Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, Arizona)

Capacity: 71,706

Surface: Grass

Record: 235-82-3

Opened:  October 4, 1958

Original Cost: $1 million

Original Capacity: 30,000

2007 Average Attendance: 62,875 (NCAA Rank #29)

2007 Home Record: 7-1

Largest Crowd: 74,963 ASU vs. California, Nov. 9, 1996

Atmosphere:   

Be prepared to sweat if you choose to see a game at Sun Devil Stadium.  While fans attending a game in Berkeley may be bundling up to stay warm, a game in the Valley of the Sun is a scorcher.  It is a good thing that it is a dry heat.  The facility has an enormous scoreboard and state of the art video replay board. 

Student Section: 

Though the students at other Pac-10 schools can be much louder and rowdy, the student section here is simply annoying.  The students at Autzen and Martin Stadiums can be rowdy toward visiting fans but it is in good fun and they don't cross the line like those some of those students at Sun Devil Stadium.  A vocal few fans show a lack of class and are simply obnoxious.

Visitor Section: 

The visitors section is in the corner of the Northeast end zone of the upper deck.  The view from here is not great but not nearly as bad as Husky Stadium or the Los Angeles Coliseum.  At least you can enjoy the nice desert breeze that comes through (similar to what you feel when you open the oven).

Location: 

Located on campus, Sun Devil Stadium is a short walk to downtown Tempe where there are plenty of good bars and restaurants.  Tempe is a short drive from the Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport.  If you do not want to stay in Tempe, Scottsdale is a short drive campus and you can enjoy the amenities of the nice Scottsdale resorts.

History:

Former home to the Fiesta Bowl an host to the 1996 Super Bowl.  Though it lacks the history of the Rose Bowl and Los Angeles Coliseum, Sun Devil Stadium has had its fair share of memorable games.

Overview: 

Overall, this is a good facility to watch a college football game.  The amenities of Sun Devil Stadium are very nice.  It is conveniently located to the airport and some very nice hotels.  The atmosphere is good for college football.  From a photographers standpoint this is the best Pac-10 stadium to photograph at night.  The lighting is the best in the conference. 

Rating Sun Devil Stadium
Atmosphere
Student Section
Visitor Section
Location
History
Overall Rating

Interesting Fact:

As you can image, games at Sun Devil Stadium can be very hot.  Arizona State plays almost all of their home games at night.  Despite the late start times, temperatures still are often over 100 degrees for Sun Devil home games.   This might explain why most of the students in attendance wear next to nothing to the games. 

Sun Devil Stadium is an excellent college football facility.  The quality of the facility is a result of being the former home to the Arizona Cardinals and Fiesta Bowl.  The 1996 Super Bowl took lace at Sun Devil Stadium.