Basic Information
Stadium: Gibbs Stadium
Location: Spartanburg, SC (34.96194, -81.93305)
Owner: Wofford College
Primary sport: football
Year constructed: 1996
Listed capacity: 8500
Dates visited: December 2017, March 2026
Stadium information: https://woffordterriers.com/facilities/gibbs-stadium/1
Summary Review: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
Wofford College moved up to NCAA Division I in 1995, and with that move came a commitment to upgrade their athletic facilities. While the new football stadium they built, Gibbs Stadium reviewed here, is adequate for an FCS team, it hasn't aged all that well. The stadium was built by leveling a gently sloping piece of land, and you can see the leveling cut made in the ground behind the north end zone and under the home stands. The grade of the resulting stands is fairly gradual, and the gradual grade, low viewing angle due to the small stadium, and the decent amount of open space between the stands and the playing field make the view of the field below average. The audio/video system is about average, as are the concessions. The stands have several portals that allow access to the concourse, thus allowing pedestrian traffic to flow rather well. Overall, I have watched games at almost every stadium in the Southern Conference (SoCon). While Gibbs Stadium is not the worst of that lot, it is far from the best. I would prefer to spend a Saturday afternoon in many SoCon stadiums over this one. As one final note, Wofford's new basketball arena, which is the subject of my next review, is much nicer than their football stadium.
Detailed Review:
Gameday Atmosphere: I came here for an FCS playoff game, which both enlivens and deadens the atmosphere. On one hand, the stakes are high and the fans are plentiful. On the other hand, the home team does not get complete control over videos and announcements. That said, the atmosphere was fairly bland. Wofford's opponent was arch-rival Furman, and Furman had almost as many fans in the stands as Wofford. Thus, the gameday atmosphere is very average.
Seating: mostly benchbacks on the home side; mostly bench seating on the visitor side.
Field View: below average. This is a small stadium, so you are sitting at a low angle to view the field. Also, there is a decent bit of space between the stands and field, and the grade of the stands is rather gradual. Thus, you don't feel very close to the action relative to where you are sitting.
Audio/Video: average; 1 nice video board on the north end.
Concessions/Hot Dogs: Concessions are located behind the stands where you would expect them. The concession items are the standard ones. The hot dogs are decent sized and rather moist but do not have much flavor.
Pedestrian Flow: several portals to/from the concourse behind the stands helps the pedestrian traffic flow rather well.
Parking: several medium-sized parking lots in various directions from the stadium; plenty of parking elsewhere on campus.
