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 McLane Stadium south end zone construction photo July 16, 2014 | |
  McLane Stadium Location in Texas Show map of Texas McLane Stadium Location in the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Former names | Baylor Stadium (2013) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1001 S M.L.K. Jr Blvd.Waco, Texas 76704 |
| Coordinates | 31°33′30″N97°06′57″W / 31.5582°N 97.1157°W /31.5582; -97.1157 |
| Owner | Baylor University |
| Operator | Baylor University |
| Capacity | 45,140[1][2] |
| Surface | Matrix Turf (2014–present) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 15, 2012[3] |
| Opened | August 31, 2014; 10 years ago (August 31, 2014) |
| Construction cost | $266 million |
| Architect | Populous[4] |
| Structural engineer | Buro Happold[5] |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers, Inc.[6] |
| General contractor | Flintco/Austin Commercial[7] |
| Tenants | |
| Baylor Bears (NCAA) (2014–present) | |
| Website | |
| mclanestadium.com | |
McLane Stadium is anAmerican football stadium inWaco, Texas owned and operated byBaylor University. Originally named "Baylor Stadium", the facility's name was changed to "McLane Stadium" in December 2013 to honor Baylor alumnus and business magnateDrayton McLane, Jr., who provided the lead gift in the fundraising campaign for the stadium construction.[8] Baylor's first game at McLane was played August 31, 2014, with the Bears defeating SMU 45–0.[9] The stadium has a capacity of 45,140[10] spectators and was designed to be expandable to a capacity of 55,000 as future needs require.[11] McLane Stadium replacedFloyd Casey Stadium as the home field for theBaylor Bears football program.[4]
The first college football game in McLane Stadium was a 45–0Baylor win overSMU, in the2014 season opener, onAugust 31, 2014.[9][12] The Bears followed up their first victory with a 70-6 win over FCS opponentNorthwestern State. With the first points from an opponent being from Northwestern State Kicker, Chris Moore.
In addition to sporting events,Baylor and the city ofWaco plan to use the venue to host concerts and other community events such as The Gathering[13] (a local gathering of churches onPalm Sunday). The stadium features the Baylor Club, a dining and event space located on the stadium's west side.[14] The Baylor Club ballroom offers floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the field and panoramic views of the Brazos River and Waco.
The stadium is located on the north bank of theBrazos River, one of a few major college football stadiums (along withNeyland Stadium,Husky Stadium andAcrisure Stadium[citation needed]) where fans can arrive at the stadium by boat. Fans can "sailgate" in the Baylor Basin, a cove that adjoins the stadium.[15]
The stadium contains 39 suites, 74 loge boxes, 1,200 outdoor club seats, 3,000 seats for the Baylor Line< student group, and 6,700 total student seats.[16]
The stadium includes a large high-definition LED video board behind the south end zone. The board has an area of 5,029 square feet, ranking it as the 13th largest college football video board in the nation as of April 2014.[17]
McLane also features ribbon displays around the stadium's horseshoe configuration, measuring 1,254 feet in length. To complement the video board, Baylor released an in-game mobile app that enables fans to stream live footage, watch game replays from a variety of angles, and access current game statistics. To accommodate usage of the app, the stadium is outfitted with free Wi-Fi.[18] The video board from Baylor's previous football stadium,Floyd Casey Stadium, was installed at the university's baseball field,Baylor Ballpark.[19]
Baylor constructed a 7,500-square-foot home locker room.[20] Designed as an oval in the shape of a football, the facilities feature over 120 cherry wood lockers.[20] Additionally, the center of the room's ceiling features a large illuminated "BU" logo.
| Rank | Attendance | Date | Opponent | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50,223 | November 16, 2019 | Oklahoma | L, 34–31 | ESPN College GameDay |
| 2 | 49,875 | November 14, 2015 | Oklahoma | L, 44–34 | ESPN College GameDay |
| 3 | 49,165 | September 23, 2023 | Texas | L, 38–6 | Final Big 12 game vs. UT |
| 4 | 49,109 | November 23, 2019 | Texas | W, 24–10 | Clinched Big 12 Championship Game berth |
| 5 | 48,129 | November 5, 2016 | TCU | L, 62–22 | |
| 6 | 48,093 | December 5, 2015 | Texas | L, 23–17 | |
| 7 | 48,016 | October 16, 2021 | BYU | W, 38–24 | Homecoming |
| 8 | 47,979 | October 1, 2022 | Oklahoma State | L, 36–25 | Big 12 championship game rematch |
| 9 | 47,934 | December 6, 2014 | Kansas State | W, 38–27 | ESPN College GameDay; clinched Big 12 title |
| 10 | 47,686 | November 12, 2022 | Kansas State | L, 31–3 |
| Rank | Avg. attendance | Season | Home Record | Total attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 46,710 | 2014 | 6-0 | 280,257 |
| 2 | 46,160 | 2015 | 4-2 | 276,960 |
| 3 | 45,838 | 2016 | 4-2 | 275,029 |
| 4 | 45,517 | 2019 | 6-1 | 318,621 |
| 5 | 45,463 | 2022 | 3-3 | 272,779 |
| 6 | 44,729 | 2021 | 7-0 | 313,102 |
| 7 | 43,830 | 2017 | 0-6 | 262,978 |
| 8 | 43,681 | 2023 | 1-7 | 349,450 |
| 9 | 41,336 | 2018 | 4-2 | 248,017 |
| 10 | 11,667 | 2020† | 2-2 | 46,668 |
| Totals | 42,643 | – | 37-25 (.597) | 2,643,861 |
† Limited to 25% capacity due toCOVID-19 pandemic
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