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2013 college football: 17 odds and ends you might have missed

3. At Georgia Tech, a stadium anniversary with special student meaning

GEORGIA TECH
Bobby Dodd Stadium at Grant Field in Atlanta.

  • By Ross Atkin Staff writer

The oldest on-campus football stadium in the country – at least at the major-college level – celebrates its 100th anniversary this season. Making the milestone even more special at Georgia Tech is that students actually built Grant Field in Atlanta. The stadium was named for the local merchant who put up $15,000 for the concrete stands on the west side of the field.

In 1988, the Georgia State Board of Regents decided to honor the university’s Hall of Fame coach, renaming the structure Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field. Dodd, who was either a coach or athletic administrator at Georgia Tech from 1931 to 1976, guided the Yellow Jackets to the national championship in 1952.

Although the anniversary will be celebrated throughout the season, the main ceremonies will be occur at halftime of the nationally televised Thursday night game against Virginia Tech on Sept. 26. All Rambling Wreck All-Americans, including its football Academic All-Americans, have been invited to attend.

The stadium is one of the few situated so near the heart of a major city, with the Atlanta skyline clearly visible from many seats. This location has made it a good choice for many nonfootball events, from speeches by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Nelson Mandela to concerts by the Rolling Stone and Simon and Garfunkel. The Atlanta Falcons even played games there during the franchise’s early years.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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