Ladd Peebles Stadium Ladd Peebles Stadium ( formerly Ernest F . Ladd Memorial Stadium ) is a stadium in Mobile , Alabama . It is primarily used for American football , and is the home field for the Senior Bowl , the GoDaddy . com Bowl , the Alabama - Mississippi All - Star Classic , and the University of South Alabama Jaguars . It opened in 1948 and has a seating capacity of 33 , 471 . It was originally named for Ernest F . Ladd , a local banking magnate who died in 1941 . In 1997 , it was renamed to honor E . B . Peebles , a civic leader who was instrumental in the revitalization of the Senior Bowl . In addition to football , the stadium is also used for concerts ( maximum capacity 50 , 000 ) , boxing matches , high school graduations , trade shows , and festivals . Ed Sullivan , Jimmy Buffett , Taylor Swift and many other entertainers have performed at Ladd Peebles Stadium . History . The stadium was constructed in 1948 with private funding from a local banker wishing to create a permanent honor to his mentor , Ernest F . Ladd . The stadium ' s first game was a meeting between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Vanderbilt Commodores on October 2 , 1948 which ended in a 14 – 14 tie . From 1948 to 1968 , with the exceptions of 1960 and 1962 , the Crimson Tide played one game per year in Ladd Stadium . In 1958 , legendary head coach Paul " Bear " Bryant coached his first game as Alabama ' s head coach in Ladd Stadium when the Crimson Tide fell 13 - 3 to LSU . Ladd - Peebles Stadium also played host to numerous other major college games over the years . Auburn played eight games at Ladd from 1948 – 55 , playing the likes of Clemson , Florida and Ole Miss . The University of Southern Mississippi was also a consistent Ladd Stadium tenant , as the Golden Eagles played 17 games there from 1950 through 1974 . Southern Mississippi ' s opponents included schools such as Texas A & M , Florida State and Alabama . In 1951 , the new Senior Bowl moved from Jacksonville to Mobile , where it has been played in Ladd - Peebles ever since . Beginning in 1974 , it began hosting the Gulf Coast Classic , an Alabama State University Homecoming game against a fellow Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent . In 1988 , the stadium hosted the first - ever Alabama - Mississippi All - Star Classic , an annual football event that features the best senior high school players and top collegiate prospects from Mississippi against the best from Alabama . Formerly played in June , the contest is now an annual event held at Ladd - Peebles the second Saturday in December . In 1997 , Ladd Peebles Stadium underwent a $ 8 . 1 million renovation that resulted in a new press box featuring a 120 - seat club level and luxury suites , new scoreboards , new PA and lighting systems , new locker rooms , new restrooms , an expansion of the concourse areas , and new concession stands , as well as the stadium offices . In 1999 , the stadium hosted the inaugural Mobile Bowl , which continues today as the GoDaddy . com Bowl . Formerly matching teams from the Mid - American Conference and Conference USA , the bowl announced a new agreement in 2009 to annually feature teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Mid - American Conference beginning with the 2010 game . The agreement , however , was canceled after one year and the bowl ' s matchup now consists of the Mid - American Conference facing the Sun Belt Conference . In 2004 , the stadium selected and installed FieldTurf as its new playing surface . On December 6 , 2008 , the Board of Trustees at the University of South Alabama approved adding football to its intercollegiate athletics program . The move came with the announcement that the team would call Ladd - Peebles Stadium home for at least seven years . The stadium underwent a $ 2 . 2 million facelift which also includes the construction of a 11 luxury sky boxes on the stadium ' s west side . The project was finished at the beginning of the 2009 season