Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, IL

Basic Information

Stadium: Huskie Stadium

Location: DeKalb, IL (41.93391, -88.77780)

Owner: Northern Illinois University

Primary sport: football

Year constructed: 1965

Listed capacity: 28,211

Date last visited: October 2025

Stadium information: https://niuhuskies.com/facilities/huskie-stadium/6

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

I had read some negative reviews of this stadium, and sure enough as I walked toward the stadium from the east it appeared as a huge soulless, charmless hunk of metal.  But after I scanned my ticket, bought my hot dogs, and climbed the stairs through the portal to view the stands and the field, a whole different world emerged.  The stands are reasonably close to the field, and the field is several feet below the 1st row of stands.  Thus, the view of the field is excellent.  Northern Illinois has one of the larger and louder fan bases among non-power conference teams, and they make for an energetic gameday atmosphere.  Pedestrian and vehicle traffic flow quite well.  Overall, I enjoyed watching a game here.  Rynearson Stadium at Eastern Michigan and "The Doyt" at Bowling Green are 2 similar-sized stadiums built in the same era in this same part of the country, and I would much rather watch a game here than at either of those.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: Northern Illinois has a rather large and loud fan base for a non-power conference team.  They also have strong spirit squads, and they do a good job of keeping the fans engaged.

Seating: mostly bench seating with curved seats for more comfortable seating.

Field View: The stands are gradually sloped, but the playing surface is depressed beneath the 1st row of stands.  I sat about 20 rows up and could see the field rather well.

Audio/Video: All stadium speakers are in the south end, but the audio is plenty loud and clear.  The video board is smaller, but they also have ribbon boards, which is a rare feature for a stadium this small.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: The hot dogs are plump and barely/mildly seasoned.  The hot dogs are pricey, so I was hoping they would be Chicago-style hot dogs, which they are not.  The concessions serve mostly standard stadium fare, but a few booths offer more specialized options.

Pedestrian Flow: Not 1, not 2, but 3 levels of portals give access to the home stands.  They also have portals on the visitor side of the field, so pedestrian traffic flows well.

Parking: There is plenty of parking, mostly paid.  The bargain deal is the Visitor Pay Lot: no payment is required on weekends and evenings as of this writing.  The Visitor Pay Lot is less than a mile from the stadium, and I highly recommend it for cheapskates like me.

Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek, NC

Basic Information

Stadium: Barker-Lane Stadium

Location: Buies Creek, NC (35.40463, -78.74272)

Owner: Campbell University

Primary sport: football

Year constructed: 2008

Listed capacity: 5500

Date last visited: September 2025

Stadium information: https://gocamels.com/facilities/barker-lane-stadium/7

Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

Built only in 2008 when Campbell University re-started its football program, Barker-Lane Stadium is a standard 21st century small FCS stadium with few unique features, good or bad.  Being a small university, Campbell does not have a large alumni base, student body, or fan support.  Thus, the crowd is rather small and tame, and it nowhere near filled the stadium on the Saturday afternoon I came here.  My team was the visiting team, and we had almost as many fans in the stadium as Campbell did.  The stadium's layout is very standard and therefore very adequate.  As with most small stadiums, most seats give a low viewing angle of the field.  Yet the stands are close to the field, and overall the view of the field is clear and acceptable.  The pedestrian tunnel under the highway that leads to the campus center and the north parking lots is evidence of good planning.  In summary, there is nothing horribly wrong with this stadium, but there is also nothing that makes you want to watch a game here as opposed to other venues.  Unless my team plays here again, I probably won't watch a game here again.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: rather tame.  Campbell is a small school without a long football history, so they are still working to build a fan base and tradition.  That fact combined with the standard-design stadium makes for a very standard atmosphere that almost any small school could replicate.  It's not that I didn't enjoy watching a game here, but there is very little unique here that would compel me to come back.

Seating: benchbacks on home side, benches on visiting side

Field View: Most seats give a low-angle view of the field, but they give a clear view and are located fairly close to the field.

Audio/Video: both are about average for a small Division I stadium.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: located behind the stands where you would expect them.  The hot dogs are nice and plump, fairly juicy, and have just a little chargrilled flavor.

Pedestrian Flow: The stadium has plenty of portals and wide concourses, so the pedestrian flow seems fine.  The tunnel taking you under US 421 to the parking lots north of the highway is a well thought out feature.

Parking: free parking in some parking lots north of US 421; paid parking south of US 421 in the lots near the stadium.