Legion Field
"Football Capital of the South"
Location	400 Graymont Ave W Birmingham, AL 35204
Opened	1926
Owner	City of Birmingham
Operator	UAB
Surface	Turf
Construction cost	$439,000 USD
Tenants	UAB Blazers (NCAA) (1991–present) Team Alabama (AAFL) (2008–present) Papajohns.com Bowl (NCAA) (2006–present) Birmingham Americans (WFL) (1974) Birmingham Vulcans (WFL) (1975) Alabama Vulcans (AFA) (1979) Birmingham Stallions (USFL) (1983–85) Birmingham Fire (WLAF) (1991–92) Birmingham Barracudas (CFL) (1995) Birmingham Thunderbolts (XFL) (2001) Dixie Bowl (NCAA) (1948–1949)
Capacity	71,594

Legion Field is a large stadium in Birmingham, Alabama primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but is occasionally used for other large outdoor events. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Birmingham (ˈbɝmɪŋhæm is the largest City in the US state of Alabama and is the County seat of Jefferson County. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The UAB Blazers are the forest green and old gold-swathed athletic teams at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, generally known as UAB The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations Players of note Current roster All-time first-round draft picks The All American Football League is a proposed professional American football league The Papajohnscom Bowl (formerly known as the Birmingham Bowl) is a post-season NCAA -sanctioned Division I-A College football Bowl game approved The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations The Birmingham Americans were the most successful of the World Football League franchises The World Football League was an American football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. After the 1974 World Football League season the Birmingham Americans were replaced by a new team The World Football League was an American football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. The Alabama Vulcans were a professional football team which were a part of the American Football Association in 1979. The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the For the proposed "New USFL" see United States Football League (2010. The Birmingham Fire was a professional American football team based in Birmingham Alabama that played in the World League of American Football in The World League of American Football (WLAF was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in Franchise History In the Beginning Art Williams a business man from Georgia was awarded a CFL expansion franchise in the Magic City The Canadian Football League (CFL ( Ligue canadienne de football (LCF in The Birmingham Thunderbolts were a short-lived springtime American football team based in Birmingham Alabama. The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001 The Dixie Bowl was a post-season College football Bowl game held New Year's Day at Legion Field in Birmingham Alabama. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations A modern stadium (plural stadiums or stadia in English is a place or venue for (mostly outdoor Sports Concerts or other events consisting Birmingham (ˈbɝmɪŋhæm is the largest City in the US state of Alabama and is the County seat of Jefferson County. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The stadium is named in honor of the American Legion, a U. For other uses of American Legion see American Legion (disambiguation The American Legion was chartered by the U S. organization of military veterans. A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning "old" is a person who has or is working in the armed forces At its peak it seated 83,091 people for football. Today, after the removal of the upper deck, Legion Field seats approximately 71,594 spectators. Legion Field currently serves as the home field of the UAB Blazers, who compete in Conference USA. Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. It previously served as a home stadium for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team alongside of their on-campus Stadium. The Alabama Crimson Tide football program is a College football team that represents the University of Alabama (variously "Alabama" or "UA" Bryant-Denny Stadium, located in Tuscaloosa Alabama, is the home stadium for the University of Alabama football team.

Stadium history

The first game ever played at Legion Field occurred between nearby Howard College (now Samford University) and Birmingham-Southern College. Samford University is a private, Coeducational Alabama Baptist-affiliated University located in Homewood, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham-Southern College ( BSC) is a 4-year private liberal arts college in Birmingham Alabama, USA. Howard College won this game 9-0.

Legion Field is best-known for hosting the season-ending game between Alabama and Auburn each year from 1948 to 1988. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Because of Birmingham's major industry of iron and steel manufacturing, the game became known as the "Iron Bowl". The Iron Bowl is the name given to the annual intercollegiate football game between the teams of Auburn University and the University of Alabama. From the series' resumption in 1948 to 1987, tickets for the game in Birmingham would be split 50/50 to each school. As Auburn sought to make this a home-and-home series in the late 1980s, the ticket allocation changed to reflect a home game. In 1989 Auburn moved their home games in the series to their own stadium, although they did play one last home game at Legion Field in 1991. Artistic Gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Men's all-around champion Igor Korobchinsky, USSR Alabama followed suit in 2000. Athletics For an extensive coverage see 2000 in athletics (track and field Marathon International Alabama holds a 32-15 edge over their in-state rival in games played at Legion Field.

Due to its size and location, both Alabama and Auburn have used this stadium for other games. The University of Alabama once played up to three home football games there every season, including their games against the University of Tennessee and the entire 1987 home slate. The Alabama Crimson Tide football program is a College football team that represents the University of Alabama (variously "Alabama" or "UA" The Tennessee Volunteers football team is the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK NCAA division I football team The last Alabama game at Legion Field was a 40-17 victory over the University of South Florida on August 30, 2003. The University of South Florida ( USF) known within its system as USF Tampa, is a public research University system located in Tampa, Florida Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Due to the disrepair of the stadium, Alabama and the City of Birmingham ended their contract in 2004, moving nonconference games Alabama scheduled at Legion Field for 2005 to Tuscaloosa. [1] Auburn University also used Legion Field less extensively, primarily due to size and the difficulty of transportation to Auburn in the early 1900s. The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in College football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision This included Auburn's home contests with the University of Tennessee. Over time, Auburn moved all their home games to Jordan-Hare Stadium, including the Iron Bowl. Jordan-Hare Stadium is the playing venue for Auburn University 's football team located on campus in Auburn, Alabama, USA

In 1969, lights were added to Legion Field to accommodate night games. In the 1970s, Astroturf was used for the stadium, which remained until 1995 when Bermuda grass was placed down to accommodate Olympic soccer. In 2006, the stadium changed back to an artificial surface.

Legion Field served as home to the Hall of Fame Bowl played on December 31 from 1977 to 1985. The Outback Bowl is an annual College football Bowl game played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Florida. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. In 1986 the Hall of Fame Bowl was relocated to Tampa, Florida and later the name changed to the Outback Bowl. It currently hosts the Papajohns.com Bowl, which had contracts with the Big East Conference and Conference USA. The Papajohnscom Bowl (formerly known as the Birmingham Bowl) is a post-season NCAA -sanctioned Division I-A College football Bowl game approved The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of seventeen Universities in the northeastern southeastern and midwestern United Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. On April 30th, 2008, the Big East and Southeastern Conference announced that they will now play in the Papajohns. The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of seventeen Universities in the northeastern southeastern and midwestern United The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern com bowl.

In 1979 and 1980, the facility played host to the Drum Corps International World Championships. Drum Corps International ( DCI) formed in 1972 is the non-profit governing body operating the North American drum and bugle corps circuit for junior corps In the summer of 1996, Legion Field served as a soccer venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an International

Post-season college football games

Legion Field also hosted four post-season college football games, the Dixie Bowl (1947-1948), the Hall of Fame Classic (1977-1985), the All-American Bowl (1986-1990), and the first two Southeastern Conference championship games (1992-1993). College football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, Colleges and military academies The Dixie Bowl was a post-season College football Bowl game held New Year's Day at Legion Field in Birmingham Alabama. The All-American Bowl was an annual post-season College football game played at Legion Field in Birmingham Alabama from 1977 to 1990 The All-American Bowl was an annual post-season College football game played at Legion Field in Birmingham Alabama from 1977 to 1990 The SEC Championship Game refers to the game determining the Southeastern Conference 's football season champion It still hosts the title football game for the historically black Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Historically black colleges and universities ( HBCUs) are institutions of Higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention "Southwestern Conference" redirects here For the former major conference in Texas and Arkansas see Southwest Conference; for the Ohio High School Conference

Other American football

The venue also served as home field for the Birmingham Americans (Vulcans) of the World Football League (1974-1975), the Alabama Vulcans of the American Football Association (1979), the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (1983-1985), and the Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football (now NFL Europe) in 1991-92. The Birmingham Americans were the most successful of the World Football League franchises The World Football League was an American football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. The Alabama Vulcans were a professional football team which were a part of the American Football Association in 1979. The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the For the proposed "New USFL" see United States Football League (2010. The Birmingham Fire was a professional American football team based in Birmingham Alabama that played in the World League of American Football in The World League of American Football (WLAF was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in NFL Europa was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Afterward in 1995, it was the home field of the Birmingham Barracudas for their single season of play as part of the short-lived expansion of the Canadian Football League into the U.S. Later (2001), it was the home field for the single season of the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL. Athletics For an extensive coverage see 1995 in athletics (track and field Marathon January Franchise History In the Beginning Art Williams a business man from Georgia was awarded a CFL expansion franchise in the Magic City The Canadian Football League (CFL ( Ligue canadienne de football (LCF in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Artistic gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Men's all-around champion Feng Jing, China The Birmingham Thunderbolts were a short-lived springtime American football team based in Birmingham Alabama. The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001 On August 19, 2004, the University of Alabama announced that they would not be playing any further home games at the venue, leaving UAB football as the sole collegiate tenant. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Events On January 28, International Olympic Committee Vice-President Kim Un-yong is arrested on charges of corruption in Seoul

Soccer events

Recently, Legion Field had been used successfully as a site for major soccer events, including matchups in the 1996 Olympic Games – the opening match between the United States and Argentina drew 83,810 spectators, the stadium's all-time record for any event. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an International The Argentina national football team is the national football team of Argentina and is controlled by the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (AFA Legion Field had also hosted exhibition games by the U.S. men's and women's national soccer teams, and in 2005 it hosted a World Cup qualifier between the U. The United States men's national soccer team is the national Soccer team of the United States for men and is controlled by the United States Soccer The United States Women's National Soccer Team is operated by the United States Soccer Federation. Athletics (track and field For an extensive coverage see 2005 in athletics (track and field Track Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for North Central America and Caribbean. S. and Guatemala. The Guatemala national football team is the Association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional U. S. Soccer will no longer be scheduling games for play at Legion Field because of a switch from natural grass to artificial turf.

May 3rd, 2008, The US Women's National team defeated Australia in stoppage time at Legion Field.

Rock concerts

The Rolling Stones played at Legion Field on August 4, 1994 during their Voodoo Lounge tour. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) The Counting Crows opened that evening. Psychedelic Rock group Pink Floyd also played at Legion Field on May 1, 1994 during the worldwide "Pulse" tour.

Attendance records

Current uses

Outside of serving as the home field for the UAB Blazers football team, the city uses the stadium for occasional high school football matchups and for the annual "Super-Six" AHSAA state high school football championships. High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution Alabama High School Athletic Association ( AHSAA) was founded in 1921 is a private agency organized by its member schools to control and promote their athletic programs The Magic City Classic featuring Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University as well as the Steel City Classic featuring Miles College and Stillman College are played at Legion Field. Alabama State University, founded 1867 is a historically black university located in Montgomery Alabama. Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, also known as Alabama A&M University or AAMU, is an accredited public historically black university, Miles College is a historically black college founded in 1905 Stillman College (not to be confused with the fictional " Hillman College " is a historically black Liberal arts college founded in 1876 and located The MEAC/SWAC Challenge is also played at Legion Field. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC is a Collegiate athletic conference of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs in the Southeastern

On April 27, 2006, the NCAA approved a proposal by ESPN Regional which would bring a bowl game back to Birmingham. Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Papajohns.com Bowl, formerly known as the Birmingham Bowl, was played on December 23rd at Legion Field and featured University of South Florida vs. The Papajohnscom Bowl (formerly known as the Birmingham Bowl) is a post-season NCAA -sanctioned Division I-A College football Bowl game approved The University of South Florida ( USF) known within its system as USF Tampa, is a public research University system located in Tampa, Florida East Carolina University. East Carolina University is a public, Coeducational, Doctoral / Research University located in Greenville, North The USF Bulls defeated the ECU Pirates 24-7.

Birmingham-Southern College played against Mississippi College in Legion Field on September 6, 2007 in their first football game since 1939. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. They won this game 41-13.

Recent changes

Photo of the stadium before the upper deck was demolished.

In 2004 a structural evaluation determined that the 9,000 seat upper deck, installed in 1961, would need major remediation to meet modern building codes. Events On January 28, International Olympic Committee Vice-President Kim Un-yong is arrested on charges of corruption in Seoul With little prospect of adequate repairs on the way, the University of Alabama withdrew the few home games it still scheduled for Birmingham. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um ^[1]

Without Crimson Tide football, the city determined that the stadium's capacity was greater than necessary for its other tenants and proceeded to dismantle and remove the upper deck in the summer of 2005.

In 2006, to accommodate high school football games, the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board reconverted the grass surface back to artificial turf. Because the field is also used for soccer, a FIFA 2-Star synthetic field turf was specified. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football) FieldTurf completed the installation on October 30, 2006, but FIFA has not yet certified the field for play. Events 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. (list). The US Soccer Federation had recommended against the change and has not scheduled any events at Legion Field since the change.

Photographs

Legion Field Scoreboard

Exterior View from Graymont Avenue

Bear Bryant Monument in Front of Stadium

Satellite image taken in January 2004

References

External links

• Legion Field at City of Birmingham official web site
• Legion Field Seating Chart