| "The Bank" and "M&T" | |
|---|---|
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| Former names | Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards (1998-1999) PSINet Stadium (1999-2002) Ravens Stadium (2002-2003) M&T Bank Stadium (2003-present) |
| Location | 1101 Russell Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230 |
| Coordinates | 39°16′41″N 76°37′22″W / 39.27806°N 76.62278°WCoordinates: 39°16′41″N 76°37′22″W / 39.27806°N 76.62278°W |
| Broke ground | 1996 |
| Opened | 1998 |
| Owner | Maryland Stadium Authority |
| Operator | Baltimore Ravens |
| Surface | Sportexe Momentum Turf |
| Construction cost | $220 million |
| Architect | HOK Sport |
| Structural engineer | Bliss and Nyitray, Inc. |
| Capacity | 71,008 |
| Tenants | |
| Baltimore Ravens (NFL) (1998-present) Baltimore Bayhawks (MLL) (2002) Crab Bowl Classic (2005, 2010) Face-Off Classic (2007– ) Day of Rivals (2009– ) |
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M&T Bank Stadium is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. The stadium is immediately adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles. Served by the Hamburg Street station of the Baltimore Light Rail, the stadium originally featured a natural grass surface. However, an artificial surface, Sportexe Momentum Turf, was installed for the 2003 season.
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History
Prior to the 1998 season, the Baltimore Ravens played at Memorial Stadium for two years. However, due to the stadium's aging state, it wasn't suitable for an NFL franchise, and ground was broken for the new stadium in mid-1996. M&T Bank Stadium officially opened in 1998, and is currently one of the most praised stadiums in the NFL for fan amienities, ease of access, concessions, etc. The stadium was originally known as Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards, until ISP PSINet acquired the naming rights in 1999, naming it PSINet Stadium. It then reverted back to Ravens Stadium in 2002 when PSINet filed for bankruptcy.
In 2003, M&T Bank acquired naming rights to the stadium. The bank had recently entered the Baltimore market with its purchase of Allfirst Bank. Two other companies were in the running to be granted naming rights to the stadium; they were reportedly Nextel and CarMax. Following the September 2002 death of Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas, public sentiment leaned toward renaming the then-sponsorless stadium after the Baltimore icon. However, the Ravens and the Maryland Stadium Authority held firm in their right to negotiate naming rights fees. In the end, the plaza in front of the main entrance to the stadium was named "Unitas Plaza", complete with a bronze statue of the Hall of Famer. The plaza features large banners, each containing a picture of Unitas in his playing days, flanking the stadium entrance.
Tenants
While its primary tenant is the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League, the stadium also serves as an alternate venue for the Johns Hopkins University's men's lacrosse team, and was the site of the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship in 2003, 2004 and 2007 and will host the 2010 Championship. Major League Lacrosse's Baltimore Bayhawks used the stadium as their home during the 2002 season.
The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) holds the four state football championships for Maryland's public high schools at M&T Bank Stadium.
Two very important Baltimore high school rivalry games are also held at the stadium every November. Baltimore City College plays Baltimore Polytechnic Institute every November, in one of the oldest high school football rivalries in the United States. Every Thanksgiving, Loyola Blakefield and Calvert Hall College also square off in what has now been called for many years as the Turkey Bowl. Fans for both games reach up to 13,000 people.
Both games were once played back-to-back on Thanksgiving Day at Memorial Stadium. However, when City College and Polytechnic joined the MPSSAA before 1994 season, the game was forced to be played in early November, due to MPSSAA rules and playoff schedule.
Other notable events
Popular music festival HFStival appeared at the stadium in 1999 & 2005, as Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Offspring, Blink-182, Goo Goo Dolls, Billy Idol, and Coldplay have all played the concert.
In 2005, the stadium was the site of the first rematch in the Maryland-Navy series known as the "Crab Bowl Classic" in 40 years.[1]The two teams have agreed to play again at M&T Bank Stadium in 2010.[2]
On October 28, 2006, the stadium held a contest between Notre Dame and Navy in which Notre Dame won 38-14 and in 2007 the stadium held the Army–Navy Game for the second time.
On December 7, 2008, an M&T Bank Stadium record crowd of 71,438 watched the Baltimore Ravens defeat the Washington Redskins 24-10 on Sunday Night Football, only to be surpassed the next week against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers when the Steelers defeated the Ravens 13-9 in front of 71,502. [3]
On 24 March 2009 it was announced in the Baltimore Sun that the English Premier League club FC Chelsea will play the Italian Calcio Serie A team of AC Milan in a friendly at M&T Bank Stadium on the 24th of July 2009. [4] Chelsea FC posted a 2-1 win over AC Milan in the first World Football Challenge at M&T Bank Stadium in front of a crowd of 71,203, making it the only game of the tournament to sell out its capacity. [5]
The stadium said it was willing to hold a future World Cup match in 2018 or 2022[6].
Popular culture
The stadium served as the home field for the fictional Washington Sentinels in the 2000 film The Replacements with Keanu Reeves CJ Heinz and Gene Hackman (ironically, it was called Nextel Stadium). The stadium was also supposed to be the location[citation needed] of the football game in the 2002 film The Sum of All Fears and included footage of the presidential motorcade going to the building. However, the stadium used for the aerial shots is the domed Olympic Stadium in Montreal,[citation needed] while the book used Denver as the locale for the attack.
See also
References
- ^ Mike Burke, "Navy feels snubbed by Terps; what else is new?", Cumberland Times-News, 8 August 2007, accessed 17 January 2008.
- ^ Maryland Terrapins Athletic Department press release, [1], "Maryland and Navy Agree to 2010 Football Game", 24 October 2007.
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.soccerweb25jul25,0,7709171.story
- ^ Federation, United States Soccer (2009-04-23). "The Official Site of U.S. Soccer - Federation Services" (in English) (HTML). http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_14155776.html. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: M&T Bank Stadium |
| Preceded by Memorial Stadium |
Home of the Baltimore Ravens 1998 – present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by Rutgers Stadium |
Home of the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four 2003 – 2004 |
Succeeded by Lincoln Financial Field |
| Preceded by Lincoln Financial Field |
Home of the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four 2007 |
Succeeded by Gillette Stadium |
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