Davis Wade Stadium is the home playing venue for the
Mississippi StateThe Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
Bulldogs
footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team. Located in
Starkville, Mississippi-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,869 people, 9,462 households, and 4,721 families residing in the city. The population density was 851.4 people per square mile . There were 10,191 housing units at an average density of 396.7 per square mile...
, the
stadiumA modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
has a capacity of 55,082. It was built in 1914 as
Scott Field and was named for Don Magruder Scott, an
OlympicThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
sprinter and one of the University's first football stars. The name of the playing surface is still
Scott Field. The stadium is named after Floyd Davis Wade, Sr., who made the latest expansion possible through donations toward the project, which was completed in 2002. It is the second oldest Division I FBS college football stadium.
History
Construction projects in 1936 and 1948 resulted in a concrete grandstand structure with a capacity of 35,000. In 1983, the endzone seating was removed, reducing the capacity to 32,000. A 1986 expansion costing $7.2 million, raised without state budget appropriations, added almost 9,000 seats, consisting primarily of a 5,500-seat upper deck as well as permanent lighting and a computerized scoreboard which was replaced in 1997 with a
Sony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
JumboTronA JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
. The Frank Turman Fieldhouse received an additional floor to its facility in 1990. Named the Leo W. Seal M-Club Centre, the addition was named in honor of Leo W. Seal, Sr., a two-year letterwinner at State, is a meeting place for the letterman organization, the M-Club. In 1999, the Turman Fieldhouse underwent numerous changes, including remodeled dressing rooms for both teams, and an all-new recruiting lounge.
The current capacity of 55,082 was reached with a $30 million expansion completed in 2002. The latest expansion included 50 skyboxes, 1,700 club-level seats and a second upper deck seating 7,000. A large donation from Floyd Davis Wade Sr., of Meridian, MS was instrumental in making the expansion possible and the stadium was renamed in his honor.
The first division I-A
college footballCollege football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game played post
9-11The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
was in this stadium between Mississippi State and the
South CarolinaThe University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
Gamecocks on September 20, 2001, and broadcast on
ESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
In Fall 2008, in the south endzone, above the Leo Seal M-Club Centre, construction finished on an all-new $6.1 million 112 ft (34.1 m) wide by 48 ft (14.6 m) tall high-definition video display board to replace the
Sony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
JumboTronA JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
that was installed in the north endzone in 1997. The LED video system is the second largest high-definition video board in college football behind
Godzillatron"Godzillatron" or "Adzillatron" is the nickname given to the scoreboard at the University of Texas at Austin's Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The official name of the board has not yet been decided; it is simply referred to as the "Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Scoreboard" by the...
at The
University of Texas'sThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
Darrell K Royal Stadium. The new board was used for the first time on November 1, 2008, during the
Mississippi State BulldogsThe Mississippi State Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Mississippi State University. They participate in NCAA's Division I in the competitive 12-member Southeastern Conference under the mascot Bulldogs and the school colors of maroon and white...
vs.
Kentucky WildcatsThe Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky , a founding member of the Southeastern Conference...
football game. The main video display is complemented with two high definition LED advertising boards on each side of the main board, as well as a high definition LED "ribbon ticker" which spans the width of the structure below the main board. Therefore, the total video board square footage (on one structure) is 6,896 sq. ft.
http://media.www.reflector-online.com/media/storage/paper938/news/2008/08/26/News/Construction.Underway.For.New.Video.Screen-3403987.shtml.
To complement the all-new video system, a new state-of-the-art sound system has been installed by Pro Sound, headquartered in Miami, Florida.
http://www.mstateathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?PRINTABLE_PAGE=YES&ATCLID=1505675&DB_OEM_ID=16800
Since October 2009, Davis Wade Stadium has seen sixteen consecutive sellouts, a stretch of two seasons and an increase in season ticket sales. The stadium's attendance record was broken twice during the 2009 season, including the Florida (57,178) and Alabama (58,103) games. Currently, the Athletic Department, along with Populous, a world-renowned sports architecture firm, are compiling a long-term expansion and renovation plan for Davis Wade Stadium. Current renderings suggest that the stadium could one day hold up to 75,000 spectators. The Athletic Department states that plans are in the very early stages.
Facts
- The all-new high definition video board is currently the largest video board in the SEC
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
and third largest on-campus video board in the nation. (List of largest scoreboards in NCAA college football)
- The record attendance for a football game is 58,103, set on November 14, 2009 against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Davis Wade Stadium
- The entire concourse area underneath the East Upper Deck is sealed and climate-controlled.
- Davis Wade Stadium is one of the locations of the Egg Bowl
The Battle for the Golden Egg, also known as the Egg Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between played annually by the Mississippi State Bulldogs football team of Mississippi State University and the Ole Miss Rebels football team of the University of Mississippi . The rivalry is...
, the annual rivalry match up between the Mississippi State BulldogsThe Mississippi State Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Mississippi State University. They participate in NCAA's Division I in the competitive 12-member Southeastern Conference under the mascot Bulldogs and the school colors of maroon and white...
and the Ole Miss Rebels of the University of Mississippi. The game alternates between Davis Wade Stadium and Vaught-Hemingway StadiumVaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field is an outdoor athletic stadium located in Oxford, Mississippi. The stadium serves as the home for the University of Mississippi Rebels college football team...
on the Ole Miss campus. The 100th game between the teams was played at Davis Wade Stadium. Because of the way the locations alternate from year to year, Mississippi State hosts on the odd-numbered years and Ole Miss hosts on the even-numbered years. Egg BowlThe Battle for the Golden Egg, also known as the Egg Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between played annually by the Mississippi State Bulldogs football team of Mississippi State University and the Ole Miss Rebels football team of the University of Mississippi . The rivalry is...
- Davis Wade Stadium is sometimes referred to as the "Dawg Pound" and is home to the dance called the "Dawg Pound Rock." Who Let the Dogs Out?
"Who Let the Dogs Out?" is a song written and originally recorded by Anslem Douglas for Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival season of 1998. It was heard and taped on a float by hairdresser Keith from the London salon Smile, who played it to Jonathan King, who recorded it and released it under the name...
- Mississippi State is credited with being the first to use the song Who Let The Dogs Out?
"Who Let the Dogs Out?" is a song written and originally recorded by Anslem Douglas for Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival season of 1998. It was heard and taped on a float by hairdresser Keith from the London salon Smile, who played it to Jonathan King, who recorded it and released it under the name...
at a sporting event. It was played before and during Mississippi State football games and was used for the Dawg Pound Rock once it was moved from the field to the sidelines. Although put on hiatus during Sylvester CroomSylvester Croom, Jr. is the former football head coach at Mississippi State University and current running backs coach of the St. Louis Rams. He was the first African American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference...
's tenure as Mississippi State head coach, the Dawg Pound Rock and the song made a popular return in the 2009 season.
Davis Wade Stadium Attendance Records
Rank |
Attendance |
Date |
Game Result |
| 01. |
58,103 |
11-14-2009 |
Miss State 3, Alabama|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
31 |
| 02. |
57,178 |
10-24-2009 |
Miss State 19, FloridaThe Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
29 |
| 03. |
56,924 |
9-15-2011 |
Miss State 6, LSU 19 |
| 04. |
56,721 |
09-25-2010 |
Miss State 24, GeorgiaThe Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
12 |
| 05. |
56,423 |
10-23-2010 |
Miss State 29, UABThe University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers college football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , as a member of the East Division of Conference USA . UAB plays its home games at Legion Field, which is located off-campus in Birmingham, Alabama...
24 |
| 06. |
56,407 |
11-20-2010 |
Miss State 31, ArkansasThe Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
38 |
| 07. |
56,118 |
11-10-2007 |
Miss State 17, Alabama|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
12 |
| 08. |
56,032 |
09-04-2010 |
Miss State 49, Memphis The Memphis Tigers football team represents the University of Memphis in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Tigers compete in Conference USA...
7 |
| 09. |
55,375 |
11-28-2009 |
Miss State 41, Ole MissThe football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
27 |
| 10. |
54,807 |
11-16-2002 |
Miss State 17, TennesseeThe Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
35 |
Traditions
- The Junction is a grassy park on campus where Bulldog fans tailgate under tents during sports weekends. It is named The Junction for the railroad (and the defunct railroad bed later)that ran through the tailgating area prior to the construction of The Junction. It also replaced "Malfunction Junction", a set of adjacent intersections where 6 different streets entered into campus. The streets were rerouted around the area and a pedestrian park was built, then "The Junction" developed on the site. While many Bulldog fans tailgate in other places on campus, The Junction is unique in that it allows thousands of fans to tailgate under tents directly in front of the stadium without cars or traffic. The Junction has been referred to as the “premier tailgate experience” by the Birmingham-based firm contracted for its design and development. http://www.nimrodlong.com/proj_msujunction.htm
- The "Dawg Walk" is held approximately three hours before each home game. This is where the team and coaches walk through The Junction to the stadium with the MSU band playing and thousands of Bulldog fans lining the walk, cheering the players on.
- One of the Bulldogs' proudest and longest traditions is the ringing of cowbells. From 1977 to 2009, "artificial noisemakers" were banned by the SEC, including cowbells, but fans continued to bring them in even though administrators encouraged fans not to use cowbells and security guards "search" you upon entry. There could be as many as 40,000 cowbells in the stadium during a big game. In the 2010 season, a compromise was reached on a trial basis allowing fans to legally bring cowbells under SEC rules to games at Davis Wade Stadium as long as the cowbells were only used at sanctioned times: Pregame, quarter breaks and Half-time, Time Outs, and when Mississippi State scores.
External links