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The University of Pennsylvania’s historic football stadium, Franklin Field, has hosted the best in collegiate and professional competition for most of the century. Originally opened in 1895 (at a cost of $100,000) for the first running of the Penn Relays, the stadium was rebuilt 72 years ago.
The Field, deemed by the NCAA as the oldest stadium still operating for football games, has been the site of the nation’s first scoreboard (1895), the nation’s first two-tiered stadium (1922), the first football telecast (PhilCo, 1939) and Vince Lombardi’s only NFL playoff loss (1960).
The Army-Navy series moved to Franklin Field in 1899 and, in 1925, Red Grange set an NCAA record with 331 rushing yards as Illinois beat Penn. During the 1930s and 1940s, Penn led the nation in attendance for several years as crowds often numbered as many as 80,000. Today, the newly refurbished stadium seats 52,593.
AstroTurf (the fifth carpet in stalled in 1993) has covered the playing surface since 1970 and a Rekortan track was installed in 1988. The 60-foot scoreboard with its large message center at the base of the horseshoe keeps fans well informed. Franklin Field has also been the home of the Philadelphia Eagles and has hosted the historic Penn Relays for more than 100 years.
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