Southern Pigskin Rankings of SoCon Stadiums

[FUBeAR]

http://www.southernpigskin.com/socon/ranking-the-socon-stadiums/

Ranking the SoCon Stadiums
By Southern Pigskin Staff / Written by Robbie Ross
SouthernPigskin.com

Ranking all of the football stadiums in the Southern Conference.


1. Mercer: Five Star Stadium
Opened: 2013
First win: 40-37 against Reinhart on August 13th, 2013
All-time record: 12-3 / 80%
Largest crowd: 12,227 vs Furman on September 6, 2014.


2. Furman: Paladin Stadium
Opened: 1981
Renovated: 2013
First win: 21-0 against East Tennessee State on September 19th, 1981
All-time record: 158-50-1 / 76%
Largest crowd: 19,058 vs Appalachain State on October 10th, 1981.


3. The Citadel: Johnson-Hagood Stadium
Opened: 1948
Renovated: 2005
First win: 14-12 against Newberry on October 8th, 1949
All-time record: ? (not shown)
Largest crowd: 23,025 vs Marshall on October 17th, 1992.


4. Samford: Seibert Stadium
Opened: 1958
First win: 10-0 against Tennessee Tech on October 3rd, 1959
All-time record: 149-73-4 / 66%
Largest crowd: 11,189 vs Alcorn State on October 29, 1994.


5. Chattanooga: Finley Stadium
Opened: 1997
First win: 28-7 against Tennessee State on October 18th, 1997
All-time record: 46-50 / 48%
Largest crowd: 23,010 (Appalachian State vs Delaware in the 1-AA Championship Game on December 14th, 2007
Largest UTC crowd: 22, 646 vs Tennessee State on October 18th, 1997.


6. Wofford: Gibbs Stadium
Opened: 1996
First win: 34-7 against Presbyterian College on October 5th, 1996
All-time record: 76-28 / 73%
Largest crowd: 12,124 vs Georgia Southern on November 3, 2007.


7. VMI: Foster Stadium
Opened: 1962
Renovated: 2006
First win: 20-7 against Davidson on October 20th, 1962
All-time record: 92-135-3 / 40%
Largest crowd: 10,000 vs Navy on September 15th, 1973.


8. Western Carolina: E.J. Whitmire Stadium
Opened: 1974
First win: 31-12 against Morehead State on October 5th, 1974
All-time record: 117-92-2 / 55%
Largest crowd: 15,247 vs Applachian State on November 12th, 1994.

[DP_ASU]

Glad to see WCU back to their rightful place in SoCon Rankings.

[PaladinFan]

Would be interested to know the criteria. I would say it was subjective, but it does not even appear to go that deep.

[catamount man]

Surprised to see UTC that low. Mercer does have a nice facility. Can't say much about Whitmire but right now, wins are more important than a stadium uplift. There are plans in place however. GO CATS!

[ElCid]

Wow, really???

I have not been to the renovated purple puke house, but I have been to Mercer. Granted the visitor side at JHS has some issues, but overall I don't think it is better than JHS. I am not sure there is a nicer home side than at The Citadel. Without knowing the criteria it is hard to understand. Looks like another PR effort by Mercer....

[FUBeAR]

Wow, really???

I have not been to the renovated purple puke house, but I have been to Mercer. Granted the visitor side at JHS has some issues, but overall I don't think it is better than JHS. I am not sure there is a nicer home side than at The Citadel. Without knowing the criteria it is hard to understand. Looks like another PR effort by Mercer....

...or not - "Ross started his career in the mid 1990s at WDUN in Gainesville and recently worked as the Director of Operations & Revenue at WLOV in Washington. This past November, Ross finished his 19th year covering athletics on the Furman Sports Network."

Perhaps you prefer StadiumJourney's ranking of El Cid's palace as #96 of 107 stadiums in FCS - http://www.stadiumjourney.com/news/01-15-2014/541/2013-fcs-college-football-stadium-rankings/

Detail - http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/johnson-hagood-stadium-s1785

[PaladinFan]

I was surprised at Furman's winning percentage at Paladin Stadium. .760 winning percentage at home over 34 years is pretty strong.

[ElCid]

...or not - "Ross started his career in the mid 1990s at WDUN in Gainesville and recently worked as the Director of Operations & Revenue at WLOV in Washington. This past November, Ross finished his 19th year covering athletics on the Furman Sports Network."

Perhaps you prefer StadiumJourney's ranking of El Cid's palace as #96 of 107 stadiums in FCS - http://www.stadiumjourney.com/news/01-15-2014/541/2013-fcs-college-football-stadium-rankings/

Detail - http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/johnson-hagood-stadium-s1785

My mistake. But Mercer has been doing such a good job promoting itself (no sarcasm) I could not help think that. But sounds like you might be on to something. Furman needs to get it paid for, so that fits. Seriously, I liked Mercer's stadium. And I will get to Furman's eventually. But without knowing what the criteria is, it is hard to tell what this is based upon. Viewing lines, seat comfort, orientation, capacity, piss wall access, age, food, access to booze, elevator access, parking?

I don't put much stock in these rankings. I just go from my experience at these various locations. I will say this, access for me to JHS is a bit tough, 4 hours each way and the whole weekend used up. It has started to grind after 7 straight years going to every game. So for me, Mercer has it beat on that account. I may be foregoing my weekend treks for a couple years so I may get to know Mercer a little bit better.

[PaladinFan]

Been to most. They all have their benefits and burdens.

Mercer is a nice park. That is to be expected--it is brand spanking new.

[CID1990]

The pisswall is what put us in third place

without it wed be in fifth


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Never been to Mercer or VMI.

1. Johnson-Hagood is my favorite. Went to Navy this past season and their atmosphere wasn't a whole lot better than El Cid's. That's a compliment to the Citadel.
2. Finley. Not great game day atmosphere but a nice size and they did host the NC.
3. Paladin. Not overly impressive size-wise but when Furman is having a good year the atmosphere is nice. I might be biased in favoring them over Wofford because of the history of the GSU-FU rivalry.
4. Gibbs. Very much reminds me of Furman, a small and nice-looking stadium that has good atmosphere on good years. Great video board too.
4. Whitmire. Nice scenery and a good band make up for a not-so-alive crowd. Though I am always impressed with how many dedicated fans I met who never give up on their team no matter what.
5. Seibert. I will admit to having been there only been there once for the season opener in 2011, so maybe it was just an off day. This was the only stadium I was underwhelmed by. Has the feel of a small private school stadium without the charm or atmosphere of Wofford and Furman.

[PaladinFan]

Never been to Mercer or VMI.

1. Johnson-Hagood is my favorite. Went to Navy this past season and their atmosphere wasn't a whole lot better than El Cid's. That's a compliment to the Citadel.
2. Finley. Not great game day atmosphere but a nice size and they did host the NC.
3. Paladin. Not overly impressive size-wise but when Furman is having a good year the atmosphere is nice. I might be biased in favoring them over Wofford because of the history of the GSU-FU rivalry.
4. Gibbs. Very much reminds me of Furman, a small and nice-looking stadium that has good atmosphere on good years. Great video board too.
4. Whitmire. Nice scenery and a good band make up for a not-so-alive crowd. Though I am always impressed with how many dedicated fans I met who never give up on their team no matter what.
5. Seibert. I will admit to having been there only been there once for the season opener in 2011, so maybe it was just an off day. This was the only stadium I was underwhelmed by. Has the feel of a small private school stadium without the charm or atmosphere of Wofford and Furman.

Gibbs and Seibert don't move the needle for me. Nice, but lack any defining characteristics. I dock Finley in part because it is not on campus.

Not sure I get your criticism of Paladin Stadium. Up until GSU made recent renovations, Paladin Stadium (16,000) was roughly the same size as Paulson Stadium (18,000). It is small in the full panoply of college football stadiums, but is pretty sizable for an FCS venue.

I do agree with you, though, that when the Paladins are going right, and you get one of Greenville's patented fall days, you would be hard pressed to find a better place to enjoy a Saturday football game.

[kdinva]

Up until GSU made recent renovations, Paladin Stadium (16,000) was roughly the same size as Paulson Stadium (18,000).......I do agree with you, though, that when the Paladins are going right, and you get one of Greenville's patented fall days, you would be hard pressed to find a better place to enjoy a Saturday football game.

Given the size of Furman's student body, and the size of metro-Greenville, 16,000 seats is plenty.......that's 7,000 more than Richmond's.....given the size of Ga. Southern, etc, Paulson should be about 34,000 - 37,000, IMO (same w/ ODU).

[Toby]

My mistake. But Mercer has been doing such a good job promoting itself (no sarcasm) I could not help think that. But sounds like you might be on to something. Furman needs to get it paid for, so that fits. Seriously, I liked Mercer's stadium. And I will get to Furman's eventually. But without knowing what the criteria is, it is hard to tell what this is based upon. Viewing lines, seat comfort, orientation, capacity, piss wall access, age, food, access to booze, elevator access, parking?

I don't put much stock in these rankings. I just go from my experience at these various locations. I will say this, access for me to JHS is a bit tough, 4 hours each way and the whole weekend used up. It has started to grind after 7 straight years going to every game. So for me, Mercer has it beat on that account. I may be foregoing my weekend treks for a couple years so I may get to know Mercer a little bit better.

Would be honored to have you!

[Toby]

Never been to Mercer or VMI.

1. Johnson-Hagood is my favorite. Went to Navy this past season and their atmosphere wasn't a whole lot better than El Cid's. That's a compliment to the Citadel.
2. Finley. Not great game day atmosphere but a nice size and they did host the NC.
3. Paladin. Not overly impressive size-wise but when Furman is having a good year the atmosphere is nice. I might be biased in favoring them over Wofford because of the history of the GSU-FU rivalry.
4. Gibbs. Very much reminds me of Furman, a small and nice-looking stadium that has good atmosphere on good years. Great video board too.
4. Whitmire. Nice scenery and a good band make up for a not-so-alive crowd. Though I am always impressed with how many dedicated fans I met who never give up on their team no matter what.
5. Seibert. I will admit to having been there only been there once for the season opener in 2011, so maybe it was just an off day. This was the only stadium I was underwhelmed by. Has the feel of a small private school stadium without the charm or atmosphere of Wofford and Furman.

I got to Finley, Gibbs and Seibert this past fall. Seibert was initially impressive until halftime when all the students left and didn't come back. Nice setting but don't understand the lack of fan support. Finley was really nice, but it would be better on campus. That just helps the atmosphere for me. UTC fans were supportive and the ones we met were great. We sat on the home side out of the sun due to older grandparents and the UTC fans were great to us. Gibbs was OK, fans support was tepid. I was really hacked when the only path out the stadium to the field house where the players were was a 10 foot walk on the field along the wall. The security guards held us up for 10 minutes while the entire stadium was emptied except for Mercer fans waiting to get out. All other gates were locked unless you wanted to walk all the way around the entire facility. Seems very odd and ruined my whole experience….well that and the shellacking we took…..

I'm looking forward to seeing Johnson-Hagood, Paladin and Whitmire this fall.

[PaladinFan]

I got to Finley, Gibbs and Seibert this past fall. Seibert was initially impressive until halftime when all the students left and didn't come back. Nice setting but don't understand the lack of fan support. Finley was really nice, but it would be better on campus. That just helps the atmosphere for me. UTC fans were supportive and the ones we met were great. We sat on the home side out of the sun due to older grandparents and the UTC fans were great to us. Gibbs was OK, fans support was tepid. I was really hacked when the only path out the stadium to the field house where the players were was a 10 foot walk on the field along the wall. The security guards held us up for 10 minutes while the entire stadium was emptied except for Mercer fans waiting to get out. All other gates were locked unless you wanted to walk all the way around the entire facility. Seems very odd and ruined my whole experience….well that and the shellacking we took…..

I'm looking forward to seeing Johnson-Hagood, Paladin and Whitmire this fall.

You've got the three best (or at least most picturesque) left to go.

Not sure what the issue was with Wofford. Speaking of not being accommodating to visiting fans, is Mercer changing its ticket policies this year? :)

[FUBeAR]

Speaking of not being accommodating to visiting fans, is Mercer changing its ticket policies this year? :)

Yes - Going forward, Mercer will require visiting fans to purchase 10 year PSL's in order to have the right to purchase a general admission ticket every other year. Arthur Blank recommended this approach when he was on the sidelines for a game in 2013. Make sure to register early to get your lottery number for the opportunity to purchase a Visitor's PSL!

[PaladinFan]

Yes - Going forward, Mercer will require visiting fans to purchase 10 year PSL's in order to have the right to purchase a general admission ticket every other year. Arthur Blank recommended this approach when he was on the sidelines for a game in 2013. Make sure to register early to get your lottery number for the opportunity to purchase a Visitor's PSL!

Joking aside. That wouldn't shock me.

[walliver]

You've got the three best (or at least most picturesque) left to go.

Not sure what the issue was with Wofford. Speaking of not being accommodating to visiting fans, is Mercer changing its ticket policies this year? :)

Apparently the issue is that he was trying to enter the Richardson Center. The normal exits are always open. The shortest route to the Richardson Center goes through the field and SoCon policy prohibits fans on the field immediately after the game (although now that GSU has moved on, that probably isn't much of an issue anymore). The other option is to walk completely around the stadium.

Starting this year, however, the current parking lots will be closed in order to begin construction of the new arena. From my inside contacts, the school still hasn't decided where parking, home and visitors, will be located. I suspect traffic flow will be awkward, if not a cluster ****, in 2015

[PaladinFan]

Apparently the issue is that he was trying to enter the Richardson Center. The normal exits are always open. The shortest route to the Richardson Center goes through the field and SoCon policy prohibits fans on the field immediately after the game (although now that GSU has moved on, that probably isn't much of an issue anymore). The other option is to walk completely around the stadium.

Starting this year, however, the current parking lots will be closed in order to begin construction of the new arena. From my inside contacts, the school still hasn't decided where parking, home and visitors, will be located. I suspect traffic flow will be awkward, if not a cluster ****, in 2015

Off topic, but I always thought Georgia Southern's policy of "let's have students and visiting fans exit through the same gate" was a bit short sighted.

[walliver]

Off topic, but I always thought Georgia Southern's policy of "let's have students and visiting fans exit through the same gate" was a bit short sighted.

I don't think it was short-sighted. I always had the impression that an aggressive environment was tolerated if not condoned by their administration.

[Toby]

Apparently the issue is that he was trying to enter the Richardson Center. The normal exits are always open. The shortest route to the Richardson Center goes through the field and SoCon policy prohibits fans on the field immediately after the game (although now that GSU has moved on, that probably isn't much of an issue anymore). The other option is to walk completely around the stadium.

Starting this year, however, the current parking lots will be closed in order to begin construction of the new arena. From my inside contacts, the school still hasn't decided where parking, home and visitors, will be located. I suspect traffic flow will be awkward, if not a cluster ****, in 2015

I'm not sure about other SoCon schools, but of the four I visited, Wofford was the only SoCon school that "enforced" the policy of prohibiting fans on the field last year. It was not enforced at Mercer, UTC or Samford. And it wasn't like the Mercer fans wanted to get on the "field". They just wanted to walk ten yard along the wall to get to see our players before they got on the bus. And yes the outside gate from the visitor side that would allow visitors to walk down the hill to the visitor locker rooms was chained and locked. If 2015 is going to be even worse, then I would advise avoiding Wofford.

[PaladinFan]

I don't think it was short-sighted. I always had the impression that an aggressive environment was tolerated if not condoned by their administration.

Probably true.

Georgia Southern long used abject intimidation as part of their game day atmosphere, both home and away. The administration complicity condoned it, as they really didn't do anything to stop it. Their fans would melt like wet toilet paper after a loss, though.

[The Eagle's Cliff]

Probably true.

Georgia Southern long used abject intimidation as part of their game day atmosphere, both home and away. The administration complicity condoned it, as they really didn't do anything to stop it. Their fans would melt like wet toilet paper after a loss, though.

Some of our fans are the same type you find at Clemson, UGA, and USC in that they just support football and when intoxicated allow the mob-think mentality to take over.

Furman's "FU" chant is pretty offensive and obviously intended as a double meaning. Our students don't bother with letters and just chant "F*** You Furman" :p.

You're also correct about melting at a loss. Fortunately, it didn't happen very often when Furman was the opponent:p

[NoDak 4 Ever]

Question:

Does Furman have access to Urban Dictionary?

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