Neyland Stadium Neyland Stadium is a sports stadium in Knoxville , Tennessee , United States . It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team , but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several NFL exhibition games . The stadium ' s official capacity is 102 , 455 . Constructed in 1921 , the stadium has undergone 16 expansion projects , at one point reaching a capacity of 104 , 079 before being slightly reduced by alterations in the following decade . Neyland Stadium is the third largest non - racing stadium in the United States , the sixth largest non - racing stadium in the world , and the largest stadium in the Southeastern Conference . The stadium is named for University of Tennessee football coach Robert Neyland ( 1892 – 1962 ) . History . The Tennessee Volunteers football team originally played at Baldwin Park , which was once located between Grand Avenue and Dale Avenue , north of Fort Sanders . From 1909 to 1920 , the team played at Wait Field , which was once located on 15th Street . Neyland Stadium ( pronounced NEE - land ) was first conceived in 1919 . Colonel W . S . Shields , president of Knoxville ' s City National Bank and a University of Tennessee trustee , provided the initial capital to prepare and equip an athletic field . Thus , when the original stadium – the lower level of the current stadium ' s West Stands – was completed in March 1921 , it was called Shields - Watkins Field in honor of the donor and his wife , Alice Watkins - Shields . However , the project ran out of funds and was unfinished temporarily until MacGregor Smith ( 1921 ) suggested at a meeting of the University ' s Scarabbean Senior Society that the students and faculty finish the project together . At the group ' s behest , students and faculty finished the field over a two - day period . An invitational track meet was then held as a celebration and thus became the very first event at Neyland Stadium . The first Vol football game at the stadium took place on September 24 , 1921 , with the Vols defeating Emory & Henry , 27 – 0 . The first night game at Neyland Stadium was played on September 16 , 1972 , with the Vols defeating Penn State , 28 – 21 . In 1962 , the stadium was renamed Neyland Stadium in honor of former athletic director and coach , General Robert Neyland . Neyland , the man credited with making the Vols a national football power , coached the team from 1926 – 1952 , with two interruptions for military service . Shortly before his death , he spearheaded the stadium ' s first major expansion . The plans were so far ahead of their time that they have been used in every expansion since then . The playing surface is still named Shields – Watkins Field . The latest additions and updates to the facility were part of a $ 136 . 4 million series of renovations , beginning in 2004 and completed by 2010 . They included the bricking around the field and the removal of the previous hedges , numerous changes to the inside and outside of the stadium structure , additions and reconfigurations of seating areas , as well as new home locker , press , and varsity rooms . In a Spring 2001 poll in " The Sporting News " , Neyland Stadium was ranked as the nation ' s # 1 college football stadium . In 2004 , " Sports Illustrated " ranked Neyland Stadium , the University of Tennessee campus , and the surrounding Knoxville area , as the best college football weekend experience . On April 8 , 2009 , it was announced that Neyland Stadium was one of the 70 stadia named for the United States ' bid to either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup . Attendance records . Attendance has been recorded for Vol football games at Neyland Stadium since 1946 . Average attendance since that year has 68 , 925 fans per game . The largest crowd ever recorded at Neyland was 109 , 061 on September 18 , 2004 , when Tennessee defeated Florida , 30 – 28 . Tennessee set a school record by averaging 107 , 595 fans per home game in 2000 . Vols ' performance at Neyland . Through the 2010 season , the Tennessee Volunteers football team had compiled a record of 432 wins , 109 losses , and 17 ties at Neyland , for a winning percentage of . 789 . The team has had 36 perfect home records , the last coming in 2007 . The team ' s longest home winning streak was 30 , set between December 8 , 1928 , and October 21 , 1933 . The Vols have never had more than 4 consecutive losses at Neyland Stadium . Other uses . Neyland Stadium is occasionally used for concerts , political rallies , and religious gatherings . One of Neyland Stadium ' s most notable non - sporting events took place in May 1970 , when the stadium hosted the Billy Graham Crusade , with President Richard Nixon as a guest speaker . The event occurred just three weeks after the Kent State shootings , at the height of the anti - war movement , and several anti - war protestors were arrested for trying to disrupt the event . The Jacksons performed three concerts at Neyland Stadium in August 1984 , during their Victory Tour . Neyland Stadium has hosted several NFL exhibition games , most recently in 1995 , when the Washington Redskins played the Houston Oilers . Neyland is also used for local high school playoff games . The Knox County Football Jamboree , a preseason event for local high school teams , is held annually at the stadium . Structure and seating . Stadium growth . Shields - Watkins Field opened in 1921 with a single grandstand , the Original West Stands , having a capacity of 3 , 200 . The East Stands were added five years later in 1926 to increase capacity to 6 , 800 . The West Stands were increased from 17 rows to 42 rows in 1930 , increasing capacity to 17 , 860 . In 1937 , a small row of seats ( called North Section X ) was constructed across the north endzone , adding an additional 1 , 500 seats . The next year , in 1938 , the East Stands were expanded to 44 rows . The capacity after these expansions was 31 , 390 . In 1948 , another expansion of the stadium was begun that resulted in the south endzone being enclosed in a horseshoe style ( see Harvard Stadium for an example ) . The South Stands added 15 , 000 seats , bringing the total capacity to 46 , 290 . Several expansions were undertaken in the 1960s . First , in 1962 , the West Upper Deck was built , adding 5 , 837 seats and a press box . In 1966 , North Section X in the north endzone was replaced by a grandstand that seated 5 , 895 ( the North Stands ) , and in 1968 , the East Upper Deck that seated 6 , 307 was added . The total capacity was 64 , 429 . The two Upper Decks were connected to enclose the south endzone during two expansions in 1972 and 1976 . The 1972 Southwest Upper Deck addition extended the West Upper Deck to the south by 6 , 221 seats , and the 1976 Southeast Upper Deck addition extended the East Upper Deck to the south by 9 , 600 , giving contiguous upper seating around three sides , and increasing total capacity to 80 , 250 . In 1980 , the North Stands were rebuilt , netting a capacity increase of 10 , 999 seats and enclosing the north endzone in a " bowl " style ( see Rose Bowl and Yale Bowl for examples ) . A net loss of seats in 1987 to accommodate the West Executive Suites construction was more than offset by a student seating adjustment in 1990 , increasing capacity to a total of 91 , 902 . In 1996 , the last major expansion was completed with the North Upper Deck to fully enclose the upper level , giving a net gain of 10 , 642 seats . A 1997 seating adjustment to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was followed by addition of the East Executive Suites , topping total capacity at 104 , 037 in 2000 . The addition of the East and West Club Seats in 2006 and 2009 , respectively , decreased the total capacity to 100 , 011 . In 2010 , the completion of the Tennessee Terrace raised stadium capacity to its current total of 102 , 455 people . 2004 - 2010 renovations . In 2004 , UT implemented the Neyland Stadium Master Plan , a long - term strategy for expanding , renovating , and maintaining the stadium . The plan called for the addition of club seats , widening of concourses , creation of entry plazas , and updates to the stadium ' s infrastructure . The estimated $ 200 million renovations , which will be carried out over a series of several phases , are to be funded entirely by private donations and revenue generated from priority and club seats . Phase I of the master plan , completed in 2006 at a cost of $ 26 million , involved the addition of the East Club Seats , renovation and widening of the north lower concourse , the addition of LED signage , and the addition of extra restrooms and concessions . The East Club Seats , built on the East Upper Deck , includes 422 seats and an adjoining club room overlooking the Tennessee River . Phase II of the master plan , completed in 2008 at a cost of $ 27 . 4 million , involved the renovation and widening of the west lower concourse , renovations to the Peyton Manning Locker Complex and the concourse connecting it with Shields - Watkins Field , and the construction of the Lauricella Center for Letter Winners and the Stokely Family Media Room . The Lauricella Center for Letter Winners , named for Vol All American running back Hank Lauricella , sits adjacent to the locker complex , and provides a gathering area for athletes , coaches , and their family members . The Stokely Family Media Room provides a setting for press conferences and coach and player interviews . Phase III of the master plan , completed in 2010 at a cost of $ 83 million , included the construction of the West Club Seats , improvements to the Executive Suites and press box , renovations to the west top level concourse , the addition of elevators and stairwells to the West Side , the creation of the Gate 21 Plaza and other entry plazas , the construction of the Tennessee Terrace , and the installation of a statue of General Neyland , created by sculptor Blair Buswell , to the west entrance . The West Club Seats are similar to the East Club Seats , with 422 seats and an adjoining club room . The Tennessee Terrace features 1 , 782 priority seats , with an adjacent climate - controlled concourse area , overlooking the west sideline . Phases IV and V will involve renovation of the south and east concourses and the creation of an entry plaza at Gate 10 . Shields - Watkins Field . From 1921 to the end of the 1967 season the field surface was natural grass . In 1964 , the orange - and - white checkerboard end zones were added . This was one of the many changes initiated by new head coach Doug Dickey , who also added the " T " logo to the football helmet and initiated the tradition of the team running onto the field through the " Power T " formed by the Pride of the Southland Band , and moved the Tennessee bench from the east side line to the west side line . In 1968 , coinciding with the addition of the East Upper Deck , Tennessee - Turf ( AstroTurf ) was installed as the playing surface , in part to provide better drainage following heavy rains . The checkerboard end zones were initially not included as part of the Tennessee - Turf playing surface . End zone designs used through the years on the artificial surface included having TENNESSEE and VOLUNTEERS in orange turf lettering and the end zone green turf . The end zones , as well as the mid - field logo , were unique in that they were separate pieces of contrasting turf rather than painted turf . The artificial surface , as many from this era , was blamed for excessive leg injuries . In 1989 , the orange - and - white checkerboard endzone patterns were restored , and an interlocking " UT " was placed at midfield . The artificial surface was used through the 1993 season , the last game on the surface being a 62 - 14 win over Vanderbilt . Afterwards the surface was ripped up and sections were auctioned off to raise funds for the university . The turf was replaced with natural grass the following year , with the checkerboard end zones and midfield logo retained . In 1997 , the interlocking ' UT ' was replaced with the same Power T logo as seen on the football helmets . In 2007 , the entire surface was resodded with Tifway bermudagrass , which rests on a 12 - inch bed of sand to enhance drainage .