A Den for the Pack | |
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 Aerial view of the stadium, November 2007 | |
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  Carter–Finley Stadium Location within North Carolina Show map of North Carolina Carter–Finley Stadium Carter–Finley Stadium (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Former names | Carter Stadium (1966–1979) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4600 Trinity Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27607 |
| Coordinates | 35°48′3″N78°43′10″W / 35.80083°N 78.71944°W /35.80083; -78.71944 |
| Owner | North Carolina State University |
| Operator | North Carolina State University |
| Capacity | 56,919 (2021–present)[1] Former capacity List
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| Surface | Tifway 419 Bermuda Grass (sidelines are artificial turf) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | December 14, 1964[3] |
| Opened | October 8, 1966; 59 years ago (October 8, 1966)[6] |
| Renovated | 2006, 2021 |
| Expanded | 1992, 2003-2005, 2021 |
| Construction cost | $3.7 million ($35.9 million in 2024 dollars[4]) |
| Architect | Milton Small and Associates[5] & Charles H. Kahn (original 1966 stadium) Corley Redfoot Architects, Inc. (all additions and renovations since 2001) |
| Structural engineer | LHC Structural Engineers (since 2001) |
| General contractor | L.E. Wooten and Co.[5] |
| Tenants | |
| NC State Wolfpack (NCAA) (1966–present) Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks (WLAF) (1991) | |
| Website | |
| gopack.com/carter-finley-stadium | |
Wayne Day Family Field at Carter–Finley Stadium is acollege football stadium located inRaleigh, North Carolina. It has been home to theNC State Wolfpack football team of theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC) since 1966[7] and has a current seating capacity of 56,919 seats.[1]
As early as the 1950s, State was looking to replace its on-campus facility,Riddick Stadium. The concrete-and-wood stadium had been built in 1907 and was showing signs of decline. It never held more than 23,000 seats (14,000 permanent) at any time. Partly because of this, many of longtime coachEarle Edwards' teams played more games on the road than at home. At Edwards' urging, school officials began a concerted effort to build a more modern facility[8][9]
The new stadium finally opened in 1966. It was originally named Carter Stadium, in honor of Harry C. & Wilbert J. "Nick" Carter, both graduates of the university. They were major contributors to the original building of the stadium. The name of Albert E. Finley, another major contributor to the university, was added in September 1979.[10]
While located on University land, the stadium is a few miles to the west of the academic campus on Trinity Road, just offHillsborough Street.
Carter–Finley Stadium's season tickets have been sold out for nine straight years.[when?]
Carter–Finley Stadium has the smallest clearance between the stands and the sidelines of any stadium in the ACC.
Honored numbers displayed on the west facade of Carter–Finley Stadium include those ofRoman Gabriel (18),Torry Holt (81),Philip Rivers (17), Bill Yoest (63), Dennis Byrd (77),Dick Christy (40),Jim Ritcher (51),Ted Brown (23),Mario Williams,Bradley Chubb (9),Russell Wilson (16), andPayton Wilson (11). Gabriel, Ritcher, Christy, Brown, Holt, Byrd, Yoest, and Rivers' numbers are retired.[11] Carter–Finley also displays banners from NC State's bowl appearances which include the Gator Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Liberty Bowl.
On November 25th, 2024, NC State University Athletics announced a partnership with Independent Sports and Entertainment (ISE) to seek a potential naming rights partner for the stadium, citing "...the blessing of the Carter and Finley families" for the process.[12]
Prior to the 2001 season, the university began a program of modernization of the stadium by enclosing the southern end zone with seats, and the state-of-the-art Murphy Center (named forWendell Murphy) was built behind it. Following the 2004 football season, Carter–Finley was again expanded with the completion of the "Vaughn Towers", a complex of luxury boxes, club seats, and media facilities which opened for the 2005 football season.[13]
For the 2006 season, a new north end zone grandstand was added consisting of 5,730 new chairback, bench, and handicap-accessible seating with another 1,630 permanent bleacher seats built underneath the video scoreboard making Carter–Finley a bowl and giving it a capacity of 57,583 spectators. Additional upgrades to the stadium included a new north end zone plaza with concession stands and the addition of two video screens in each corner of the south end zone.
Renovations done before the 2023 season included a new north end videoboard that was more than double the size of the previous screen and sound system upgrades for better performance for concerts and musical performances. Construction commenced after the completion of the2023 NHL Stadium Series game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals on February 18.[14]
| Date | Artist | Opening act(s) | Tour / Concert name | Attendance | Revenue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2, 1979 | Boston,Van Halen,Poco &the Outlaws | — | June Jam | 40,000 | N/A | |
| May 4, 1988 | Pink Floyd | — | A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour | 42,982 / 42,982 | $866,576 | |
| July 27, 1989 | The Who | — | The Kids Are Alright Reunion Tour | — | ||
| September 16, 1989 | The Rolling Stones | Living Colour | Steel Wheels Tour | 52,881 / 52,881 | $1,506,393 | |
| July 10, 1990 | Grateful Dead | — | ||||
| July 22, 1990 | Paul McCartney | — | The Paul McCartney World Tour | — | ||
| May 10, 1994 | Pink Floyd | — | The Division Bell Tour | 46,656 / 48,000 | $1,597,283 | |
| September 7, 1994 | The Rolling Stones | Lenny Kravitz | Voodoo Lounge Tour | 38,738 / 38,738 | $1,797,502 | |
| May 30, 1998 | George Strait | — | 45,536 / 45,536 | $1,507,720 | ||
| July 4, 1998 | Jimmy Buffett | Little Feat | Don't Stop The Carnival Tour | 45,287 / 45,287 | $1,524,695 | |
| October 3, 2009 | U2 | Muse | U2 360° Tour | 55,027 / 55,027 | $4,962,240 | This was the first time the venue had hosted a similar event, since the modernization of the stadium.[15] |
| July 1, 2015 | The Rolling Stones | The Avett Brothers | Zip Code Tour | 40,428 / 40,428 | $7,947,996 | [16] |
| May 3, 2016 | Beyoncé | DJ Khaled | The Formation World Tour | 38,292 / 38,292 | $4,810,620 | The first solo female to headline a concert in the stadium.[17] During the show, the stadium was evacuated after lightning had been spotted in the area. The show later resumed.[18] |
| October 14, 2025 | Chris Brown | Jhené Aiko Bryson Tiller | Breezy Bowl XX | |||
On July 28, 2011, theWorld Football Challenge held an exhibition match betweenJuventus of Italy'sSerie A, andGuadalajara Chivas of Mexico'sPrimera Division at the stadium.[19]
| Date | Winning Team | Result | Losing Team | Tournament | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 28, 2011 |  Juventus | 1–0 |  Guadalajara Chivas | 2011 World Football Challenge | 16,124 |
TheNational Hockey League announced on February 15, 2020, that theCarolina Hurricanes would host aStadium Series game at Carter–Finley Stadium on February 20, 2021.[20] The NHL announced on December 23, 2020, that the game had been postponed.[21] On February 4, 2022, the NHL announced the game would take place in February 2023. On March 3, 2022, the NHL announced the game would take place on February 18, 2023, between the Hurricanes and theWashington Capitals.[22]
The Hurricanes defeated the Capitals 4–1 with 56,961 fans in attendance.[23]
Following the stadium series game, NC State's club hockey program, the IcePack, defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 7–3 in front of an estimated 24,000 fans.[24][25]
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