North Dakota State's football dynasty
When the Yale Bowl first opened in 1914, it was the largest stadium in the world. Today, that's not the case. But the historic venue still stands as the largest capacity primary stadium in FCS football.
Below are the 25 biggest stadiums that serve as primary settings for FCS football teams in 2020. This list excludes Nissan Stadium (69,143), which Tennessee State calls home for just two games per year.
MORE STADIUM HISTORY: The 25 biggest college football stadiums in the nation | 10 oldest venues
Updated capacity numbers were taken from each school's athletics site.
| RANK | SCHOOL | STADIUM | CAPACITY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yale | Yale Bowl (New Haven, Conn.) | 61,446 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | Franklin Field (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 52,953 |
| 3 | Jackson State | Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium (Jackson, Miss.) | 44,215 |
| 4 | Harvard | Harvard Stadium (Boston, Mass.) | 30,323 |
| 5 | Norfolk State | William Dick Price Stadium (Norfolk, Va.) | 30,000 |
| 6 | Southern U. | A.W. Mumford Stadium (Baton Rouge, La.) | 28,500 |
| 7 | Princeton | Powers Field at Princeton Stadium (Princeton, N.J.) | 27,800 |
| 8 | Alabama State | New ASU Stadium (Montgomery, Ala.) | 26,500 |
| 9 | Cornell | Schoellkopf Field (Ithaca, N.Y.) | 25,597 |
| 10 | Florida A&M | Bragg Memorial Stadium (Tallahassee, Fla.) | 25,500 |
| 11 | Montana | Washington-Grizzly Stadium (Missoula, Mont.) | 25,217 |
| 12 | James Madison | Bridgeforth Stadium (Harrisonburg, Va.) | 24,877 |
| 13 | Jacksonville State | Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium (Jacksonville, Ala.) | 24,000 |
| 14 | Holy Cross | Fitton Field (Worcester, Mass.) | 23,500 |
| 15 | Alcorn State | Jack Spinks Field (Lorman, Miss.) | 22,500 |
| T-16 | Texas Southern | BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, Texas) | 22,000 |
| T-16 | Delaware | Delaware Stadium (Newark, Del.) | 22,000 |
| T-16 | South Carolina State | Oliver C. Dawson Stadium (Orangeburg, S.C.) | 22,000 |
| 19 | North Carolina A&T | BB&T Stadium (Greensboro, N.C.) | 21,500 |
| 20 | Sacramento State | Hornet Stadium (Sacramento, Calif.) | 21,195 |
| 21 | Alabama A&M | Louis Crews Stadium (Normal, Ala.) | 21,000 |
| 22 | Chattanooga | Finley Stadium-Davenport Field (Chattanooga, Tenn.) | 20,668 |
| 23 | Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium (Youngstown, Ohio) | 20,630 |
| T-24 | Brown | Brown Stadium (Providence, R.I.) | 20,000 |
| T-24 | Eastern Kentucky | Roy Kidd Stadium (Richmond, Ky.) | 20,000 |
5 FCS stadium facts worth knowing:
- The Yale Bowl was the first-ever bowl-shaped football stadium with seating completely around the field, paving way for the designs of the Rose Bowl and other classic stadiums. The largest recorded attendance at the Yale Bowl is 80,000, coming on Nov. 3, 1923 against Army.
- Nissan Stadium (69,143) has the largest seat capacity among primary and secondary FCS home venues. Tennessee State plays two home games here, sharing the facility with the NFL's Tennessee Titans, and the four remaining home games at Hale Stadium (15,000).
- One particular program's absence stands out among the 20k group. North Dakota State, winner of seven of the last eight FCS titles and owner of one the best home field advantages, has a capacity of approximately 18,700 at the Fargodome. NDSU finished fifth in the FCS with an average 2019 home attendance of 17,440.
- According to the NCAA, Jackson State led all FCS teams in attendance for a second consecutive year with an average home attendance of 33,762 (five games).
- Toyota Stadium, in Frisco, Texas, has hosted the FCS championship every year since 2010. The main home of MLS' FC Dallas fits 20,500 for the FCS national championship game.
