Memorial Stadium ( Indiana ) Memorial Stadium ( also known as The Rock ) is a stadium in Bloomington , Indiana . It is primarily used for football , and is the home field of the Indiana Hoosiers . The stadium opened in 1960 as part of a new athletics area at the university and currently has a capacity of 52 , 929 . The stadium is similar in structure to venues at Wake Forest ( BB & T Field ) and Virginia Tech ( Lane Stadium ) . It replaced the original Memorial Stadium , built in 1925 , a 20 , 000 - seat stadium located on 10th Street where the arboretum now stands . History . The stadium has been renovated or updated multiple times since the original construction , including the replacement of the original wooden seats with aluminum bleachers , installation of sound and lighting systems , and major structural overhauls . On June 1 , 2003 , a $ 3 . 5 million renovation of the Memorial Stadium press box was completed , which also added 300 indoor club seats and 9 suites . In the summer of 2003 , the Hoosier locker room in Memorial Stadium underwent a $ 250 , 000 renovation . The facelift to the original 1986 facility included renovating and modernizing the existing space with new carpeting , lighting , and a new bulkhead ceiling along with the installation of custom - built oak wood lockers for 105 football players . The renovation was funded in large part by former Hoosier quarterback Trent Green his wife Julie and philanthropist Ted Derheimer . A 36 x HD scoreboard from Daktronics was added to the South End Zone for the 2010 season ( which is the 10th largest collegiate scoreboard in the country ) , along with a state - of - the - art sound system . Features . Playing Surface . The field at the stadium was originally natural grass , but this was replaced in 1970 with artificial turf , which was updated to AstroTurf in 1986 . The AstroTurf was replaced with grass in 1998 , but the field soon reverted to an artificial surface ( AstroPlay ) in 2003 . Heavy rains in June 2008 severely damaged the field , washing away the gravel substrate , and creating a large sinkhole in the south endzone , which led to the installation of the stadium ' s current FieldTurf surface . " Hep ' s Rock " . In 2005 , head football coach Terry Hoeppner had a southern Indiana limestone boulder nicknamed " The Rock " installed in the north end zone as a new campus tradition . This limestone boulder was found prior to Hoeppner ' s first season at IU in the practice field . It was removed , put on a granite slab and moved to the stadium . The Hoosiers and coach Hoeppner walked out and touched the Rock before running onto the field at every home game during Hoeppner ' s time as head coach ( a tradition that continues today ) . Terry Hoeppner died of brain cancer on June 19 , 2007 , and The Rock ( renamed " Hep ' s Rock " during a ceremony with the Hoeppner family on November 6 , 2010 ) now serves as motivation for the team as well as a tribute to Hoeppner ' s influence on the football program . North End Zone Complex . In September 2006 , Indiana University announced plans to expand Memorial Stadium and enclose the north end zone . Demolition of the North End Zone bleachers took place in January 2007 . This left capacity for the 2007 and 2008 seasons at 49 , 225 . The expansion provides additional space for classrooms , a . weight / training room , a Hall of Fame , and expanded seating for football , raising the stadium ' s seating capacity to 52 , 692 . The expansion is part of an overall $ 55 million expansion of several Indiana University athletic facilities . The project was completed as scheduled in August 2009 , and was ready for the Hoosiers when they opened against Eastern Kentucky on September 3 , 2009 . Indiana Athletic Director Fred Glass announced in July 2009 $ 3 million of additional renovations to the stadium for the 2009 season , including a new " retro " North End Zone scoreboard , a " Knothole Park " kids area in the south end zone , upgrades to the press box , repainting walkways , renovated concession stands , additional ticket booths , and new fencing around the stadium . The Quarry . In 2010 , the student section at Memorial Stadium was named " The Quarry " .