Silverdome now the 2nd largest stadium in MI

Submitted by DISCUSS Man on

So, the Pontiac Silverdome is now the second largest open-air stadium in the state of Michigan.

With a capacity of 80,311, the state-of-the-art Silverdome surpasses Spartan Stadium which has a capacity of 75,005.

Here is the video that prompted this discovery of the Silverdome being the 2nd largest open-air stadium.

 

On a serious note, how sad. As a lions fan, this kind of breaks my heart that they let it come to this. The field is practically a water bed.

Don

January 9th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^

The Lions had been mediocre at best for over a decade before moving there, but the fact it was a stupid dome made it easy to stop caring about them after they started playing their games there in '75.

xtramelanin

January 9th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^

i remember seeing the lions play down at the old tiger stadium.  i particularly remember them playing the vikings in a blizzard that was unbelieveable.   the vikings were wearing their road whites, top and bottom, and all you could see was their purple helmets.   now thats footoball. 

Don

January 9th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^

Not yet, but my knees feel like it some days.
 
I was born during the first days of the Eisenhower administration. I.E., back when the Lions were actually a competent football team.

imablue

January 9th, 2015 at 9:56 PM ^

I was born during the Kennedy administration, my dad told about when the Lions were good, in the 50s'. I never saw a live Lions game either there, but I see Ted Nugent/Cars, Kiss/Cheap Trick and a Motocross race there. It was a pretty nice venue at that time. 

bringthewood

January 9th, 2015 at 4:17 PM ^

I have seen the Lions at Tiger Stadium as well. As I kid all I remeber was all the drinking and swearing as compared to Michigan games. I've been to the Plastic Dome (mostly Panthers games)  as well but not to Ford Field. My alegiance for the Lions died the year they went 0-16 under the watchful eye of Matt Millen.

Ok, but which oi you have seen the NFL play a game at The Big House? I remeber an exhibition the Lions had against the Colts. Nice recap below.

http://mgoblog.com/diaries/40-years-ago-michigan-stadium-nfl-football

 

Autostocks

January 9th, 2015 at 12:36 PM ^

I have a lot of memories in that place, including Lions games, high school championships, Pistons for a while, Detroit Express, Michigan Panthers.  Saw the Stones, ELO, Heart there.

The cities that allow this kind of development should be required to establish a reserve up front for either the maintenance of the property or to demolish it after the primary tenant leaves.

Don

January 9th, 2015 at 12:52 PM ^

LOL. One of the classic Lions playoff flamouts was the loss to the 49ers on New Year's Eve in '83, when supposedly reliable Eddie Murray missed a GW-field goal with no time left, after having missed another kick earlier in the fourth quarter.

But the real star of the game for the Lions was future SEC-fellatist Gary Danielson, who threw FIVE interceptions to aid the San Francisco cause.

Stephen Y

January 9th, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^

Why was the turf acting like that? I figured it'd just be concrete underneath, but it looked like it was laying over a foot of water when they walked on it

BlueinLansing

January 9th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^

Finals there in 1988 with Kansas, Kansas St., Purdue and Vanderbilt.

 

Best memory was being there the day Barry Sanders tore up the Denver Broncos defense on Thanksgiving Day.

Autostocks

January 9th, 2015 at 1:57 PM ^

It's made mostly out of concrete.  It will be standing forever unless someone takes its down, which is expensive.  That's the problem, and the same reason many large, derelict, stone or concrete buildings are still standing in Detroit decades after being abandoned (Packard Plant, Michigan Central Station, etc.).

oriental andrew

January 9th, 2015 at 1:11 PM ^

Is there any security? Can you actually get in there pretty easily? Not that I would, given that I live in Chicago and have a family not worth getting a trespass arrest over, but just idle curiosity.

fleetfootphilo

January 9th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^

I played in (and won) two MHSAA state football titles there, saw the Lions and Pistons play there, and watched Metallica, Guns and Roses AND Faith No More on the Monsters of Rock tour. 



But, this is the kind of thing that happens to the places from your past...they decay and fall apart.  

RHammer - SNRE 98

January 9th, 2015 at 2:15 PM ^

...was on our end of the field, and we had end-zone seats with a perfect angle to watch it curve into the corner... beauty that.  awesome atmosphere as well: swiss fans with flags everywhere, including a huge flag outside the silverdome hoisted up between two cranes - safe to say they did not anticipate a draw with the US...

kehnonymous

January 9th, 2015 at 2:04 PM ^

Don't know how many River Rats are in the house, but the last time I went to the Silverdome was towards the end of the 90's, when Ann Arbor-Huron High (coached by Paul Verska who was Shane Morris' HS coach) went to the state championship - I'd long since graduated but took my little brother to cheer on the Rats - we lost.  This was a minor big deal, because traditionally Huron had been the Washington Generals to Pioneer's Globetrotters.

snarling wolverine

January 9th, 2015 at 2:22 PM ^

I never went to a football game there but went to several Piston games.  I remember going through those huge revolving doors and the WHOOSH! of wind that would hit you in the face.  Also that giant curtain that blocked half the stadium when the Pistons played.  

I thought it was cool that the Pistons could draw monster crowds there but never really cared for the place much myself.

BlueinOK

January 9th, 2015 at 3:05 PM ^

I remember going to many state championship games there. There was something about it that made those two days of high school football so exciting. 

Jack Hammer

January 9th, 2015 at 5:27 PM ^

Was there probably over a hundred of times for Lions, Pistons, MHSAA (Catholic Central), and concerts.

But my #1 memory was the Pope.  Sitting in a mass of over 80,000 participants was very unique.  However, it still didn't keep me from falling asleep like I did in 99% of the masses I went to do as a kid.

turtleboy

January 9th, 2015 at 7:22 PM ^

Saw Barry break 2,000 there with my dad, seats on the 50 yard line. Went to the game where the lions signed Desmond and he returned one for 6 in his debut, too. Sad to see it like that, now

UMProud

January 9th, 2015 at 9:11 PM ^

Towards the end the football games were pretty unsavory buncha drunks and riff raff made it very family unfriendly.

I was hoping another NFL team would open house there but oh well.  Pontiac would be such a nicer drive for football.  /mourn Michigan Panthers

WineAndSpirits

January 9th, 2015 at 9:48 PM ^

I played soccer on this field back in the day. Probably 92-ish.

This was well before there was field turf, but that field allowed you to still wear cleets. While the field was not one that anyone loved, I didn't have an issue playing on it.

Pretty sad and creepy what's happened to this stadium.