Kenan Stadium Tickets

Kenan Stadium
One of the most picturesque athletic venues in America, Kenan Memorial Stadium is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in a cluster of pine trees near the center of campus at the University of North Carolina, and is the home field of the North Carolina Tar Heels. It is primarily used for football.

Kenan Memorial Stadium opened in 1927 and holds 60,000 people. Since the stadium was opened, it has been a tacit rule that the stadium can never be taller than the surrounding pine trees.

The essence of playing at Kenan Memorial Stadium and the thrill and exhilaration of the crowd remains intact even though 81 years have elapsed since its construction.

Considering its grandiose locale among the Carolina pines, many observers say Kenan Stadium is the most beautiful football facility in the country. One national sports magazine rated Kenan as one of the five best places in America to watch a college football game.

Previously, the 2,400-seater Emerson Stadium (on the current site of Davis Library), funding for the stadium was originally supposed to come from alumni donations. However, Miami industrialist William R. Kenan, Jr., an 1894 UNC graduate and grandson of one of UNC's original trustees donated a large gift to build the stadium and an adjoining field house. The stadium was built as a memorial to his parents, William R. Kenan and Mary Hargrave Kenan.

The original stadium - the lower level of the current stadium's sideline seats - seated 24,000 people. However, temporary bleachers were added to the end zones to accommodate overflow crowds.

The stadium wasn't expanded until 1963, when Kenan donated $1 million expanding capacity to 48,000. A seating adjustment in 1979 boosted capacity to 50,000. In 1988, the old press box and chancellor's box were replaced by 2,000 seats between the 40-yard lines, expanding capacity to 52,000. Cost of the entire project was $7 million. It was funded by private gifts and bonds.

In 1995, The Kenan Football Center and preferred seating box were erected and a new playing field was installed. The football center is named in honor of the late Frank H. Kenan, one of the school's most generous benefactors. Kenan was a Durham resident and chief executive officer of Kenan Transport Company in Chapel Hill.

The playing field includes an improved drainage system beneath the field that drains through the field itself rather than off the sides of the field. The restrooms and concession stands were also expanded and renovated.

Most recently, two ribbon video boards on the fascia of the North and South side upper levels were installed and a $2 million scoreboard at the east end of the stadium was added. The scoreboard was financed through an agreement with Learfield Communications, UNC's multi-media rights holder.

The 1997 expansion project added nearly 8,000 seats, a high-tech football facility, chancellor's box and preferred seating box. The 8,000 new seats installed in the west end zone, turned the stadium into a horseshoe.

The renovation and expansion project was financed through a combination of private contributions through the Educational Foundation and bonded indebtedness from the athletic department through the sale of revenue-generating bonds. The Educational Foundation and its members committed more than $50 million to the project.

The stadium's sight lines have always been very good. The field is approximately four feet below the stands, and the rise to the stands is very steep.

The end zone is only 20 feet from the field, and the sideline seats are only 50 feet from the field. Most of the west end zone and three sections of the south stands are reserved for students. The student section of the west end zone is popularly known as the "Tar Pit".

In October 2007, athletic director Dick Baddour announced plans for extensive renovations to Kenan Stadium. Plans call for a new academic support center in place of Kenan Field House, plus anywhere from 5,000-15,000 additional seats. The new seats will be added in the east end zone, turning the stadium into a bowl.

As of July 23, 2008, Kenan Stadium has been approved for a $50 Million Phase 1 renovation that will add two floors to the western end of the complex comprising of one floor of offices and one floor of luxury suites.

The anticipated start of construction date is after the 2008 football season and the completion is season opening 2009. Phase 2, which includes the closure of the east end into an official bowl and the athletic education support center, is not yet approved by the board of trustees.