Get Directions. Notable alumni . William "Red" Dawson was a star tight end and defensive end for Valdosta High and at Florida State before playing one season in the NFL, but it was what happened after his playing career was over that set him apart. Whitworth won a pair of state championships at West Monroe High, including a mythical national title in 2000, then won a BCS national championship at LSU in 2003. He played four seasons in the majors for the New York Giants. NFL: Dallas Cowboys (2011-14), Philadelphia Eagles (2015), Tennessee Titans (2016-17). America's Best High School Football Stadiums - USA TODAY High School As a senior in 2016, Chapman led his team with 35 receptions for 592 receiving yards and a whopping 13 touchdowns as Monument Valley went 10-1 and 5-0 in conference play. High school: Bismarck High School, Century High School, St. Mary's Central High School, Legacy High School, CFL: Saskatchewan Roughriders (2008-15), Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2016-18). Don Hansen busted heads playing linebacker for Reitz High, where he won a state championship in 1961 before going on to play for the University of Illinois, where he won a Rose Bowl championship in 1964. The third Texan stadium on this list, Berry Center Stadium seats over 11,000 fans and covers about 65 acres. If you do a double-take when you first see Bentonville High's Tiger Stadium, that's perfectly fine. Meridian is one of the oldest schools in the South. The great thing about the best high school football stadiums is that there's never just one thing that makes them stand out. Ryan Cheney/Cheney Photography The stadium required $8.8 million of the $27 million. NFL: Kansas City Chiefs (2002-06), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007-10). Some people have so much talent it just makes you sort of jealous. Lawrence won another state title in 2006 and has finished as runner-up three more times, in 2007, 2011 and 2012. It's tough to make it in the NFL as an undrafted free agent, but Quince Orchard High product Zach Kerr has stuck around in the league for eight seasons since his All-CAA career at the University of Delaware. Colt Anderson has one of the most unlikely NFL careers you'll ever hear about. The Bismarck Community Bowl is putting in as much or more work as any stadium on this list. Rice gained fame by his writing but was a pretty great athlete himself back in the day. Built in 1974, the stadium is named for longtime Clark County dairyman K.W. The biggest high school football stadium in Nebraska (we think) is actually more known for hosting the state championships in track and field each year, which can draw around 25,000 fans. Tomball ISD Stadium is one of the newest high school football stadiums in Texas that debuted in 2021. Renton High School is a public secondary school (grades 9-12) in downtown Renton, Washington, . There are three teams that call Veterans Memorial Football Field in Norfolk home, but if you get to see just one of them, make sure it's powerhouse Norfolk Catholic High, the most dominant team in state history with a record 10 state championships. Mitchell Stadium has enough fame in the state that a Division I football game was once played there when West Virginia University faced Virginia Tech in 1953. After growing tired of sharing a field with rival school Male High, Manual High built its own stadium in 1924 with a massive seating capacity of 14,021. Townsend moved to cornerback in college and was a three-time All-SEC selection for the Crimson Tide before playing 13 seasons in the NFL and winning two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the only significant moment of Smith's NFL career. It has hosted some of the biggest concerts to come to the region as well as playing home to the University of Bridgeport football team until it disbanded in 1975. Gronkowski, a surefire Hall of Famer, has won four Super Bowls three with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nationally, high school football participation has declined 9.1 percent over the past 10 years. What will really take your breath away are the stunning views of Puget Sound and Commencement Bay. Mater Dei High School has won four USA Today national championships. He lettered in both football and baseball at Vanderbilt and captained the baseball team as a senior. Earle "Pete" Cooper is one of the greatest high school football coaches from Maine. It expanded to 23,000 in order to host the Hula Bowl, a college football All-Star game that was held there from 1998 to 2005. Jeffrey Bowie is the best prospect to come out of West Branch High in quite some time. Murray was a three-time All-Big 12 selection for the Sooners before playing in the NFL for seven seasons, making three Pro Bowls and leading the NFL in rushing in 2014, when he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Year and made his lone All-Pro squad. Despite the schools splitting into two whole new schools, North Medford has kept a claim on the state championships won before the split, including banners and trophies. This stadium can seat 10,000 people on a Friday night with a view of arguably one. In the Super Bowl the following year, the Seahawks lost to the New England Patriots, and Irvin became the first player ever ejected from the Super Bowl for throwing a punch at New England tight end Rob Gronkowski. Anderson spent two seasons on the practice squad for the Minnesota Vikings before making the roster for the Philadelphia Eagles. The community does all it can to support its local stadium and local teams as well. Up a hill behind the home bleachers is Glenbard High, which was built to look more like a castle than a high school. The variety in size of those stadiums ranges from the very small to the very, very big. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009. You're not just going to a high school football game at the Reitz Bowl in Evansville, Indiana you're having an experience. Stadium High School was originally conceived as a luxury hotel - but through a series of fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on who you are) events - the city of Tacoma bought the shell of the building and completed it in 1906. 25. James R. Hallford Stadium soared past its 50th birthday in 2018 and remains the largest high school football stadium in the state of Georgia. It's a piece of architecture that now blends seamlessly with downtown Butte and seems like a perfect fit for the town. Allen set records in the 1994 state championship game loss to Service High for passing yards (237) and longest touchdown pass (69 yards). Football is serious business in parts of the United States, and where the game is played is hallowed ground. And if you can catch just one game there, make sure it's when hated rival Hendersonville High comes to town. Union's Union-Tuttle Stadium: Former Superintendent Wesley Jarman's brainstorm was ahead of its time in 1976, when curious people drove by to gawk as the large, concrete grandstands rose out. 21 retired after the season. We don't care that Joey Su'a is still playing for Bentonville High. Matt Bowen was actually a star quarterback at Glenbard West and switched positions to strong safety after he arrived at the University of Iowa and became an All-Big Ten pick and All-American as a senior when he led the Hawkeyes with 109 tackles. Dec 2019. Texas High School Football Stadiums, Powered by TexasBob There are larger stadiums in Texas,. Dressler, who was named the North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year in 2003, set 19 receiving records at North Dakota before being named CFL Rookie of the Year in 2008 and winning a Grey Cup with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2013. The 17-time state champions at Belfry High enter the field from a state-of-the-art fieldhouse behind one end zone, and games are almost always sellouts. The $4 million remodeling of Edgar Brown Stadium with its capacity of 6,800 isn't completed, but it nonetheless is one of the best high-school facilities in the state. Roebuck High's Ryan Sims was a star defensive tackle at the University of North Carolina alongside future NFL player Julius Peppers before the Kansas City Chiefs selected Sims No. At Northern Iowa, Washington was a two-time Gateway Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 1995 and 1996 and a two-time NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) All-American. College basketball transfer portal rankings 2023: Kentucky's Sahvir For one thing, you know you're in a stadium that's probably pretty old. In 2019, the stadium got a $2 million upgrade that included smashing the bleachers on the north side of the stadium and replacing it with a grassy hillside. The most notable events that take place at the Ben Hill Griffin include the Gator Growl, high school football, college bowl games, and numerous . He's been named NFL All-Pro three times and won a Super Bowl in 2021. High schools: Hampton High School, Bethel High School, Kecoughtan High School, Phoebus High School. But it's the framing of the home side of the stadium that makes it so unique, specifically the gigantic, yellow bridgework stretching out from both sides of the press box. And be careful if some heavy storms start coming in. One great part of the renovation was the West Monroe home stands were finally moved to the west side of the stadium. Visitors to Lawrence High's Keyes Field have grown accustomed to the sight of not just the stands being full, but of people lining the field to the point of standing-room-only during games. The foundation of the stadium on the home side was originally meant to be a retaining wall for Reitz High School until a quick-thinking member of the school staff observed it could actually be the beginning of a football stadium. Hansen played 11 seasons in the NFL for four teams. If you are wondering how to place the architecture's inspiration, think no further than the buildings of ancient Rome, which it's been compared to on many occasions. The football program at Canton McKinley High School has had some legendary teams that won national championships. The 6-foot-5, 247-pound defensive end stayed loyal to his home state and turned down offers from a gaggle of Big Ten and Big 12 schools to sign with the University of Iowa in 2021. 31 Largest Stadiums in the World - Athletic Panda Sports Editors NFL: Baltimore Colts (1973-78), Pittsburgh Steelers (1978), New York Giants (1979), Detroit Lions (1980-82). The really great touch here was an LED-lighting system that is something to behold. Ithaca High has won all five of its state titles in the last decade. It's the home field for Evergreen, Heritage, Mountain View, and Union high schools, and also serves as a venue for regional track meets and other events. Watson Memorial Stadium was named for Hobbs High alum John Watson, a star football player for the Eagles who went on to play for the University of New Mexico before he returned home to Hobbs and spent decades as a businessman and civic leader. Valdosta High School and NCAA Division II powerhouse Valdosta State share Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, but it's Valdosta High that has won more games than any other school in U.S. history. Central High School opened its doors in 1964 alongside its brand-new stadium, which was named for the U.S. president who was assassinated one year earlier. Leinart was picked No. Younger brother Syd Cohen followed him in baseball and basketball several years later. It hosted a college football game once, in 2001, when the University of Hawaii defeated the University of Montana in front of a crowd of just 12,863 fans. Mike Solwold won two state championships at Arrowhead High and was named Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year in 1996. Kyle Rudolph was a USA Today High School All-American for Elder High before playing for Notre Dame, then becoming a Pro Bowl tight end for the Minnesota Vikings. Wake Forest High School Football Stadium. 1. Whatever it is, it works. Picked No. 1. In the 1970s, three semi-pro football teams called Kingston Stadium home. High schools: Pueblo Central High School, Pueblo South High School, Pueblo East High School, NFL: Miami Dolphins (2009), Denver Broncos (2010), San Diego Chargers (2010-12), Arizona Cardinals (2012-13). Madison High School won just one game in 2010, but two years later completed a perfect 12-0 season with a win over two-time defending state champion Coeur dAlene in the Class 5A title game. The largest stadium used by a professional team falls at number 15 on the list. Friday Night Lights was based here for a reason. I would put Carmel and Center Grove at the top when it comes to . Brady was never better than in the state championship game. While this stadium has existed in some form since 1929, the updated Darlington Memorial Stadium that opened in 1989 has seen as good a display of high school football in the last three decades as any stadium. 4. Nick Reid was a star quarterback for Derby High School before becoming a linebacker at the University of Kansas, where he led the team in tackles for three years and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive tackle and Arkansas commit has the talent that could land him on an NFL roster one day. Ranking college football's 25 best facilities in 2021 - 247Sports The University of Utah even approached the Madison County School District in hopes of incorporating the same lighting system at their stadium. That's quite a feat! Big Horn High's Josh Thompson hasn't graduated from high school and can already call himself one of the greatest players in his school's history. This one is blurring the lines we've set up a little bit. Originally known as Allentown High School Stadium, the facility underwent a name change to J. Birney Crum Stadium to honor Allentown High's legendary football coach. Bobcat Stadium's new press box features four separate rooms, and the turf was installed by the same company that has done several NFL fields. He was just 24 years old. The "Bowl" side of the stadium isn't a straight wall line, but kind of a squiggly line. Wentz won five national championships at North Dakota State one as a redshirt, two as a backup and two as the starter before the Philadelphia Eagles selected him No. It would be hard to beat the mid-to-late 1980s as the best time to watch football at J. Birney Crum. Few high school football stadiums can properly sum up the city they're in as perfectly as Buchanan Field, where it's been built up against the surrounding neighborhood in Washington D.C. After head coach Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma to become the coach at USC, Williams entered the transfer portal. or Sign up with email. In 2010, a massive renovation to the home bleachers and the press box doubled the seating capacity at the stadium and it was definitely needed.