Peden Stadium in Athens, OH

Basic Information

Stadium: Peden Stadium

Location: Athens, OH (39.32102, -82.10294)

Owner: Ohio University

Primary sport: football

Year constructed: 1929

Listed capacity: 24,000

Date last visited: October 2023

Stadium information: https://ohiobobcats.com/facilities/peden-stadium/8

Summary Review: 1.5 stars (out of 5)

Peden Stadium is the oldest stadium in the Mid American Conference (MAC), and in fact the stadium has been designated an Ohio Historic Site.  Unfortunately, this stadium also looks and feels like an historic site, and that's not a compliment even though I tend to like older stadiums.  Some of the bench seating looks like it dates to 1929 although it probably doesn't.  Only the first few rows of bench seating have backs, which is kind of odd: the people with some of the worst views of the field have some of the most comfortable seats.  There is very little leg room between rows, but the seating area has a very gradual grade.  Thus, each seat feels further from the field than you would expect for its location.  The audio and video systems need upgraded.  On the bright side, Peden Stadium occupies a scenic location overlooking a golf course and the Hocking River.  Nevertheless, this is not a great place to watch a game if you actually want to watch the game, and I would prefer to be in almost any MAC stadium over this one.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: Ohio University has a mid-stepping marching band, which is kind of rare in this part of the country.  There was a pretty large crowd when they were playing archrival Miami on Halloween weekend, but the crowd was still pretty flat.  A light rain may have dampened their spirits a little.

Seating: mostly bench seating; some benches near the field have backs.  A few old chairback seats are in the high dollar parts of the stadium.

Field View: the stands have a gradual grade, so you are a long distance from field relative to your position in the stands.  Thus, the field view is not great.

Audio/Video: the audio is about average.  They have a single small video board in one end zone, so the video system needs upgraded.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: Peden Stadium has plump juicy hot dogs. They also serve brats, which is a nice touch at a college football stadium.

Pedestrian Flow: this stadium has walkways both near the front of and behind the seating area, so pedestrian traffic flows quite well.  I had no trouble getting in or out of the stadium.

Parking: most parking is to the north due to the river to the south.  There is no free parking on campus, but you could walk/bike in on the bikeway that runs along the Hocking River just south of the stadium.