Wallace Wade Stadium, in full Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium, is a 35,018-seat outdoor stadium in the southeastern United States, located on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Primarily used for American football, it is the home field of the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Opened in 1929<!-- against Pittsburgh--><!--Oct 5-->, it was the first facility in Duke's new West Campus. Originally called Duke Stadium, it&nbsp;was renamed in 1967 for former head coach Wallace Wade. The playing surface was renamed Brooks Field at the beginning of the 2015 season after the removal of the track and lowering of the field-level seats.

History

thumb|left|Duke Stadium<!--(now Wallace Wade Stadium)--> in [[1932 Duke Blue Devils football team|1932]]

thumb|left|An attendance record was set in [[1939 Duke Blue Devils football team|1939, against the seventh-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. The 13–3 Duke win was seen by over 52,000 fans. New records were set in 1942, 1947, 1949. largely funded with bonds—the school advertised for "1,000 individuals to invest $100 in Duke's athletic future" and offered 6% interest.

The stadium is notable for being the site of the 1942 Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. Duke had won the invitation to the game as the eastern representative. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, just weeks after the end of the 1941 season, led to fears of a Japanese attack on the West Coast. General John L. DeWitt, commander of the Western Defense Command, advised the Tournament of Roses Association not to hold the game at the Rose Bowl in southern California, since he was not willing to take a chance on the Japanese choosing to stage a bombing raid on a stadium with over 90,000 people in attendance. Soon afterward, the government banned all large public gatherings on the West Coast, which ruled out Bell Field in Corvallis, Oregon, the on-campus venue of Oregon State, the host team from the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC)<!-- as an alternative venue-->. The Tournament of Roses Association originally planned to cancel the game, but Duke officials invited the Rose Bowl and Oregon State to Durham to play the game, and the offer was accepted. Until 2021, it was the only Rose Bowl Game played outside of Pasadena, California; the game remains the only Rose Bowl to have been played in the Eastern United States.

In 1967, the venue was renamed for head coach Wallace Wade.

In October 2012, Duke announced major renovations projected to eventually seat 43,915.

In 2015, Steve Brooks, Duke alumnus and CEO of the Phoenix American Insurance Group<!-- unrelated to AIG or any of the numerous Steve Brooks about which we have an article -->, donated $13 million to the Duke Athletics department. The playing surface was renamed Brooks Field in his honor.

Renovations

thumb|200px|Blue Devil Tower opened in [[2016 Duke Blue Devils football team|2016 with 516 club seats and 21 suites.]]

thumb|left|The stadium in [[2005 Duke Blue Devils football team|2005, prior to the renovation of the west side press box]]

thumb|200px|Stadium in 2015, with Blue Devil Tower under construction

In September 2014, renovation plans were released. The new stadium would seat nearly 40,000 and have 21 luxury suites housed within a new five-story, tower along the stadium's west side. A new high by wide LED video board would be installed closer to the field than the previous one. Another notable feature was the removal of the stadium's track, which allowed 4,000 additional seats to be added along with lowering and recentering the field. The concourses along the stadium's north and west sides were enhanced with new concessions and new gates, restroom facilities and first aid stations. Integrated seating in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act were also added for disabled guests and their companions. The first two phases of the renovations were finished over a two-year period, including the new press box, eight broadcast booths and suites completed by the 2016 college football season.

Phase three was completed prior to the 2017 season. It included completion of ADA boxes currently in one-third of the concourse on the north and east concourse, rebuilding the concourse surface, and construction of a north gate ticket booth and various concessions, bathroom, and future store buildings on the east concourse. The alumni box on the north concourse was also replaced with a new auxiliary scoreboard.

A terraced area known as the "Devils Deck" was added for the 2024 season at the north end of the stadium, reducing capacity to 35,018. The new area features a tailgate-like experience with both standing room and non-reserved seating, an unlimited food package, yard games, and a DJ.

Concerts

{| class="wikitable" style=font-size:100% style="text-align:center"

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! width=12% style="text-align:center;;|Date

! width=10% style="text-align:center;;|Artist

! width=10% style="text-align:center;;|Opening act(s)

! width=16% style="text-align:center;;|Tour / Concert name

! width=10% style="text-align:center;;|Attendance

! width=20% style="text-align:center;;|Notes

|-

| April 24, 1971 || The Grateful Dead || — || — || — || This concert was part of Joe College Weekend.

|-

| October 8, 2005 || The Rolling Stones || Trey Anastasio || A Bigger Bang Tour || approx. 40,000 ||

|-

| September 27, 2024 || Ed Sheeran || — || — || approx. 17,000 || This concert was part of Duke's Centennial Founder’s Day and Homecoming Celebration Weekend.

|}

See also

  • List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums
  • List of American football stadiums by capacity
  • Lists of stadiums

References

  • Wallace Wade Stadium from the Duke University Archives
  • The CollegeGridirons.com page
  • The Ballparks.com page
  • Satellite Photo of Wallace Wade Stadium
  • The 1942 Durham Rose Bowl