Nippert Stadium Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati , Ohio is the University of Cincinnati ' s football stadium , home to their Bearcats football team in rudimentary form since 1901 , and as a complete stadium since 1924 , making it the fourth oldest playing site and fifth oldest stadium in college football . In 1895 , the organizer of UC ' s first football team , Arch Carson , introduced a plan to build a stadium complete with wooden bleachers on the site upon which Nippert Stadium currently stands . The plans became a reality in 1901 while Carson was serving as UC ' s physical education director . The first game played on the site originally called Varsity Field in Burnett 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 since then , 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 . 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 . During the final game of the 1923 season with intrastate rival Miami University , UC player James Gamble 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 . Nippert ' s grandfather , James N . Gamble of Procter & Gamble , donated the required funds to complete the stadium . In 1924 , the completed structure was dedicated as James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium with a capacity of 12 , 000 . The field was lowered in 1936 , allowing capacity to reach 24 , 000 . In 1954 , the Reed Shank Pavilion was completed , further increasing capacity to 28 , 000 . The stadium was heavily renovated in 1992 , making capacity at its current figure of 35 , 097 . It has been updated many times through the years and currently seats 35 , 097 with a second tier on the East sideline . On November 27 , 2009 in a game against the University of Illinois Fighting Illini , the stadium broke the record for largest attendance in stadium history with an attendance of 35 , 106 . Nippert has earned a reputation throughout the Big East as a tough place to play . The stadium is sometimes described as a " Zoo " when packed full of 35 , 000 plus Bearcat fans . UC boasted a 14 - game home winning streak at Nippert , dating from to 2007 - 2010 . 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 stadium has served as a concert venue only once , on August 3 , 1975 hosting The Ohio River Rock Festival ( Aerosmith , Black Oak Arkansas , Blue Oyster Cult , Foghat , Mahogany Rush , Nitty Gritty Dirt Band , REO Speedwagon and Styx ; admission was festival seating / general admission ) . 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 . As the UC program has risen to prominence in the late 2000s , the small seating capacity of Nippert has become an issue . Former UC head coach Brian Kelly called for an expansion of Nippert , the smallest stadium in the Big East . The University is currently exploring options for expansion and renovation . Sources indicate that the expansion will add up to 15 , 000 seats , perhaps wrapping the upper deck all the way around the stadium , but exact details are unknown .