Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium, often known by the moniker of “The Sea of Red,” is one of the most famous sporting venues in the state of Nebraska. Besides being the state capital, Lincoln is the second-most populous city of Nebraska, and it is a great place for a football stadium, considering that it also has a very large surrounding metropolitan area.
Today, Memorial Stadium serves as the home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, a local football team. However, it also hosts various other sporting events, including University league games. This stadium dates back to 1923, and it was built as a replacement for Nebraska Field. The previous facility had been home to the Cornhuskers ever since 1909, but it was eventually replaced as it was becoming obsolete. To total cost of construction amounted to $450.000 in the 20s, and the stadium was built with funds that were collected following a big initiative involving students, faculty, and local University representatives, who wanted to upgrade their football field with a much better facility. As history suggests, the move actually paid well since the new stadium is still standing and going strong, several decades since its opening. Today, Memorial park is just two years shy of its 100th year of activity. The venue’s centenary will be celebrated in 2023. The main entrance to the stadium at the Osborne Athletic Complex features various statues, including a tribute to head coach Tom Osborne, as well as quarterback Brook Berringer, one of the most iconic local players who sadly died in a plane crash in 1996.
Memorial Stadium was progressively expanded throughout the years. It became progressively larger and capable of hosting more and more people in order to meet the increasing demand from football fans looking to attend games. The stadium often works beyond its capacity, even to this very day! Ultimately, Memorial Stadium went from being able to host 31.080 people, to alter being able to accommodate 85,458 people. However, attendance often exceeds 90.000 spectators, with the stadium performing at over-capacity on a regular basis due to high demand! Nebraska is a record-breaking state when it comes to ticket sales, and its streak of success and high sales has been unbroken pretty much since the early 60s. There are so many people attending games that when full, the stadium actually has more people in it than the city of Bellevue, which happens to be the third-largest municipality in the state of Nebraska!
The nickname of the stadium, “The Sea of Red,” actually stems from the fact that the audience is accustomed to wearing the colors of their team. It must be quite a sight to behold to be in the presence of 90.000 fans, loudly and cheerfully supporting their home team!
Memorial Stadium happens to be the first college stadium in the state of Nebraska to imply FieldTurf, a type of synthetic grass, which was easier to manage when compared to traditional grass. The stadium features some famous memorials written by Hartley Burr Alexander, a former professor of philosophy in the state. The corners of the stadium hold four inscriptions in commemoration of Nebraskan people who fell in wartime, as well as various inspiring quotes relating to honoring in sportsmanship. This stadium remains iconic, and it stands out as a testament to the passion that Nebraskans have for football, as well as the long local legacy of this sport and the special place that it holds in this particular community.