research in the summer with Professor Francis Preston Venable where the two, along with other students, discovered calcium carbide 's formula and how to make acetylene gas from it. At the time of donation, Kenan was a chemical and electrical engineer in New York City and president of
14338-413: The state for a convocation place for large gatherings." At the time the stadium could not seat the entire student body and had the smallest stadium of all regional schools for those with "similar importance." Interest was growing for students to attend athletic events at the time. In addition, the school desired to schedule larger Southern institutions like Alabama , Georgia , and Tulane , among others. At
14472-487: The state of Tennessee . The 29th also saw the first instance of the Army–Navy Game . Navy won 24–0. Rutgers was first to extend the reach of the game. An intercollegiate game was first played in the state of New York when Rutgers played Columbia on November 2, 1872. It was also the first scoreless tie in the history of the fledgling sport. Yale football starts the same year and has its first match against Columbia,
14606-463: The steam shovel. Once those were removed, the grading process was to begin. The dynamited earth will be collected and dumped into the lower levels. A brook flowed through the ravine at the time and a concrete culvert was constructed to bypass the stadium. Due to the ongoing construction around the university, a rock crusher was already present around campus was thought to have saved time. The stands made of brick were to be curved slightly in order to center
14740-520: The students were injured. As the excavation stretched into April, it was slowing down. The blasts impact broke nearby university windows at Old East , Swain Hall, and the Campus YMCA and nearby private homes' windows and fine china , who began to protest and reach out to the Teer company. This led to the reduction in the amount of dynamite being used to lower the blast size. By early May, the blasting
14874-515: The time larger schools avoided playing smaller schools since the gate receipts were split between teams. Larger teams would avoid smaller schools since they could not afford the difference in gate receipt revenue. A meeting was held at Washington Duke Hotel in Durham, North Carolina on Monday May 24, 1926 to start a fundraising drive to raise money for a new stadium that North Carolina was in "dire need" of to host its athletic events. The meeting led to
15008-427: The time, a ravine, was highly thought to be the location of choice. It was believed by building in this location would cheapen the construction costs compared to building it on a level ground. The location is covered with dense woods, so clearing the landing will be the first part. It was believed that there still would be several trees that would be left around the stadium, which would allow for some beautiful sights with
15142-466: The two schools organized a game for October 23, 1869, but it was rained out. Students of the University of Virginia were playing pickup games of the kicking-style of football as early as 1870, and some accounts even claim it organized a game against Washington and Lee College in 1871; but no record has been found of the score of this contest. Due to scantiness of records of the prior matches some will claim Virginia v. Pantops Academy November 13, 1887, as
15276-436: The width of the concrete steps were next to be installed and Douglas were chosen for their durability. The seats were painted once before being installed and received a second coat after being placed into the concrete with iron brackets. Four restrooms were to be placed behind each set of stands. The whole stadium area was surrounded by a wire fence from Charlotte's General Equipment company and concrete pillars were constructed on
15410-524: The years have resulted in the stadium now being near the center of campus. Local architect TC Atwood designed the stadium; he would later design Georgia 's Sanford Stadium along lines similar to Kenan. The largest crowd to see a game at Kenan—and the largest to see a game on-campus in the state of North Carolina—was a standing-room-only throng of 62,000 when the Tar Heels hosted the Florida State Seminoles in 1997. The largest paid crowd
15544-406: Was 8,000 new seats in the west end zone, which turned the stadium into a horseshoe . Also added was a "preferred seating box" atop the north stands. Due to state law, only 6,000 of the new end zone seats were available in 1997. Capacity dropped to 48,500 in 1996, but leaped to 57,800 in 1997. The other 2,200 seats were added in 1998, bringing the stadium to a capacity of 60,000, not eclipsed until
15678-457: Was a Civil War veteran, customs collector, life insurance agent, and wholesale merchant. He was a brother of Sarah Graham Kenan and a grandson of Owen Rand Kenan . Kenan graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1894 and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon . He started his career by establishing plants for acetylene production in the United States, Australia, and Germany. In 1896, he worked for Union Carbide (now
15812-458: Was a crowd of 62,000 that saw the Tar Heels face Duke in 2013. The 1991 season opener versus Cincinnati and the Clemson game, which was televised nationally by ESPN, were UNC's first true night home games in school history. The Tar Heels football team sold out every game from 1992 to 1999, and also sold out all but one game of Butch Davis 's tenure. Most of the west end zone and three sections of
15946-473: Was also the first time one team scored over 100 points and the opposing team was shut out. The next week, Princeton outscored Lafayette 140 to 0. The first intercollegiate game in the state of Vermont happened on November 6, 1886, between Dartmouth and Vermont at Burlington, Vermont . Dartmouth won 91 to 0. Penn State played its first season in 1887, but had no head coach for their first five years, from 1887 to 1891. The teams played its home games on
16080-512: Was at the time a patch of land at the northern point of the Harvard campus, bordered by Everett and Jarvis Streets to the north and south, and Oxford Street and Massachusetts Avenue to the east and west. Harvard beat McGill in the "Boston Game" on the Thursday and held McGill to a 0–0 tie on the Friday. The Harvard students took to the rugby rules and adopted them as their own, The games featured
16214-504: Was broadcast on the radio as the teams warmed up before the start of the game. The game started five minutes late. North Carolina won in large part due to an extra point by Captain Garrett Morehead who made both extra points after each score. The game notably saw Carolina's Jimmy Ward and Virginia's George Taylor tried to fight and were expelled from the game as the game was close to ending. The original stadium—the lower level of
16348-445: Was completed and the steam shovel was removed. The progress made by the crews allowed the university to move the completion date up to October 15. Sand and topsoil were brought in over the next few weeks and laid across where the playing field would be. The final stands of the east section were poured on July 9. At this point, it was confirmed there wer plans to erect a building to house lockers, showers, and fitting rooms for both teams on
16482-521: Was divided into two phases; phase one covering the west end zone and two covering the east end zone. The first phase consisted of adding a fifth floor (for recruiting and media space) along with remodeling the existing offices and team spaces in the Kenan Football Center. Approved on July 23, 2008, by the board of trustees for $ 50 million, Phase I renovations were completed on August for the 2009 Football Season. A third and final phase of
16616-538: Was felt they would dominate the Association. Penn State won the championship with a 4–1–0 record. Bucknell's record was 3–1–1 (losing to Franklin & Marshall and tying Dickinson). The Association was dissolved prior to the 1892 season. The first nighttime football game was played in Mansfield, Pennsylvania on September 28, 1892, between Mansfield State Normal and Wyoming Seminary and ended at halftime in
16750-558: Was founded at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It houses the Kenan Institute for the Study of Private Enterprise as well as the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust and William R. Kenan Jr. Fund . Moreover, he provided the funds for Kenan Memorial Stadium and it was named, at his request, in honor of his parents. When it was revealed that his father participated in the murder of innocent African Americans during
16884-562: Was looking to pick "a twenty" to play a game of football against Columbia. This "twenty" never played Columbia, but did play twice against Princeton. Princeton won both games 6 to 0. The first of these happened on November 11, 1876, in Philadelphia and was the first intercollegiate game in the state of Pennsylvania . Brown entered the intercollegiate game in 1878. The first game where one team scored over 100 points happened on October 25, 1884, when Yale routed Dartmouth 113–0. It
17018-542: Was played at Princeton a week later under Princeton's own set of rules (one notable difference was the awarding of a "free kick" to any player that caught the ball on the fly, which was a feature adopted from The Football Association's rules; the fair catch kick rule has survived through to modern American game). Princeton won that game by a score of 8 – 0. Columbia joined the series in 1870 and by 1872 several schools were fielding intercollegiate teams, including Yale and Stevens Institute of Technology . Columbia University
17152-592: Was so great for some fans that they refused to attend any more football games in Chapel Hill until the seating issue was resolved. Captain Isaac Edward Emerson , who was now living in Baltimore, Maryland , offered in late 1925 to give $ 22,000 to improve Emerson Field. The Winston-Salem Journal wrote that the stadium was needed for increasing attendance demand, hosting intramurals, and "the need of
17286-457: Was still being performed and superintendent of the excavation T. L. Higgs felt the excavation phase would not be done by July 1. This would push the targeted finish date to around January 1 from October 1. It was believed ten-fold of the blasting was done relative to initial estimates. The Teer company lost heavily with the contract because greater need for blasting. The company utilized a rock crusher to reduce 6,000 cubic yards of rock and sold it to
17420-617: Was the 1881 Michigan team , which played at Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The nation's first college football league, the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (also known as the Western Conference), a precursor to the Big Ten Conference , was founded in 1895. Led by coach Fielding H. Yost , Michigan became the first "western" national power. From 1901 to 1905, Michigan had
17554-656: Was the first game west of the Mississippi River . November 30, 1905, saw Chicago defeat Michigan 2 to 0. Dubbed "The First Greatest Game of the Century", it broke Michigan's 56-game unbeaten streak and marked the end of the "Point-a-Minute" years. Organized collegiate football was first played in the state of Virginia and the south on November 2, 1873, in Lexington between Washington and Lee and VMI . Washington and Lee won 4–2. Some industrious students of
17688-488: Was the third school to field a team. The Lions traveled from New York City to New Brunswick on November 12, 1870, and were defeated by Rutgers 6 to 3. The game suffered from disorganization and the players kicked and battled each other as much as the ball. Later in 1870, Princeton and Rutgers played again with Princeton defeating Rutgers 6–0. This game's violence caused such an outcry that no games at all were played in 1871. Football came back in 1872, when Columbia played Yale for
17822-461: Was to begin soon after the donation. In honor of Kenan's donation, the school annual Yackety Yack in 1927 was dedicated to Kenan. There will be some, of course, who will say that Mr. Kenan might have given his money for this and that, but no one will argue that, among the things that cannot be obtained through the use of funds appropriated by the Legislature, anything is more badly needed than
17956-469: Was to have the stadium completed by the North Carolina–Virginia game in 1927 on Thanksgiving Day. Work on the stadium was to begin once funds were properly secured. Within the first couple days of the plans announced, two people had pledged $ 5,000 each to the cause and it was thought Emerson would contribute what he offered in 1925. The committee decided to allocate 2,500 seats on either side of
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