JORDAN-HARE
STADIUM
Arguably the nation's finest combination of size, beauty and mystique,
Jordan-Hare Stadium is in its 58th season as home of the Auburn
Tigers.
Long considered one of the most attractive stadiums college
football has to offer, and currently the seventh-largest on-campus
facility in the country, Jordan-Hare Stadium has seen Auburn win
over 82 percent of its home games since opening in 1939. Its size
is illustrated by its rank among Alabama's largest cities. On
game day, Jordan-Hare and its 85,214 occupants constitute the
fifth-largest city in Alabama.
The facility's beauty is highlighted by the massive landscaping
on display in each of the four corners inside the stadium.
And Jordan-Hare's mystique was noted this past summer by national
college football writer Ivan Maisel of New York Newsday,
who ranked Auburn's home as the second-loudest stadium in all
of college football.
Named for Ralph "Shug" Jordan, Auburn's all-time winningest
coach with 176 victories, and Clifford Leroy Hare, a member of
Auburn's first football team and a longtime chairman of the Faculty
Athletic Committee, the stadium was first opened and dedicated
as Auburn Stadium at the AU-Florida game Nov. 30, 1939, with a
capacity of 7,440.
In 1951, Jordan became coach and the stadium that was to bear
his name began a period of rapid growth brought about by the success
of his football teams. Fourteen thousand seats were added in 1955,
bringing the stadium capacity to 34,500. The south end zone stands
were constructed in 1960, and the stadium became a complete bowl
10 years later with an increased capacity of 61,261.
Named Jordan-Hare Stadium in 1973, it became the first stadium
in the country to be named for an active coach. Jordan-Hare Stadium
was enlarged for the fourth time to seat 72,169 fans in 1980 with
the opening of the west upper deck, scholarship donor level and
press box.
Construction of the east upper deck was completed July 1, 1987.
The $15.5 million project added more than 10,000 seats and provided
additional seating for scholarship donors. The stadium expansion
also included 71 executive suites along the club level, a recruiting
lounge and a reception room for Auburn's football lettermen.
Since the expansion, 4.9 million fans have come to Jordan-Hare
Stadium to watch the Tigers. And Auburn has responded, posting
a 74-10-3 (.868) home record since 1983.
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