The Glass Bowl is a

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

. It is primarily used for

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

, and is the home field of the American football team of the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of T ...

Rockets. It is located on the school's Bancroft campus, just south of the banks of the Ottawa River. Known for its blend of old and new, it retains the traditional stonework around the field throughout all its expansions.

History

Originally known as University Stadium, it was completed in 1937 at a cost of $313,558 as a

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

project. Originally the natural seating bowl held 8,000 in two sideline grandstands. There was a grass hill at the south end of the stadium, and at the open (north) end of the bowl were two stone towers (still standing), that served as makeshift housing for the football team in its early years. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the stadium was renovated, with many glass elements. Because of this, and the city's concentration on the industry, the stadium was renamed the Glass Bowl in 1946. South end zone stands were added in 1966, and further expansion came following Toledo's 35-game win streak from 1969 to 1971, bringing capacity up to 18,500. In 1999, the Toledo-based Ohio Cannon of the

Regional Football League The Regional Football League (RFL) was an american football minor league formed to be the self-styled "major league of spring football." Established in 1997, the league played a single season, 1999, and then ceased operations. History The RFL se ...

played at various stadiums, including the Glass Bowl, but did not finish the season. The stadium hosted the 2001 MAC Championship Game.

Renovations

In 1990, the stadium had its largest expansion take place, adding a second level of seats to both sidelines. As part of the $18.5 million renovations, a three-story press box, 45

luxury suites The luxury box (or skybox) and club seating constitute the most exclusive class of seating in arenas and stadiums, and generate much higher revenues than regular seating. Club ticketholders often receive exclusive access to an indoor part of t ...

, a 400-seat Stadium Club, sports information offices, and the Larimer Athletic Complex were built. The three-story press box, the second largest in the nation, was the greatest improvement in terms of upgrades, as the former press box was barely long and could only hold approximately 50 people. Further improvements include a video scoreboard in the north end zone in 1999, and the upgrade to a Field Turf playing surface in 2008. A new video board was installed in 2010. In 2016, a $3.5 million renovation took place, including replacement of the field turf, changes to the facade, updating concessions, restrooms, locker rooms, and ticket booths, as well as other minor cosmetic changes to the stadium.

Attendance

The largest crowd in Glass Bowl history for a

football game was 36,852 for a game against the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

on October 27, 2001.

Attendance records

# 36,852 vs. Navy (2001) # 36,502 vs. Northern Illinois (2001) # 34,950 vs. Minnesota (2001) # 34,900 vs. Marshall (2000) # 33,040 vs. Indiana State (1994) # 32,726 vs. Weber State (2000) # 31,981 vs. Bowling Green (2004) # 31,711 vs. Pittsburgh (2003) # 31,458 vs. Bowling Green (1994) # 31,369 vs. Bowling Green (1982)

Features

In 1961, the University of Toledo procured a genuine rocket from the U.S. Army missile program. The one-ton rocket, which sits outside the Glass Bowl — aimed to hit the 50-yard line of arch-rival

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

Doyt Perry Stadium Doyt L. Perry Stadium is a stadium on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Bowling Green Falcons football team. It opened in ...

— carries two sets of fins and a propellant booster capable of guiding the missile to supersonic velocity. The Glass Bowl was often formerly used by the

Glassmen This is a list of inactive Drum Corps International member corps and non-member corps. 27th Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps The 27th Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps was an Open Class (now ''World Class'') competitive junior drum and bugle corps ...

as a rehearsal facility during weekends in the late spring and early summer. In addition, the Glass Bowl is used for

monster truck A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock p ...

rallies, commencements, and

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or musical band, band. Concerts are held in a w ...

, among other uses.

References

- 2016 renovations

- 2016 renovation costs

External links

Glass Bowl - Toledo Rockets
{{Music venues of Ohio College football venues Toledo Rockets football University of Toledo Music venues in Ohio Sports venues in Toledo, Ohio Works Progress Administration in Toledo, Ohio Tourist attractions in Toledo, Ohio Sports venues completed in 1937 1937 establishments in Ohio American football venues in Ohio