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 Interactive map of Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium | |
| Address | 550 Taylor Avenue Annapolis, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°59′06″N76°30′25″W / 38.985°N 76.507°W /38.985; -76.507 |
| Owner | Naval Academy Athletic Association |
| Operator | U.S. Naval Academy |
| Capacity | 34,000 |
| Record attendance | 38,803 (vs.Air Force, October 21,2023) |
| Surface | FieldTurf (2005–present) Natural grass (1959–2004) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1958 |
| Opened | September 26,1959 66 years ago |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Construction cost | $3.1 million[1] |
| Architect | 360 Architecture |
| Tenants | |
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| Website | |
| navysports.com/stadium | |
Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is an open-airstadium located off the campus of theUnited States Naval Academy inAnnapolis,Maryland. Opened in 1959, it serves as the home stadium of theNavy Midshipmencollege football andlacrosse teams, and was the home of theChesapeake Bayhawks ofMajor League Lacrosse. The stadium is also the host of theMilitary Bowl.[2]
The stadium's opener was a 29–2 win overWilliam & Mary on September 26,1959,[3] and its currentseating capacity is 34,000.[4] The attendance record is 38,803, set in2023 during Navy's 17–6 loss againstAir Force onOctober 21.[5] Prior to 1959, Navy played its home games atThompson Stadium, which seated only 12,000. Its site on campus is now occupied by Lejeune Hall, the venue for the United States Naval Academy's water sports.
The stadium hostedsoccer games as part of the1984 Summer Olympics.[6] In April 2018,D.C. United ofMajor League Soccer played a regular season game versus theColumbus Crew.[7]Annapolis Blues FC ofUSL League Two started playing home games at the venue in 2023 while the team was members of theNational Premier Soccer League, including setting a league regular season attendance record in their first game.[8][9]
The stadium serves as a memorial to theNavy andMarine Corps; it is dedicated to those who have served (and will serve) as upholders of the traditions and renown of the Navy and Marine Corps of the United States. The thousands of memorial bench-back and wallplaques are intended to serve as a reminder, as well as the list of numerous battles involving the Naval and Marine Corps forces since the early 1900s.[citation needed]
In2004, the stadium underwent a partial renovation—the expansion of the west sidepress box—by360 Architecture with ABS Architects (formerly Alt Breeding Schwarz) acting as the local/Associate Architect[citation needed].
From 2005 to the present, ABS Architects has designed and developed the expansion and ongoing renovations, including the renovations of the stadium's processional entrance that the Brigade of Midshipmen march through on game days. Additionally, ABS Architects lowered the playing field to increase stadium capacity, designed club seating and associated club lounges, private suites, additional stadium seating (north and south end zones), accessibility enhancements, updatedrestrooms,concessions and stadium operation facilities, new banquet facilities, and renovatedlocker room facilities.
For its first 46 years, the stadium'splaying field was naturalgrass. Prior to the2005 football season, the grass field was replaced withFieldTurf, an infilledsynthetic turf. The field runs northwest to southeast, with the press box along the southwest sideline. Theelevation of the field is approximately 45 feet (14 m) abovesea level.
The field at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is named "Jack Stephens Field", for Jackson T. Stephens (Class of 1947), whose gift aided the renovation of the stadium, the Class of 1947 Legacy project to benefit the Academy's Museum, and other Academy projects.[4]
Several first round matches in theassociation football (soccer) tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics were played at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
| Date | Time (EDT) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 29, 1984 | 19.30 |  France | 2–2 |  Qatar | Group A | 29,240 |
| July 30, 1984 | 19:00 |  Yugoslavia | 2–1 |  Cameroon | Group B | 15,010 |
| July 31, 1984 | 19:00 |  Chile | 1–0 | Qatar | Group A | 14,508 |
| August 1, 1984 | 19:00 | Yugoslavia | 1–0 |  Canada | Group B | 20,000 |
| August 2, 1984 | 19:00 | Chile | 1–1 | France | Group A | 28,114 |
| August 3, 1984 | 19:00 |  Iraq | 2–4 | Yugoslavia | Group B | 24,430 |
On March 3, 2018, theWashington Capitals of theNational Hockey League hosted theToronto Maple Leafs in the2018 NHL Stadium Series, an outdoor regular season hockey game on an ice surface constructed at the stadium.[10][11][12]
| Date | Away Team | Score | Home Team | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 3, 2018 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–5 | Washington Capitals | 29,516 |
Since2013, Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium has hosted the annual Military Bowl, a post-seasonNational Collegiate Athletic Association-sanctionedDivision I college footballbowl game played annually in December. The game was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]
| Preceded by various venues Soviet Union | Summer Olympics Soccer venue 1984 | Succeeded by various venues South Korea |
