Michigan Stadium: The Steady Growth Of ‘The Big House’

The atmosphere surrounding sports games is largely determined by the venue in which they are played, especially in college football. Night games in Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley, Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, and Tiger Stadium at Louisiana State University create unforgettable, raucous environments for the home team and fans alike. However, none of the stadiums listed above can compare to Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

The levels of enthusiasm experienced in the aptly nicknamed Big House create one of the most unique sporting experiences in the entire world for fans cheering on the Wolverines, largely thanks to the historic stadium that has played host to countless memorable moments for one of the best football programs in the nation.

The University of Michigan has fielded a football team since 1879, so it is no surprise that there have been several iterations of stadiums before the program settled on the Big House. First up was Regents Field, a venue that accommodated only around 400 fans in its beginnings from 1893-95. Given the rabidity of the Wolverines fanbase, the need for a larger stadium was apparent almost immediately, giving rise to Ferry Field, Michigan's football stadium from 1906 to 1926.

Ferry Field (pictured above) was a significant upgrade over its predecessor, eventually becoming capable of seating just over 40,000 fans with temporary bleachers. Even with that massive upgrade in capacity, Michigan fans consistently sold out the stadium, even flooding into the bleachers to push the stadium past capacity, forcing the Michigan administration to create a ticket lottery to create a fair playing field for fans desperate for tickets. It was clear that even through constant upgrades, Ferry Field was not doing the job. A larger, better stadium had become a necessity for the Wolverines.

Throughout the 1920s, other college football programs were creating stadiums capable of seating over 50,000 fans. Not to be outdone, Michigan's athletic director, former player Fielding Yost, called for the construction of an even larger venue, one that could accommodate 100,000 fans. Such a number was hardly practical in 1926, when Yost began campaigning for it, so a compromise was reached. The university agreed to begin construction on a venue that could seat just over 70,000 fans, with the potential to expand seating further based on demand. Construction began immediately with the aim of being prepared for the 1927 season.

Michigan Stadium first saw action on Oct. 1, 1927, against Ohio Wesleyan. The Wolverines shelled their opponents, winning 33-0. The official paid attendance figure was only around 17,000, but a news story the following day described a crowd of more than 40,000, including students. Things quickly turned around a couple of weeks later when Michigan faced Ohio State in an early iteration of one of the most intense rivalries in sports.

Yost arranged for an extra 10,000 seats to be temporarily constructed, given the popularity of the game, a decision that was immediately proven to be pragmatic when a whopping 84,000 fans showed up to watch the Wolverines trounce the Buckeyes 21-0. Michigan Stadium had established itself as a massively popular, necessary venue, one that was in Ann Arbor to stay.

As seems to be the trend with Michigan's stadiums, more progress needed to be made to satisfy the needs of one of the best fanbases in college football. The Wolverines were consistently drawing crowds of more than 80,000 fans, utilizing what was supposed to be temporary seating on a consistent basis. Throughout the next 70 years, the university added press boxes, new scoreboards, and the iconic maize-colored M painted on the bleachers.

The temporary seating was quickly made permanent, with further additions being made to increase stadium capacity to just over 100,000 seats, making it the biggest stadium in North America and the third-biggest in the world, regardless of sport. This led to broadcaster Keith Jackson giving Michigan Stadium its iconic moniker, the "Big House," at some point during the 1980s.  Despite the massive capacity of the stadium, the Wolverines have sold out every home game since 1975, a ridiculously impressive record that shows how dedicated Michigan's fan base is.

The presence of the Big House has been crucial in developing Michigan's football program into what it is today. While the fans have been a consistent fixture since the early 1900s, countless Wolverine games have been defined by the roar of a crowd over 100,000 strong, something that is only possible in Michigan Stadium.

Without the tireless work on the venue, the seemingly endless investments, and the consistent care for Michigan Stadium, moments like the Wolverines' victory over Ohio State, which ended with fans streaming onto the field to celebrate the end of an eight-year losing streak at the hands of the Buckeyes, would not have the same fire that it did.