Knowsy Knoxville: UT's Neyland Stadium

Published July 22, 2009

Opened in 1921 as Shields-Watkins Stadium after Col. W.S. Shields and his wife Alice Watkins who provided the funds to build the field, the stadium contained 3,200 seats in 17 rows. Over 88 years, the football stadium has undergone 17 expansions, said Tiffany Carpenter, director of public relations for UT athletics. The stadium's name was changed in 1962 in honor of Gen. Robert R. Neyland, UT's winningest coach. The field is still called Shields-Watkins Field.

The stadium boasts 122 skyboxes, each seating up to 16. One may be acquired through a donation of $40,000 per season and includes two parking passes, pregame and halftime meals and snacks, she said.

For donors who give an initial $50,000 plus an additional $4,000 annually, there is the East Club, a 422-seat private venue that includes the same perks as the skyboxes, said Carpenter.

According to Carpenter, in 1938, 128 dorm rooms for male athletes were added on the east side of the stadium. In the 1960s, the rooms were converted into offices and classrooms. According to Jay Mayfield, UT media relations coordinator, after bodies have finished their stay at UT's "Body Farm," the bones are stored in the anthropology department offices at the stadium. "We have had folks inquire about donating their body to the Forensic Anthropology Center specifically because their remains can be housed in Neyland Stadium," said Mayfield.

The stadium is the fourth largest in the NCAA Division I behind Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State, said Bud Ford, associate athletic director of UT athletics.