Rynearson Stadium, nicknamed "The Factory", 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 ...
in
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan.
As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...
. 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
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
Eagles
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
. Currently, the stadium has seating for 30,200 people. Standing room is available in the south end zone, allowing for crowds larger than the listed capacity. The stadium is located on the school's west campus, just south of the
Huron River.
History
The stadium held its first game on September 27, 1969, when EMU upset the University of Akron, 10–3. It originally consisted of two opposite sideline stands around the field and running track. It is one of only two stadiums in the
MAC which shares its football field with a running track (
UB Stadium
UB Stadium is a stadium in Amherst, New York on the campus of the University at Buffalo. It is primarily used for football, soccer, and track and field events, and is the home field of the Buffalo Bulls. It opened on September 4, 1993, with a ga ...
being the other). The stadium was named for the late
Elton J. Rynearson Sr., who coached football at Eastern Michigan for 26 seasons. His teams compiled a record of 114–58–15. In one six-year period, from 1925–30, Rynearson’s teams won 40 games, tied two, and lost just four.
The largest attendance for an EMU game at Rynearson Stadium was 26,188 (87% of capacity), on November 28, 2008, for a 56–52 win over Central Michigan.
Renovations
In 1992, the seats were expanded south from each grandstand but not connected, giving the stadium the look of an unfinished horseshoe. This was done to conform to the new Division I-A rules for minimum stadium size. Originally a grass field, the field has been artificial since 1991 and was upgraded to
FieldTurf in 2005. More recently, the original FieldTurf was replaced prior to the
2014 season by a new gray FieldTurf surface. This made Rynearson Stadium only the third Division I FBS stadium with
a non-traditional field color (after
Albertsons Stadium
Albertsons Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. It is the home field of the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference. Known as Bronco Sta ...
at
Boise State) and the sixth college football stadium overall with this feature.
Lighting was added in 1974, partially due to the
Detroit Wheels
The Detroit Wheels were an American football team, a charter member of the defunct World Football League.
Founding
Soon after Gary Davidson announced the WFL's formation in October 1973, he was approached by a man named Bud Hucul about putting ...
of the
World Football League
The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...
using the stadium as their home field. The stadium has also hosted high school football games.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums
This is a list of stadiums that currently serve as the home venue for Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams. These include most of the largest stadiums in the United States.
Conference affiliations reflect those in the current 2022 ...
References
External links
Rynearson Stadium - EMUEagles.comOfficial Eastern Michigan University school website
{{College football venues with non-traditional field colors
World Football League venues
American football venues in Michigan
College football venues
Eastern Michigan Eagles football
Buildings at Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan Eagles
Sports venues completed in 1969
1969 establishments in Michigan
College track and field venues in the United States
Sports venues in Washtenaw County, Michigan
Athletics (track and field) venues in Michigan