McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst, MA

Basic Information

Stadium: McGuirk Alumni Stadium

Location: Amherst, MA (42.37727, -72.53604)

Owner: University of Massachusetts Amherst

Primary sport: football

Year constructed: 1965

Listed capacity: 17,000

Date last visited: September 2023

Stadium information: https://umassathletics.com/facilities/mcguirk-alumni-stadium/2

Summary Review: 1 star (out of 5)

I've watched a lot of college football in a lot of different stadiums at all NCAA levels.  I cannot think of a stadium designed more poorly than this one.  The only way into the seating area is through the 4 corners of the stadium, which creates a logistical nightmare entering and exiting the seating area.  The press box is its own separate structure from the stadium; I have read this is due to building code issues with the stadium, which doesn't surprise me.  Restrooms are found only in adjacent buildings, not in the stadium itself.  Almost every stadium puts the concession stands behind or under the seating, but not here: they are actually located between the seats and the field!  Even though I was sitting in the 17th row, I felt miles from the action.  The video board is the smallest I have seen at an FBS stadium.  On the bright side, the audio system is quite loud and clear, and there are a couple of interesting food options at the concession stands.  That said, I have been to several smaller FBS stadiums (yes, I'm looking at you, Mid-American Conference) and some large FCS stadiums, and even though UMass has some spirited students and fans, this stadium's design is worse than any of them.  I feel rather confident in proclaiming this stadium design as the worst one in FBS.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: When I entered the stadium and saw the horrible stadium design, I was expecting a dreadful gameday experience.  As it turns out, I have actually had worse experiences in better stadiums.  The atmosphere is surprisingly lively with very high student attendance.  UMass has a good marching band that keeps the crowd engaged.  I enjoyed the environment despite some of the other problems described in this review.

Seating: almost entirely bench seating with no backs.

Field View: terrible because you are so far from the field.

Audio/Video: The audio is quite loud and clear.  The video board is tiny and hard to read.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: The hot dogs are plump and juicy with a slight smoky flavor.  They also have an area that serves barbeque, which is a nice addendum.

Pedestrian Flow: terrible because you can only enter the seating areas at the 4 corners of the stadium.  My game had a "lightning delay" due to a storm that was many miles away, and it took 30 minutes for the stands to clear.  If there was an actual thunderstorm bearing down on Amherst, people may have gotten struck by lightning before they could get out of the stadium.

Parking: substantially all of the parking is on the north side of stadium, which is not ideal for traffic flow or for parking close to the stadium.

Christenberry Fieldhouse in Augusta, GA

Basic Information

Stadium: Christenberry Fieldhouse

Location: Augusta, GA (33.47198, -82.05930)

Owner: Augusta University

Primary sport: basketball

Year constructed: 1991

Listed capacity: 3026

Review date: March 2023

Arena information: https://augustajags.com/sports/2021/6/16/information-facilities-christenberry-fieldhouse.aspx

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Christenberry Fieldhouse has a well-deserved reputation of being an excellent Division II basketball arena.  The building resonates sound reasonably well, giving Augusta a strong homecourt advantage.  The seats on the sides are plastic chair back seats while the seats on the ends are bleachers.  The seats were a little tight and short for a fat and tall person such as myself, but just having chair back seats in a Division II arena is a plus.  The grade of the stands is low, so a given row of seats is further away from the court than you might expect.  Also, the audio system does quite well for seats close to the court, but it can be hard to hear if you are sitting in the back rows.  The video system consists of two small boards in corners, but just having a video system in a Division II arena is a plus.  A walking/running track around the mezzanine level gives fantastic pedestrian access, and there is free parking literally all around the arena.  In total, while this arena has some shortcomings, it stacks up very well relative to other Division II basketball arenas.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: I came here for a conference tournament, so I didn't get the full experience of an Augusta home game.  Sound seems to resonate well in this building, and I suspect the home court advantage is quite strong.

Seating: plastic chair backs except for bleachers in the ends.

Field View: The stands have a gradual grade, so you feel further from the court than you would expect.  Most seats offer good sight lines relative to their location.

Audio/Video: The audio is a little hard to hear if you are in the outer sections.  There are 2 small video boards in corners, but any video boards in a Division II arena are a plus.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: The concession choices are hot dogs, soda, popcorn, and candy.  The hot dogs have a mild fake smoky taste, and the bun is bigger than the hot dog.  The concession prices are fantastically cheap.

Pedestrian Flow: A walking/running track going around the mezzanine level provides excellent pedestrian flow inside the arena.  There are plenty of walkways around the outside of the building.

Parking: There is plenty of free parking all around the building.  The main entrance is at the northeast corner of the building, a fact that is not obvious as you drive in.

Jaguar Field (Baseball) in Augusta, GA

Basic Information

Stadium: Jaguar Field

Location: Augusta, GA (33.47254, -84.04807)

Owner: Augusta University

Primary sport: baseball

Year constructed: 1994

Listed capacity: N/A

Date last visited: March 2023

Stadium information: https://augustajags.com/sports/2021/6/16/information-facilities-jaguar-field-baseball.aspx

Summary Review: 1.5 stars (out of 5)

Truth be told, I didn't watch a baseball game here.  I came to Augusta to watch some basketball at the arena next door and meandered over to the baseball field.  That said, I don't need to watch a game here to tell you this stadium is awful, even by NCAA Division II baseball's low standards.  The only seating is 2 tiny sets of bleachers.  They are at least 30 feet behind the foul ball netting, so sitting there gives you a good view of nothing except maybe the netting.  I would much rather bring a lawn chair or sit on the grassy hillside near first base.  Other than the seating, the stadium's design is actually quite good.  The huge basketball arena parking lot also serves the baseball stadium, and there is a nice sidewalk giving fans access to the stadium.  Obviously I did not observe the audio system or the concessions, although those aspects of the arena next door were not encouraging.  Overall this would be a decent Division II baseball stadium with better seating, but the seating outweighs any other good aspects of this stadium.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: unknown; see above.

Seating: 2 small sets of bleachers well behind home plate.  I would probably choose to sit on the grassy hillside or bring my own lawnchair rather than sit in these bleachers.

Field View: not good if you are sitting in the bleachers.  They are too far from the field and you have to look through the foul ball net.  But you can see the entire field well from that grassy hillside.

Audio/Video: no video, which is expected for an NCAA Division II baseball stadium.  I did not observe the audio system.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: unknown; concessions were not operating when I came here.

Pedestrian Flow: seems fine, there is a nice concrete walkway from the bleachers to the parking lot.

Parking: the stadium is located right beside the basketball arena, so there is plenty of free parking.

Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, GA

Basic Information

Stadium: Stegeman Coliseum

Location: Athens, GA

Owner: University of Georgia

Primary sport: basketball

Year constructed: 1964

Listed capacity: 10,523

Date last visited: November 2022

Coliseum information: https://georgiadogs.com/sports/2017/6/16/stegeman-coliseum

Summary Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

The longtime home of Georgia basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball, Stegeman Coliseum has a reputation as being a large but somewhat sterile Division I college arena.  (Aside: in addition to watching basketball here, I also graduated here in their doctoral degree ceremony in May 2010.)  Unlike other UGA athletic venues that feature red as the primary color, black is the primary color here, so the setting is not particularly colorful.  Also, Georgia basketball is not well supported: when a major opponent such as Kentucky comes here, there is as much blue in the building as red and black.  The seating is split into upper and lower sections divided by a walkway and concourse.  The seating is graded gradually, so the upper section seats feel quite distant from the floor.  This coliseum has been renovated several times over the past couple of decades, and the result is a passable up-to-date arena.  After so many mediocre renovations, I feel that if UGA really wants a killer basketball arena, they will need to take some dynamite or a bulldozer to this one and start from scratch.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: The arena was only about half full when I came here most recently, and that has been my typical experience over many visits.  Stegeman Coliseum can get loud on occasion, but it is not known as a strong home court.

Seating: all chairback seats, some with cushions.

Field View: The lower bowl offers a good view.  The grade of the seating is not particularly steep, so the upper bowl really feels a decent ways away from the action, especially in the corners.  This coliseum is probably too big for its purpose, at least for most games.

Audio/Video: They have the usual video board above center court.  The audio system is fantastic.  The "It's Georgia basketball" yelled by the PA announcer whenever they got the ball after a timeout is still reverberating in my head as I write this review.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: Unusually for a sports venue, the service is cafeteria style: you pick up what you want and then pay as you exit the concession area.  They had a very limited selection of concessions, but the hot dogs were plump, had no artificial taste, and only costed $2.50.  The hot dogs are better than I remember as a student here 15 years ago.

Pedestrian Flow: seems much improved with the last renovation.

Parking: The university recommends fans park in the Carlton Street Parking Deck behind the coliseum.  It was free on my visit.

InfoCision Stadium in Akron, OH

Basic Information

Stadium: InfoCision Stadium

Location: Akron, OH (41.07258, -81.50835)

Owner: University of Akron

Primary sport: football

Year constructed: 2009

Listed capacity: 27,881

Date last visited: October 2022

Stadium information: https://gozips.com/sports/2017/5/25/athletics-facilities-InfoCision

Summary Review: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

InfoCision Stadium may be one of the toughest stadiums I have ever had to review.  On one hand, the stadium is the newest stadium in the Mid-American Conference and one of the newest in Division I college football.  The stadium's design seems near perfect for a small FBS football stadium.  It is very vertical, so even though I sat in the second (and uppermost) deck I felt very close to the action.  Yet as nice as the structure is, there are some very bad things happening here.  Akron's football program is very poorly supported: there were only about 2000 fans in the stadium on the warm late October afternoon when I watched a game here.  The fact that Akron was 1-7 when I came here and that Akron has a large commuter student population were contributing factors.  Almost all of the seating is bench seating with no backs, which is tough on those of us with back issues.  The parking arrangements seem nonexistent even though a gameday parking map is posted on Akron's website.  I bought my hot dogs 50 minutes before kickoff, but they were barely warm.  I wonder when they actually cooked them.  As I watched the game, I kept thinking how much worse my gameday experience would be if I was watching this game at the old Rubber Bowl, Akron football's former home and arguably the worst sports venue ever.  (Aside: if you don't believe me about the Rubber Bowl, check out the location of the stadium lights from the pictures in this Wikipedia article; literally every seat had an obstructed view!)  My final judgment: InfoCision Stadium is a very good stadium that is being used very poorly.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: The band and spirit squads did their best, but with only 2000 people in attendance the gameday atmosphere was pretty flat.  The surrounding buildings, highways, and convenience stores remind you that the University of Akron is an urban campus.

Seating: Almost all bench seating except for 2 small sections that are benchbacks.  There is also grass seating on the hill behind the south endzone.

Field View: The stadium's construction is very vertical, and therefore even seats that are well above the field offer fantastic views of the action. 

Audio/Video: The video board and audio system are as good as I have seen at any small FBS football stadium.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: The hot dogs have the fake smoky taste that I detest.  Also, mine were only barely warm when I ordered them just under 1 hour before the game.  Only 1 concession stand per side was open, but honestly that was all they really needed for such a small crowd.

Pedestrian Flow: The stadium seems well-designed and therefore my guess is that getting around the stadium is quite easy, but there were not enough pedestrians to really test the design when I came here.

Parking: I never figured out the parking arrangement.  There was nobody to take my money at the designated daily fee garage, which is signed as being for commuters.  I ended up parking for free in Visitor's parking on the other side of campus.

Doyt L. Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, OH

Basic Information

Stadium: Doyt L. Perry Stadium

Location: Bowling Green, OH (41.37817, -83.62227)

Owner: Bowling Green State University

Primary sport: football

Year constructed: 1966

Listed capacity: 24,000

Date last visited: October 2022

Stadium information: https://bgsufalcons.com/facilities/doyt-l-perry-stadium/2

Summary Review: 2 stars (out of 5)

Doyt Perry Stadium ("The Doyt," as they call it) was a nice small FBS football stadium many years ago, but these days it is really showing its age.  For one, almost all of the seating is bench seating with no backs, which is hard on those of us with back problems.  Also, when you look up at the press box, you can see that some of the metal is clearly rusted.  I kept hoping that the iron that holds up the stands was in better shape than the iron I could see up there.  Further, the tiny video board looks like it is from the 1980's.  That said, this stadium could be worse.  The stands are built in an arc, which makes you feel like you are sitting closer to midfield than you really are.  Mass parking is literally feet from the stadium, even though it is not free.  The bright orange and white paint scheme gives the stadium a fresh appearance...until you start looking more carefully and see the age and corrosion.  Overall, The Doyt is a well-designed small FBS football stadium that desperately needs some updating.  

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: Like many Mid-American Conference football programs, Bowling Green's football program is poorly supported.  Thus, the gameday atmosphere is somewhat lacking.  Bowling Green does have a good marching band.  You can see I-75 from the west stands, so this campus's small interstate town location really comes out.

Seating: a few chairback seats for season ticket holders; otherwise bench seating with no backs

Field View: Both stands are built in arcs, so you feel like you are sitting closer to midfield than you really are.  On the other hand, the grade of the stands is fairly gradual, so you are further from the field than you would expect for a given row.  Overall, the view of the field is decent for most seats given their position.

Audio/Video: The video board is tiny by FBS standards, even for a small FBS stadium.  The audio seemed to work fine; they enjoy blaring 80's rock songs pregame (WO-OAH/LIVIN' ON A PRAYER!).

Concessions/Hot Dogs: They serve mostly the usual fare.  They offer Jet's as a very good and different pizza option.  The hot dogs have the fake smoky taste that I detest, but they also have grill marks.  Is it possible these hot dogs are individually grilled rather than mass-cooked?

Pedestrian Flow: ramps leading to portals give access to the stands, but most of the sidewalks leading away from the stadium are rather narrow.  Thus, traffic flows fairly well unless there is a large crowd.

Parking: all of the grassy areas around the stadium are utilized as paid parking.  For day games you can park at Carter Park just over 0.5 miles away for free.

Yager Stadium in Oxford, OH

Basic Information

Stadium: Fred C. Yager Stadium

Location: Oxford, Ohio (39.51952, -84.73293)

Owner: Miami University

Primary sport: football

Year constructed: 1983

Listed capacity: 24,286

Date last visited: October 2024

Stadium information: https://miamiredhawks.com/sports/2018/6/7/facilities-yager-stadium-guide-15-html.aspx

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Yager Stadium is one of several small college football stadiums built in the early 1980's, an era that emphasized function over elegance.  Indeed, the functionality is great: pedestrian and vehicle flow is well-maintained, and the angled stands provide the best possible view from a given location.  The wooded areas to the south and east provide an almost pastoral setting, and that calmness seems to spill over to the fans.  I am a 2-time Miami alum who has watched many games here, and the smaller contingent of visiting fans are often more raucous than the larger contingent of home fans.  Because of my allegiance, this rating may be a little higher than it ought to be, but I have enjoyed every Saturday afternoon and weeknight (for Maction games) I have spent here.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: I watched many games here in the late 1990's and early 2000's.  Crowds at Yager Stadium have always been a little on the tame side, and they have gotten even tamer and quieter:  like many football programs in the Mid-American Conference, Miami does not enjoy the fan support it did 25 years ago.  Miami has an excellent marching band and spirit squad.  I just wish the fans were more into the game.  I do like the wooded area to the east and south, especially when the leaves are changing color.

Seating: Chairback seating near midfield, high on the west side; benchback for most of the rest of the stadium.

Field View: The massive home/west stands are built in an arc, so you feel like you are sitting closer to midfield than you really are.  Thus, all seats provide a good view relative to their location in the stadium.

Audio/Video: They have a loud audio system and a medium-sized video board.  Overall, the audio/video system is about average for a small FBS stadium.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: Concessions offer only the standard fare.  I have always thought highly of the hot dogs here: they are decent sized and juicy.

Pedestrian Flow: Numerous portals allow access to the stands.  There is only one main walkway in/out of the concourse, but it is wide and well-regulated.  Overall, pedestrian traffic seems to flow well here.

Parking: Parking used to be a serious problem here, but the addition of some grass/dirt lots east of the stadium has helped.  There is no free parking anywhere on campus or in Oxford, unless you know the area really well.... ;)