The Yale Bowl is a college football stadium located in New Haven, Connecticut, near the border with West Haven, about west of the main campus of Yale University. The home of the Yale Bulldogs of the Ivy League, it opened in 1914 with 70,896 seats; renovations have reduced its current capacity to 61,446, still making it the second largest stadium in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), behind Nissan Stadium, used by Tennessee State. It is the largest on-campus FCS stadium that is in an automatic qualifying conference for the FCS Playoffs, which the Ivy League has participated in since 2025.
The Yale Bowl inspired the design and naming of the Rose Bowl, from which is derived the name of college football's post-season bowl games and the National Football League's Super Bowl.
In 1973 and 1974, the stadium hosted the New York Giants of the National Football League, as Yankee Stadium was renovated and while Giants Stadium was under construction. The Giants moved to Shea Stadium in 1975 and shared it with fellow NFL team the New York Jets as well as the two Major League Baseball teams in New York, the Mets and Yankees (who were playing at Shea while Yankee Stadium was being renovated), and moved into new Giants Stadium in 1976.
History
Ground was broken on the stadium in August 1913. Fill excavated from the field area was used to build up a berm around the perimeter to create an elliptical bowl. The facade was designed to partially echo the campus's Neo-Gothic design, and, as with some central campus buildings, acid was applied to imitate the effects of aging.
It was the first bowl-shaped stadium in the country, and inspired the design of such stadiums as the Rose Bowl, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and Michigan Stadium. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987 for its role in football history. and
The Yale Bowl's designer, Charles A. Ferry, for unknown reasons chose not to include locker rooms Players dress in the Smilow Field Center and walk to the field. When the NFL's Giants played at the stadium (1973, 1974), the pro players disliked the arrangement, but Yale players reportedly enjoy the walk. Fans cheer for the team as it marches to the stadium while the Yale Band plays, a tradition known as the "Bulldog Walk".
The Bowl's first game, on November 21, 1914, drew more than 68,000 spectators, who watched the Bulldogs lose 36–0 to rival Harvard.
In 1958, a new scoreboard was installed; its distinctive clock was arranged vertically instead of horizontally.
During the 1970s, the Bowl hosted several concerts. In 1971, Yes performed on July 24 and the Grateful Dead on July 31, a recording of which was released as Road Trips Volume 1 Number 3. But neighborhood opposition to the concerts brought them to an end after a June 14, 1980, show featuring the Eagles, Heart, and The Little River Band. A picture from the show was published with the vinyl edition of the Eagles double live album, issued later that year, though no recordings from the event are included on the discs. A Paul McCartney concert was scheduled for June 1990, but cancelled amid neighbors' opposition; the show was moved to Chicago.
The stadium has hosted many soccer matches over the years; it served as home field for the Connecticut Bicentennials of the North American Soccer League during the 1976 and 1977 seasons. Yale Bowl was mulled as a possible playing site when the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994, but lost out to Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts and Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
In 1991, the Bowl's vicinity saw the addition of the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center, home to the annual ATP/WTA event (the Pilot Pen tournament), across Yale Avenue from the stadium.
On October 5, 2001, the closing ceremony of the Yale Tercentennial was held at the Yale Bowl. Guests included Tom Wolfe '57, William F. Buckley '50, Sesame Streets Big Bird, Paul Simon '96 Hon, and Garry Trudeau '70.
By the 21st century, many of the outside retaining walls and portal entries were deteriorating. In the spring and summer of 2006, the bowl received a partial renovation, including a new scoreboard. The work was completed just in time for the first home game of the Yale football team's season on September 16.
The annual game between Yale and its rival Harvard, known locally as The Game, is held at the Yale Bowl every other year. In 2023, its attendance was over 51,000.
Sports Football NFL The New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) won just one of the dozen home games they played in New Haven in the 1973 and 1974 seasons. (With the exception of the games played with replacement teams during the 1987 NFL strike and the COVID-19-disrupted 2020 season, the attendance at the final game at the Yale Bowl is the smallest at a Giants' home game since 1955.) The team also played preseason games in the stadium, including the first-ever game against future rival and stadium share partner, the defending Super Bowl champion New York Jets, a Sunday afternoon sellout in mid-August 1969.
DateHomeOpponentScoreAttendanceOctober 7, New York Giants Green Bay Packers 14–16 70,050October 14, 1973 New York Giants Washington Redskins 3–21 70,168November 11, 1973 New York Giants Dallas Cowboys 10–23 70,128November 18, 1973 New York Giants St. Louis Cardinals 24–13 65,795December 16, 1973 New York Giants Minnesota Vikings 7–31 70,041September 15, New York Giants Washington Redskins 10–13 49,849September 22, 1974 New York Giants New England Patriots 20–28 44,082October 6, 1974 New York Giants Atlanta Falcons 7–14 42,379October 27, 1974 New York Giants Dallas Cowboys 7–21 57,381November 10, 1974 New York Giants New York Jets 20–26OT 64,327November 24, 1974 New York Giants St. Louis Cardinals 21–23 40,615December 8, 1974 New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles 7–20 21,170
Soccer International Date Teams Attendance May 31, 1976 4–1 36,096 May 31, 1992 0–0 38,833 June 6, 1993 0–2 44,579 May 28, 1994 1–1 21,317 June 10, 1994 1–0 23,547 March 29, 1998 1–1 25,236
NASL (1976–1977) The Connecticut Bicentennials of the NASL played two seasons at the Yale Bowl, mostly in front of dismal crowds. Even their highest-ever home attendance, against the New York Cosmos in 1977, drew only 17,302 fans, leaving the stadium more than three-quarters empty. However, the Bi's could only draw a total of 57,438—less than the Bowl's capacity for a single game—in their other 21 home games combined, an average of only 2,735 per contest. After the 1977 season, the club relocated to become the Oakland Stompers. Date Home Opponent Score Attendance June 2, 1976 Connecticut Bicentennials Rochester Lancers 2–1 1,853 June 12, 1976 Connecticut Bicentennials Miami Toros 1–1 (S/O) 3,105 June 20, 1976 Connecticut Bicentennials Chicago Sting 2–1 3,289 June 24, 1976 Connecticut Bicentennials San Diego Jaws 1–1 (S/O) 1,642 June 30, 1976 Connecticut Bicentennials San Antonio Thunder 1–1 (S/O) 1,426 July 7, 1976 Connecticut Bicentennials Washington Diplomats 2–1 (S/O) 2,100 July 24, 1976 Connecticut Bicentennials Toronto Metros-Croatia 4–4 (S/O) 4,122 July 30, 1976 Connecticut Bicentennials Tampa Bay Rowdies 0–7 3,800 Aug. 14, 1976 Connecticut Bicentennials St. Louis Stars 2–1 3,376 May 8, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials New York Cosmos 2–3 17,302 May 15, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials Tampa Bay Rowdies 1–4 1,520 May 29, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials San Jose Earthquakes 3–2 2,257 June 12, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0–2 6,213 June 15, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials Team Hawaii 1–2 1,295 June 19, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials St. Louis Stars 0–3 1,222 June 26, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials Rochester Lancers 2–1 2,832 June 29, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials Los Angeles Aztecs 2–3 2,915 July 13, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials Las Vegas Quicksilvers 4–3 3,472 July 17, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials Toronto Metros-Croatia 0–4 4,515 July 27, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials Seattle Sounders 1–4 2,169 August 3, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials Washington Diplomats 4–1 1,100 August 7, 1977 Connecticut Bicentennials Chicago Sting 1–1 (S/O) 3,215
Gallery
See also List of NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums List of National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut National Register of Historic Places listings in New Haven, Connecticut
References
External links