Cincinnati Bearcats football
Who occupied Nippert Stadium from 1915 to 1968?
Nippert Stadium Nippert Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Cincinnati , Ohio , on the campus of the University of Cincinnati . Primarily used for American football , it is the home field of the Cincinnati Bearcats football team . The stadium has also been used as a soccer venue , serving as the home of FC Cincinnati of Major League Soccer from their inaugural 2016 USL season through the 2020 MLS season . Nippert Stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 40,000 people following an expansion and renovation in 2014 . In rudimentary form since 1901 , permanent concrete stands were built along each sideline for the 1915 season and as a complete horseshoe stadium since 1924 , making it the fourth-oldest playing site and fifth-oldest stadium in college football , respectively . Namesake . During the final game of the 1923 season with intrastate rival Miami University , UC player James Gamble Jimmy Nippert sustained a spike wound injury . He died a month later of blood poisoning , reportedly due to having been infected by droppings left after a pre-game chicken race . Nipperts grandfather , James Gamble of Procter & Gamble , donated the required funds to complete the stadium . A locker room and training ( medical ) facility was added as part of the renovation for the safety of players . Nipperts brother , Louis , was majority owner of the Cincinnati Reds during the 1970s . Early history . In 1895 , the organizer of UCs first football team , Arch Carson , introduced a plan to build a stadium complete with wooden bleachers on the site where Nippert Stadium currently stands . The plans became a reality in 1901 while Carson was serving as UCs physical education director . The first game played on the site originally called Varsity Field in Burnet Woods was on November 2 , 1901 vs the Ohio University Bobcats . Cincinnati was defeated 16–0 in that contest . They rebounded a week later and defeated Hannover on Varsity field November 9 , 1901 , 10–0 . Although Cincinnati has played home contests in other Cincinnati parks , this site has been the primary home of Cincinnati Football since that time . The playing surface at Nippert Stadium is called Carson Field in honor of Arch Carson . Construction of Carson Field began in 1900 and was completed in 1910 . In 1915 , construction was completed on the first sections of a brick and concrete structure to replace the wooden stands and continued for several seasons as funds were raised . In 1924 , the completed structure was dedicated as James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium with a capacity of 12,000 . The field is slightly offset from a conventional north-south alignment , configured north-northeast to south-southwest at an approximate elevation of above sea level . Timeline . - 1895 – UC physical education director Arch Carson introduced a plan to build a stadium in Burnet Woods . - 1901 – Cincinnati played its first game on Carson Field . Wood bleachers were built on the surrounding hillside . - 1909 – Lights were first used because the large number of co-op students on the team could practice only at night . - 1915 – Construction began on a permanent brick-and-concrete structure . - 1923 – James Gamble donated $250,000 in memory of his grandson , Jimmy Nippert , to complete the stadium . Jimmy died on Christmas 1923 from a football injury a month prior . - 1924 – The completed James Gamble Nippert Stadium was dedicated on November 8 , with a seating capacity of 12,000 . - 1936 – Carson Field was lowered to allow the capacity to expand to 24,000 . - 1954 – Reed Shank Pavilion was completed along the east sideline to boost the capacity to 28,000 . - 1968 – Nippert was the first home of the AFLs expansion Cincinnati Bengals while the city constructed Riverfront Stadium , which opened in 1970 . - 1970 – AstroTurf replaced the natural grass surface . - 1989 – Nippert Stadium was closed for renovation and UC played its home games in 1990 at Riverfront Stadium . - 1991 – Phase I of the stadium renovation was completed to allow for UC home games to be played . The structure was fortified and a three-tiered press box was added . - 1992 – Phase II of the renovation was completed , increasing the seating capacity to 35,000 through the expansion of the ( renamed ) Herschede-Shank Pavilion , and adding new lighting and a scoreboard . - 2000 – FieldTurf , a revolutionary new grass-like artificial surface , was installed . The former press box was renamed the John and Dorothy Hermanies Press Box . - 2001 – A new video scoreboard was added in the north end zone and 10,000 seats were upgraded . - 2005 – A permanent grandstand upgraded seating behind the north end zone and provided new locker rooms at field level for game use . A new , larger video board was installed and the FieldTurf playing surface was replaced . - 2009 – 9,000 black cushioned seats were installed in the UCATS seating areas of the stadium , replacing the previously installed red plastic seating covers . - 2013 – FieldTurf playing surface replaced with Act Global UBU and at the end of the 2013–2014 season with , Nippert closed for renovation . - 2014 – UC plays home games at Paul Brown Stadium , home of the Cincinnati Bengals , during stadium renovations . - 2015 – Capacity is increased to 40,000 with the addition of premium seating , new pavilion , additional restrooms , upgraded concessions and improved concourses . - 2016 – New Turf , renovation of visitors locker room - 2017 – Playing surface expanded from 110 yards by 70 yards to 115 yards by 75 yards for soccer and player safety , resulting in the loss of 1200 seats . The $2M project was paid for by local USL club FC Cincinnati . New Videoboard . The project was made possible by a gift from longtime UC supporters Carl and Martha Lindner . Longtime multimedia rights holder IMG College also contributed to the project . Renovation history . The field was lowered in 1936 , allowing capacity to reach 24,000 . In 1954 , a small upper deck on the East sideline was completed , and named the Reed Shank Pavilion . This increased capacity to 28,000 . In 1992 , the stadium was heavily renovated , expanding the upper deck on the East sideline and adding a new Press Box on the West sideline . This increased capacity to 35,097 . In 2005 , new gameday locker rooms behind the north end zone ( underneath the newly completed Campus Rec Center ) were added , as well as a new bigger video board above the north end zone . 2014–2015 renovation and expansion . As the UC program rose to prominence in the late 2000s , the small seating capacity of Nippert became an issue . Former UC head coach Brian Kelly called for an expansion of Nippert , the smallest stadium in the Big East Conference . On December 18 , 2012 , President Santa J . Ono and then Athletic Director Whit Babcock unveiled the long-anticipated plans to update and expand Nippert Stadium . Originally the price tag was estimated at $70 million , but eventually an increased budget of $86 million was announced . On June 25 , 2013 , the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees approved the Nippert Stadium Expansion . The West Pavilion now includes a new press box and premium seating area , which will add suites , loge boxes , and club seating . The western concourse also boasts improved general fan amenities , including concession stands , restrooms , and more efficient in-stadium traffic flow . Additions on the east side of the stadium were more sparse , but included additional concession stands , restrooms , and an expansion of the formerly-cramped concourse walkways , due to the addition of skywalks to connect the Herschede-Shank Pavilion with the OVarsity Way brick plaza , which is located just outside the stadium . After renovations , Nipperts capacity ( including about 2500 SRO ) is now around 40,000 ( an exact figure hasnt yet been put forth by the university ) . However , local United Soccer League club FC Cincinnati sold out Nippert Stadium in July 2016 after the renovations , and announced a crowd of 35,061 . Further , in early 2017 Nippert lost 1200 seats in a $2 million project expanding the playing field 5 yards in both length and width to accommodate a full-sized soccer field . The 2014–15 renovation and expansion was designed by the New York-based firm , Architecture Research Office in close collaboration with Heery International . ARO served as the design architect , while Heery served as the sports consultant and executive architect . Construction on the Nippert Stadium expansion started in December 2013 , and was completed on time , in September 2015 . During the 2014 season , the Bearcats played all of their home games at Paul Brown Stadium , the downtown home of the Cincinnati Bengals . Attendance . Record attendance . On October 24 , 2015 , the Bearcats hosted the UConn Huskies on Homecoming weekend . The crowd on hand was 40,124 making this the second consecutive official sellout in the newly renovated Nippert Stadium . The Bearcats were winners in front of 7 of the 10 largest crowds at Nippert including the top 3 attended games . Soccer attendance . During FC Cincinnati soccer matches , stadium capacity was limited to 35,061 before 2017 when the field was widened and rows were removed along the sidelines and in the corners to accommodate a regulation width soccer field . Nippert sold out once for a soccer match before the field was widened , when English Premier League club Crystal Palace FC played a friendly against FC Cincinnati on July 16 , 2016 . Current soccer capacity after rows were removed and once the club reached MLS is 32,250 . Other soccer attendance . On September 15 , 2017 , the United States womens soccer team hosted New Zealand in a friendly before 30,596 fans – a record for the womens national team in the state of Ohio . On June 9 , 2019 , the United States mens soccer team hosted Venezuela in a friendly to prepare for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup . Praise . Nippert has earned a reputation as a tough place to play . One national columnist , visiting the sold-out Keg of Nails rivalry game in 2013 , described Nippert Stadium as a quaint bowl of angry noise sitting under the gaze of remarkable architecture and went on to compare it to a baby Death Valley ( referring to LSUs notoriously intimidating Tiger Stadium ) . In 2012 , USA Today called Nippert Stadium the best football venue in what was then the Big East Conference . Other tenants and events hosted . The stadium served as home for the American Football League expansion team , the Cincinnati Bengals , in 1968 and 1969 , while their eventual permanent home at Riverfront Stadium was being constructed . The Cincinnati Comets of the American Soccer League played at Nippert in 1973 . The stadium has served as a concert venue at least three times . On July 22 , 1973 a show headlined by The Edgar Winter Group with The James Gang and Peter Framptons group , Framptons Camel , drew between 5,000 and 7,000 fans . On July 29 , 1973 a concert with Grand Funk Railroad drew only 8,000 fans ; seventeen were arrested on charges they got in without a ticket . On August 3 , 1975 , Nippert hosted The Ohio River Rock Festival ( Aerosmith , Black Oak Arkansas , Blue Öyster Cult , Foghat , Mahogany Rush , Nitty Gritty Dirt Band , REO Speedwagon , and Styx ; admission was festival seating/general admission , attendance 32,000 est . according to local radio broadcasts ) . In addition , the Grateful Dead was supposed to perform at Nippert on June 15 , 1973 , but the show was canceled , according to the Cincinnati Post , due to the fact that the staging was not up to the Deads demands ( they eventually played Cincinnati Gardens on December 4 , 1973. ) On November 2 , 2008 , Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama held a rally at Nippert two days before the election to an estimated 27,000 attendees . FC Cincinnati began playing at Nippert in 2016 . The team broke the United Soccer League regular-season record for attendance five times , drawing 30,417 fans to its game against New York Red Bulls II on September 16 , 2017 . They drew 30,187 to their playoff game against the Charleston Battery on October 2 , 2016 . On September 29 , 2018 , they once again broke the USL attendance record , drawing 31,478 fans against Indy Eleven in FCCs final regular-season home game before the teams move to MLS . The team drew 35,061 for a friendly against Crystal Palace F.C . on July 16 , 2016 . They drew a USL record home opener crowd of 23,144 against Saint Louis FC on April 15 , 2017 . They drew 33,250 to a U.S . Open Cup semifinal against New York Red Bulls on August 15 , 2017 . Nitro Circus performed at Nippert on June 23 , 2018 . Alternative stadiums . UC has used Paul Brown Stadium , home of the NFLs Cincinnati Bengals , as an alternate home field for several high profile home games . The downtown stadium has a larger seating capacity of 65,535 . Games against Ohio State ( 2002 ) , Oklahoma ( 2010 ) , and West Virginia ( 2011 ) drew crowds of 66,319 , 58,253 , and 48,152 , respectively , at Paul Brown Stadium .