🏈 100 years in the 'Shoe
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Aerial view of Ohio Stadium in 1959. Photo: Authenticated News/PhotoQuest/Getty Images
Ohio Stadium is celebrating a big birthday this year.
Driving the news: On this day 100 years ago, the Buckeyes played their first game in the 'Shoe against Ohio Wesleyan.
By the numbers: The stadium cost $1.3 million to build in 1922 and was one of the first to be made of concrete, per the Ohio History Connection.
- It could hold 66,210 fans when it first opened, though many thought it would never be filled because it was so large.
- Renovations began in the late 1990s, including lowering the field more than 14 feet to add room for more seats. They were completed in 2001.
- Today, 101,568 people can fit in the 'Shoe, making it the third-largest stadium in the country.
The intrigue: When first built, there were no restrooms available for women — their presence at sporting events was taboo.
What's happening: A new exhibit, "A Walk in Our 'Shoe: 100 years of Ohio Stadium," includes uniforms and gear from the 1920s and 1930s, Woody Hayes' playbook and a Lego Ohio Stadium.
If you go: The Thompson Library (Room 125) at 1858 Neil Avenue Mall hosts the exhibit through February 2023.
- Open 10am-6pm Monday-Friday, noon-6pm Saturday-Sunday.
💌 Thanks to reader Bradley S. for sharing this memory of his favorite game — Oct. 26, 2002, against Penn State: "It was a 3:30pm start and by the second half it was like a night-game atmosphere.
- The crowd was so loud when PSU had the ball. With a close, low-scoring game and a final score of 13-7, the crowd lived by every single play of every possession. It was the best environment in Ohio Stadium that I've ever experienced."
