Yale Bowl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Yale Bowl

Location	81 Central Avenue New Haven, Connecticut
Coordinates	41°18′47″N 72°57′36″W / 41.313°N 72.960°W / 41.313; -72.960
Owner	Yale University
Operator	Yale University
Capacity	61,446 (2006–present) 64,246 (1994–2005) 70,896 (1914–1993)
Surface	Natural Grass (1914–2018) Field Turf (2019–present)
Construction
Broke ground	August 1913
Opened	November 21, 1914 (1914-11-21) 110 years ago
Construction cost	$750,000 ($21.9 million in 2022 )
Architect	Charles A. Ferry (Class of 1871)
Tenants
Yale Bulldogs (NCAA) (1914–present) New York Giants (NFL) (1973–1974) Connecticut Bicentennials (NASL) (1976–1977)

Yale Bowl
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Location in Connecticut Show map of Connecticut Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Chapel St. and Yale Ave., New Haven, Connecticut
Built	1914
Architect	Charles A. Ferry; Sperry Engineering Co.
NRHP reference No.	87000756
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	February 27, 1987
Designated NHL	February 27, 1987

The Yale Bowl Stadium is a college football stadium in the northeast United States, located in New Haven, Connecticut, on the border of West Haven, about 1½ miles (2½ km) west of the main campus of Yale University. The home of the American football team of the Yale Bulldogs of the Ivy League, it opened in 1914 with 70,896 seats; renovations have reduced its current capacity to 61,446.

The Yale Bowl Stadium inspired the design and naming of the Rose Bowl, from which is derived the name of college football's post-season games ("bowl games") and the NFL's "Super Bowl".

In 1973 and 1974, the stadium hosted the New York Giants of the National Football League, as Yankee Stadium was renovated into a baseball-only venue and Giants Stadium was still in the planning and construction stages; the team was able to move to Shea Stadium in 1975.

History

Ground was broken on the stadium in August 1913. Fill excavated from the field area was used to build up a berm around the perimeter to create an elliptical bowl. The façade was designed to partially echo the campus's Neo-Gothic design, and, as with some central campus buildings, acid was applied to imitate the effects of aging.

It was the first bowl-shaped stadium in the country, and inspired the design of such stadiums as the Rose Bowl, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and Michigan Stadium. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987 for its role in football history.

The Yale Bowl's designer, Charles A. Ferry, for unknown reasons chose not to include locker rooms (or restrooms). Players dress in the Smilow Field Center and walk 200 yards (185 m) to the field. When the NFL's Giants played at the stadium (1973, 1974), the pro players disliked the arrangement, but Yale players reportedly enjoy the walk. Fans cheer for the team as it marches to the stadium while the Yale Band plays.

The Bowl's first game, on November 21, 1914, drew more than 68,000 spectators, who watched the Bulldogs lose 36–0 to rival Harvard.

In 1958, a new scoreboard was installed; its distinctive clock was arranged vertically instead of horizontally.

During the 1970s, the Bowl hosted several concerts. In 1971, Yes performed on July 24 and the Grateful Dead on July 31, a recording of which was released as Road Trips Volume 1 Number 3. But neighborhood opposition to the concerts brought them to an end after a June 14, 1980, show featuring the Eagles, Heart, and The Little River Band. A picture from the show was published with the vinyl edition of the Eagles double live album, issued later that year, though no recordings from the event are included on the discs. A Paul McCartney concert was scheduled for June 1990, but cancelled amid neighbors' opposition; the show was moved to Chicago.

The stadium has hosted many soccer matches over the years; it served as home field for the Connecticut Bicentennials of the North American Soccer League during the 1976 and 1977 seasons. Yale Bowl was mulled as a possible playing site when the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994, but lost out to Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts and Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

In 1991, the Bowl's vicinity saw the addition of the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center, home to the annual ATP/WTA event (the Pilot Pen tournament), across Yale Avenue from the stadium.

On October 5, 2001, the closing ceremony of the Yale Tercentennial was held at the Yale Bowl. Guests included Tom Wolfe '57, William F. Buckley '50, Sesame Street's Big Bird, Paul Simon '96 Hon, and Garry Trudeau '70.

By the 21st century, many of the outside retaining walls and portal entries were deteriorating. In the spring and summer of 2006, the bowl received a partial renovation, including a new scoreboard. The work was completed just in time for the first home game of the Yale football team's season on September 16.

Panoramic view of Yale Bowl. Scoreboard at left. Yale/Cornell football game, September 28, 2019.

Sports

Football

NFL

The New York Giants of the National Football League won just one of the dozen home games they played in New Haven in the 1973 and 1974 seasons. (With the exception of the games played with replacement teams during the 1987 NFL strike, the attendance at the final game at the Yale Bowl is the smallest at a Giants' home game since 1955.)

Soccer

International

Date	Teams	Attendance
May 31, 1976	Brazil  4-1  Italy	36,096
May 31, 1992	Italy  0-0  Portugal	38,833
June 6, 1993	United States  0-2  Brazil	44,579
May 28, 1994	United States  1-1  Greece	21,317

NASL (1976-1977)

Date	Home	Opponent	Score	Attendance
June 2, 1976	Connecticut Bicentennials	Rochester Lancers	2 - 1	1,853
June 12, 1976	Connecticut Bicentennials	Miami Toros	1-1 (S/O)	3,105
June 20, 1976	Connecticut Bicentennials	Chicago Sting	2-1	3,289
June 24, 1976	Connecticut Bicentennials	San Diego Jaws	1-1 (S/O)	1,642
June 30, 1976	Connecticut Bicentennials	San Antonio Thunder	1-1 (S/O)	1,426
July 7, 1976	Connecticut Bicentennials	Washington Diplomats	2-1 (S/O)	2,100
July 24, 1976	Connecticut Bicentennials	Toronto Metros-Croatia	4-4 (S/O)	4,122
July 30, 1976	Connecticut Bicentennials	Tampa Bay Rowdies	0-7	3,800
Aug. 14, 1976	Connecticut Bicentennials	St. Louis Stars	2-1	3,376
May 8, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	New York Cosmos	2-3	17,302
May 15, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	Tampa Bay Rowdies	1-4	1,520
May 29, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	San Jose Earthquakes	3-2	2,257
June 12, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	0-2	6,213
June 15, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	Team Hawaii	1-2	1,295
June 19, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	St. Louis Stars	0-3	1,222
June 26, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	Rochester Lancers	2-1	2,832
June 29, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	Los Angeles Aztecs	2-3	2,915
July 13, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	Las Vegas Quicksilvers	4-3	3,472
July 17, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	Toronto Metros-Croatia	0-4	4,515
July 27, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	Seattle Sounders	1-4	2,169
August 3, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	Washington Diplomats	4-1	1,100
August 7, 1977	Connecticut Bicentennials	Chicago Sting	1-1 (S/O)	3,215

Gallery

• 

  Yale Field - shown here during the 1910 Harvard-Yale game - was the Bulldogs' home until the construction of the Bowl in 1914.

• 

  A model of the Yale Bowl sold as a souvenir in 1914

• 

  Yale Bowl during the 1915 Yale-Princeton game.

• 

  The Yale Bowl from the northwest end 2005

• 

  Yale Bowl scoreboard. Final score of Yale/Cornell game, September 28, 2019

• 

  Main entrance

See also

In Spanish: Yale Bowl para niños