Bank of America Stadium

Coordinates: 35°13′33″N 80°51′10″W / 35.22583°N 80.85278°W / 35.22583; -80.85278
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Bank of America Stadium
The Bank
The BOA
BOFA
The Vault
File:Bank of America Stadium logo.jpg
Map
Former namesPanthers Stadium (planning)
Carolinas Stadium (planning)
Ericsson Stadium (1996–2004)
Location800 South Mint Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
Coordinates35°13′33″N 80°51′10″W / 35.22583°N 80.85278°W / 35.22583; -80.85278
Public transitStonewall
OwnerCarolinas Stadium Corp.
OperatorCarolinas Stadium Corp.
Executive suites158
Capacity74,455 (2014-present)[5]
73,778 (2008-2013)[6]
73,504 (2007)[7]
73,298 (2005-2006)[8]
73,250 (1998-2004)[9]
73,248 (1997)
72,685 (1996)[10]
Field size132 yds long x 93 yards wide (121 x 80 m)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundApril 22, 1994[1]
OpenedSeptember 14, 1996
Construction cost$248 million
($482 million in 2024 dollars[2])
ArchitectPopulous (company)
Structural engineerBliss and Nyitray, Inc.
Services engineerLockwood Greene[3]
General contractorTurner/F.N. Thompson[4]
Tenants
Carolina Panthers (NFL) (1996–present)
Belk Bowl (NCAA) (2002–present)
ACC Championship Game (2010–present)
Satellite picture

Bank of America Stadium (formerly known as Carolinas Stadium and Ericsson Stadium) is a 74,455-seat football stadium located on 33 acres (13 ha) of land in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It is the home facility of the Carolina Panthers NFL franchise.[11] It also hosts the annual Belk Bowl, which features teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference, and the annual ACC Championship Game through 2019.[12][13][14][15] The largest crowd to ever attend a football game at the stadium was November 18, 2013 when a crowd of 74,225 watched the Panthers defeat the New England Patriots 24-20 during a nationally televised Monday Night Football game.

Other sites considered for selection

The organization had considered several possible sites for the stadium's location before choosing the Charlotte center city site. Part of the site was occupied by the historic Good Samaritan Hospital.

One alternative was near NASCAR's Charlotte Motor Speedway and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in northeast Mecklenburg County. Another was at the intersection of I-85 and US 74 in western Gaston County. A popular option was to locate the facility near Carowinds amusement park, with the 50 yard line being on the state border of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Naming

The stadium, originally known as Carolinas Stadium (this name is used when the stadium hosts FIFA events), opened in 1996, as Ericsson Stadium after the Swedish telecom company LM Ericsson purchased the naming rights to the stadium in a ten year, $25 million agreement.[16] In 2004, the stadium received its current name after Bank of America purchased the naming rights for 20 years.[17] Since Bank of America has acquired naming rights, many fans now refer to the stadium as, "The Bank", "The BOA", or "BOFA" and most recently "The Vault".[citation needed]

Carolina Panthers

Inaugural season

The Panthers played their inaugural season at Clemson University's Memorial Stadium while the stadium was being completed. The Panthers played their first game at the stadium on September 14, 1996.

Playoff games

In 1996, on their way to their first NFC Championship Game, they defeated the defending Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys. Again they defeated the Cowboys on their way to Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004. They were handed their first ever home playoff loss to the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 33–13 on January 10, 2009. The Panthers suffered another home playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers 23-10 on January 12, 2014.

Impact on NFL venues

At the time of its construction in the mid 1990s, the stadium was a pioneering project for the use of Personal Seat Licenses. It was the first large-scale project funded in the United States chiefly through securing PSLs. The strength of PSL pledges impressed NFL owners and resulted in the Carolinas receiving the first new expansion team in nearly two decades.

The stadium is also credited with being a major cause for the recent round of new stadium construction in the NFL. Only a decade after its construction, it is now the eleventh oldest among current NFL stadiums. However, the stadium was considered so far ahead of its time that no significant renovations have been made since it opened. There are only three older NFL stadiums which have not received major renovations. The last four to open before the stadium broke ground were Ralph Wilson Stadium in 1973, Sun Life Stadium in 1987, and the Georgia Dome in 1992.

Another addition came in 2007, when the original scoreboards and replay screens were replaced with high-definition monitors and ribbon boards.

Bank of America stadium during the 2012 Season

In 2013, the City of Charlotte and the Panthers agreed to spend $200 million for additional renovations to the stadium. This decision came shortly after Charlotte announced interest in hosting a Super Bowl game in the near future.

College football

Kickoff to start the second half of the 2010 ACC Championship Game

Bank of America Stadium does not serve as the primary home stadium for any college football team. However, it has hosted several college football games.

The ACC Championship Game, first Saturday in December, pits the champion of the Coastal Division against the champion of the Atlantic Division; it has been held at the stadium since 2010. In February 2014, the ACC announced a 6 year contract extension to keep the game in Charlotte and through 2019.[14]

The Belk Bowl (formerly known as the Meineke Car Care Bowl and the Continental Tire Bowl), late-December, used to pit a team from the ACC versus a team from the American Athletic Conference. Starting in 2014 the game with feature the ACC versus the SEC. It has been held annually since 2002.

The stadium has also hosted several East Carolina Pirates games: In 1996 and 2004 versus the NC State Wolfpack, 1999 versus the West Virginia Mountaineers, 2008 versus the Virginia Tech Hokies, and in 2011 versus the South Carolina Gamecocks. An additional Pirates-Gamecocks game was scheduled for 2014; however, the game has since been relocated to Columbia, home of the Gamecocks.[18][19]

In 2015 there will be a game of North Carolina Tar Heels versus the South Carolina Gamecocks on opening weekend during Labor Day.

Soccer

Mexico vs Iceland, 2010

Other events

References

  1. ^ Friedlander, Andy (April 25, 1994). "It's up, it's good; Panthers win toss". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ Friedlander, Andy (August 29, 1994). "Richardson Learning as Stadium Rises". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  4. ^ Emporis.com - Bank of America Stadium
  5. ^ "2014 Carolina Panthers Media Guide" (PDF). Carolina Panthers. p. 432. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  6. ^ Zeise, Paul (December 22, 2009). "Meineke Bowl Notebook: Wannstedt -- Bowl games are 'healthy'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "Panther Fixes on Keeping Home Fresh". The Charlotte Observer. August 5, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  8. ^ "Clemson, Temple Agree to Charlotte Site". The Post and Courier. April 5, 2006. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  9. ^ Spanberg, Erik (January 16, 2004). "Panthers sign BofA for stadium naming rights". Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  10. ^ "Stadium Credit Cards Offered to Panthers Fans". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. June 28, 1996. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  11. ^ "Stadium (panthers.com)". Carolina Panthers. Archived from the original on 26 December 2007. Retrieved December 25, 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Conferences". Raycom. Archived from the original on December 3, 2007. Retrieved December 25, 2007.
  13. ^ "ACC Football Title Games to Tampa, Charlotte". WRAL.com. December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  14. ^ a b "ACC championship game to remain in Charlotte for 2 more years". WashingtonPost.com. December 2, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) [dead link]
  15. ^ "ACC to keep title game in Charlotte for two more years". HamptonRoads.com. December 2, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  16. ^ Hardin, Ed (June 27, 1996). "Panthers' New Home Gets Name That Doesn't Quite Ring". Greensboro News Record. pp. C1.
  17. ^ Home of Carolina Panthers to be Called Bank of America Stadium
  18. ^ "East Carolina Announces Football Schedules Through 2013". East Carolina University. June 23, 2005. Archived from the original on January 5, 2008. Retrieved December 25, 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ 2006 East Carolina Football Media Guide. East Carolina Athletic Department. 2006. pp. 178–179.
  20. ^ "International soccer comes to Charlotte". Carolina Panthers. Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "Liverpool fans flex muscle at Bank of America Stadium". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved August 4, 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bank of America Stadium.
Events and tenants
Preceded by Home of the
Carolina Panthers
1996–present 		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by Host of the College Cup
1999–2000 		Succeeded by
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