Former capacity

Record attendance80,401SurfaceGrass (1923–1968, 2002–present)
Astroturf (1978–2001)
TartanTurf (1969–1977)ConstructionBroke ground1923OpenedOctober 6, 1923; 101 years ago (October 6, 1923) Renovated2005, 2014Expanded1935, 1948, 1956, 1957, 2005Construction cost$160,001
($2.86 million in 2023 dollars)ArchitectEdwyn Bowd (1923 field)
Orlie Munson (1957 stadium)
HNTB Architecture (2004 expansion)TenantsMichigan State Spartans (NCAA)
(1923–present)Websitemsuspartans.com/spartan-stadium

Spartan Stadium (formerly College Field, Macklin Field, and Macklin Stadium) is an outdoor stadium in East Lansing, Michigan, United States that opened in 1923. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Michigan State University Spartans. After the addition of luxury boxes and club seating in 2004–2005, the capacity of the stadium grew from 72,027 to 75,005—though it has held more than 80,000 fans—making it the Big Ten's sixth largest stadium. It has been nicknamed "The Woodshed".

In the early 1920s, school officials decided to construct a new stadium to replace Old College Field. The resulting stadium—the lower half of the current stadium—was ready in the fall of 1923 with a capacity of 14,000. Over the years, the stadium grew. In 1936, the field's track was removed and permanent north and south endzone seating was added, increasing the seating capacity to 26,000. This expansion was built as a part of the Works Progress Administration, an agency created by the New Deal that employed Americans to carry out public works projects. The facility was dedicated as Macklin Field, named in honor of former coach John Macklin, who put Michigan State football on the map with a 29–5 record from 1911 to 1915 with victories over big-name programs such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin.

After admittance into the Big Ten in 1948, Michigan State increased stadium capacity to 51,000 and the field was renamed Macklin Stadium. With Spartan football attracting national attention under Clarence "Biggie" Munn and Hugh "Duffy" Daugherty, 9,000 seats were added in 1956. The following season, the east and west sides were double-decked, boosting the capacity to 76,000. That same season, the stadium received its current name, Spartan Stadium. The school installed permanent lights in 2017.[1]

In 1969, TartanTurf replaced the natural grass field and a modern scoreboard was added in 1973. In 1978, AstroTurf replaced the TartanTurf. A new modern video scoreboard was added before the 1991 season. Renovations improving sight lines, field security, handicap access, and club seats in 1994 reduced Spartan Stadium's capacity to 72,027. New turf was also installed in the summer of 1994. In 1998, Spartan Stadium's sound system was upgraded, adding a 21' x 27' Mitsubishi Diamond Vision video board to the south end and a message board to the north end. Home to one of the top turfgrass research programs in the nation, Michigan State installed a natural grass field in 2002. The most recent expansion was completed in August 2005. A new press box, 24 luxury suites, and 862 club seats were constructed on the west side of Spartan Stadium. This addition made Spartan Stadium the tallest building in East Lansing.

In 2010–12, the Spartans won 15 straight games in Spartan Stadium, recording the program's longest home streak since winning 19 straight from 1950 to 1953. Michigan State went undefeated at home in back-to-back seasons (2010 and 2011) including marquee wins over Wisconsin, Michigan, and Notre Dame, marking the first consecutive perfect home seasons since 1955–56.

On October 6, 2001, a rink was constructed at the center of the stadium for Michigan State's season-opening game against archrival Michigan. Dubbed "The Cold War", 74,554 watched No. 1 nationally ranked Michigan State and No. 4 nationally ranked Michigan play to a 3–3 tie. Country artist Shannon Brown sang during the second intermission. For almost nine years, the "Cold War" game held the world record for the largest ice hockey crowd in history, before being surpassed by a 2010 game played at Michigan Stadium.

The game is credited with starting the trend of outdoor ice hockey games in large stadiums.

Date	Away Team	Score	Home Team	Attendance
October 6, 2001	Michigan	3-3	Michigan State	74,554

Date	Artist	Opening act(s)	Tour / Concert name	Attendance	Revenue	Notes
September 9, 1994	The Rolling Stones	Bryan Adams Blind Melon Lenny Kravitz	Voodoo Lounge Tour	47,797 / 47,797	$2,128,825
June 26, 2011	U2	Florence + The Machine	U2 360° Tour	63,824 / 63,824	$5,064,980	The show was originally to be held on June 30, 2010, but was postponed, due to Bono's emergency back surgery. This was the first time they had played in East Lansing since a bar show in 1981. It was their first performance in Michigan since 2005.

On September 3, 2005, Spartan Stadium unveiled an eight-story, 268,947-square-foot (24,986.0 m) expansion which had been under construction since 2003. At a total cost of $64 million the project created:

• 24 luxury suites
• 800 club seats
• The "Grand Entrance" featuring high ceilings, glass walls, marble floors and a new home for the original Spartan statue.
• 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m) luxury concourse
• Office space for Career Services, University Advancement and the MSU Alumni Office.
• Modern recruiting lounge
• Upgraded stadium-wide bathroom and concourse renovations
• An increase of 3,000 seats, bringing the total stadium capacity to 75,005.

The Stadium renovation was done under a joint venture of Clark Construction and Barton Malow Construction Company.

On January 27, 2012, the Michigan State Board of Trustees voted for a Video Board Renovation and Audio Package upgrade. The cost of the renovation was $10 million. Features include:

• One of a kind LED wall measuring 10'x450' spanning the North End zone Wall.
• Two Auxiliary Video Boards in the North End zone to provide 1,654 SF of video area per board.
• One South End zone Video Board, the largest in the Big Ten Conference with 5,412 SF, surpassing current leader Minnesota (5,184 SF).
• Video board was built and installed by Panasonic
• Video, graphic, and content control system installed by Click Effects
• Video replay (control) room built by Comprehensive Technical Group Atlanta

New Spartan Stadium Scoreboard

The new scoreboards were unveiled on August 31, 2012, when the Spartans defeated #24 Boise State 17–13. The game was the 12th night game in the history of Spartan Stadium.

On December 13, 2024, the Michigan State Board of Trustees approved $28 million for improvements to Spartan Stadium, with three primary focuses:

• Replacing the video boards from the previous renovation, which were "two years beyond their anticipated life cycle."
• Renovating the 4th, 7th, and 8th floors of the West Tower premium seating to "enhance outdated technology, provide modern ADA-compliant restroom facilities, and include updates to seating, flooring and concessions."
• Planning for general modernization upgrades, such as structural repairs, additional and upgraded restrooms, and improvements to seating and concourses.

Out of the $28 million approved for the project, $10 million was alloted for the video board, with the remaining $18 million going to the West Tower renovations. Both projects are scheduled to conclude in August 2025.

Game days at Spartan Stadium provide opportunity for tailgating. Popular locations include the tennis courts, "the rock", and around the MSU library area on north campus. Open alcohol is permitted on campus during tailgating hours, with the exception of Munn field.