Doak Campbell Stadium
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- 15,000 (1950–1953)
- 19,000 (1954–1960)
- 25,000 (1961–1963)
- 40,500 (1964–1977)
- 47,413 (1978–1979)
- 51,094 (1980–1981)
- 55,246 (1982–1984)
- 60,519 (1985–1991)
- 70,123 (1992)
- 72,589 (1993)
- 75,000 (1994)
- 77,500 (1995)
- 80,000 (1996–2000)
- 82,000 (2001–2002)
- 82,300 (2003–2015)
- 79,560 (2016–2023)
($3.17 million in 2023 dollars)
Barnett Fronczak Architects
The Architects Collaborative (Renovations)
Florida A&M Rattlers football (NCAA FCS) (1974-80)
Doak S. Campbell Stadium (in full Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium), popularly known as "Doak", is a football stadium on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is the home field of the Florida State Seminoles football team of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Opened in 1950, it was originally named Doak Campbell Stadium in honor of Doak S. Campbell, the university's first president. On November 20, 2004, the Florida Legislature added longtime head football coach Bobby Bowden to the stadium name to become Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium. A petition in June 2020 sought to remove Campbell's name, as he resisted racial integration while president of Florida State University. FSU President John E. Thrasher asked Athletics Director David Coburn "to immediately review this issue and make recommendations to me." As of June 2022, no recommendations have been made.
The stadium is part of the University Center complex, a mixed-use facility encompassing university office space, university classrooms, the university's Visitor Center, souvenir store, The University Center Club, now known as the Dunlap Champions Club, and skyboxes and press boxes for use during football games.
With a capacity of 79,560, it is the 49th-largest stadium in the world, the second-largest stadium in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the 15th largest stadium in the NCAA.
History
The stadium, named after FSU President Doak Campbell, hosted its first game against the Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets on October 7, 1950, with the Seminoles winning the game 40–7. At that time the facility had a seating capacity of 15,000. Florida State began to play at Centennial Field during the team's 1947 season and would continue to play there for the following two years (1948 and 1949). Florida State College – FSU's predecessor institution – also fielded teams from 1902 to 1904 (precise location of where games were played is not documented).
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Doak Campbell Stadium, with its original capacity of 15,000 in 1950, was built at a cost of $250,000. In 1954, the stadium grew to a capacity of 19,000. Six thousand more seats were added in 1961. During the Bill Peterson era (1960–70), the stadium was expanded to 40,500 seats, and it remained at that capacity for the next 14 years.
Since that time, the stadium has expanded to 82,300, largely in part to the success of the football team under head coach Bobby Bowden coupled with the ever-growing student body. It now is the 2nd largest football stadium in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Aesthetically, a brick facade surrounding the stadium matches the architectural design of most of the buildings on the university's campus. In addition to the obvious recreational uses, The University Center surrounds the stadium and houses many of the university's offices. The field was officially named Bobby Bowden field on November 20, 2004, as Florida State hosted intrastate rival Florida. The FSU War Chant began during the Auburn game in 1983 and has since spread to be used by fans of the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Chiefs.
