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Vaught–Hemingway Stadium

Coordinates: 34°21′43″N 89°32′3″W / 34.36194°N 89.53417°W / 34.36194; -89.53417
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Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
“The Vaught”
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is located in Mississippi
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Location in Mississippi
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is located in the United States
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Location in the United States
Full nameVaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field
Former namesHemingway Stadium (1915–1982)
Location6 All American Drive
Oxford, Mississippi 38655
Coordinates34°21′43″N 89°32′3″W / 34.36194°N 89.53417°W / 34.36194; -89.53417
OwnerUniversity of Mississippi
OperatorUniversity of Mississippi
Capacity24,000 (1915–1949)
34,500 (1950–1972)
37,500 (1973–1974)
35,000 (1975–1979)
42,500 (1980–1984)
41,000 (1985–1987)
42,577 (1988–1997)
50,577 (1998–2001)
60,580 (2002–2014)
59,347 (2015)[1]
64,038 (2016–present)[2]
Record attendance68,126
November 9, 2024 vs. Georgia
Surface
Grass (2016–present)
FieldTurf (2009–2015)
AstroPlay (2003–2008)
Grass (1984–2002)
AstroTurf (1970–1983)
Grass (1915–1969)
ScoreboardDaktronics 49' by 110' HD Jumbotron
Construction
Broke ground1912
Built1912–1915
OpenedOctober 1, 1915
Renovated1941, 1980, 2002, 2015, 2016
Expanded1950, 1980, 1988, 1998, 2002, 2016
Construction cost$96,000[3]
($2.89 million in 2023 dollars[4])
$25 million (renovation)
Tenants
Ole Miss Rebels (NCAA) (1915–present)

Vaught–Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field is an outdoor athletic stadium located in University, Mississippi, United States (although it has an Oxford address). The stadium serves as the home for the University of Mississippi Rebels college football team. The stadium is named after Johnny Vaught and Judge William Hemingway. Since its expansion in 2016, it is the largest stadium in the state of Mississippi with a capacity of 64,038, and also holds the state record for attendance, at 68,126.

History

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Football game at Hemingway Stadium, circa 1960

Building of the stadium started in 1915 as a federally sponsored project. A series of expansions and renovations have gradually expanded the stadium and modernized its amenities, allowing the Rebels to play all of their home games on campus.[citation needed] Prior to the early to mid-1990s, Ole Miss would play many of its big rivalry games, including the heated feuds with LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Arkansas at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in the state capital of Jackson, located approximately 170 miles (270 km) south of the Ole Miss campus; and to a lesser extent, the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis.[citation needed] The Ole Miss-MSU game, commonly referred to as the Egg Bowl, was held in Jackson every year from 1973 through 1990 before returning to a home-and-home series.[5]

Namesake

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When the stadium opened, it was named for Judge William Hemingway, a professor of law and chairman of the university's committee on athletics.[6] October 12, 1982 saw the addition of legendary Ole Miss coach Johnny Vaught's name to the stadium.[6] September 5, 1998 saw the field named for longtime supporter Dr. Jerry Hollingsworth, bringing the current official title to "Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field".[6]

Expansions and upgrades

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In 2002, construction crews replaced the south end zone bleachers with a rounded bowl, adding luxury boxes and covered club seating in an upper deck, as well as additional general admission seating for students and season ticket holders; these renovations expanded seating capacity by nearly 10,000, giving Vaught-Hemingway a capacity of 60,580.

In August 2011, the school announced Forward Together, a new capital campaign that would seek to build a new basketball arena and expand the stadium. Phase 1 of the campaign includes adding 30 luxury suites and 770 club level seats. In addition new stadium lights, sound system, and two new video boards will be added to the current south end zone. Phase 2 calls for the stadium's capacity to increase giving it the ability to hold 64,038 fans. This would be done through closing off the north endzone. In addition, a plaza would be built outside the north endzone to serve as a "front door" to the stadium and celebrate Ole Miss tradition and history.[7] In the summer of 2012, Ole Miss announced that they had received a million-dollar gift that was to be used in the Forward Together capital campaign.[7] The school announced, in honor of the gift, that they would start a new tradition and include a bell tower in the north endzone expansion that would be rung before Ole Miss games after Ole Miss victories.[8]

The most recent expansion, completed in 2016, completed the stadium's bowl shape and added 3,458 additional seats. This brought the total capacity to 64,038, making Vaught-Hemingway the largest stadium in the state.

The press box was added in a 1988 renovation.

Other notable upgrades include the installation of lights in 1990, the addition of a Jumbotron in 1997, and the replacement of the natural grass turf, which had become increasingly hard to maintain, with an AstroPlay artificial turf surface in 2003.[7] Ironically, the stadium had been among the first in the nation to switch from a natural grass playing surface to artificial turf in 1970, and then one of the first of those stadiums to switch back to natural grass in 1984.[7] The field surface was again changed in 2009 from AstroPlay to FieldTurf, making Ole Miss the first team in the Southeastern Conference to play their home games on the surface.[9] In 2016, the stadium's field surface was changed back to natural grass for the third time.

Top 10 single game attendances

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Rankings are from the AP Poll.

Rank Date Attendance Opponent Result
1 November 9, 2024 68,126 #2 Georgia W 28–10
2 October 26, 2024 67,926 Oklahoma W 26–14
3 November 29, 2024 67,896 Mississippi State W 26–14
4 September 28, 2024 67,616 Kentucky L 17–20
5 September 21, 2024 67,505 Georgia Southern W 52–13
6 September 30, 2023 66,703 #13 LSU W 55–49
7 September 7, 2024 66,427 Middle Tennessee W 52–3
8 September 17, 2016 66,176 #1 Alabama L 43–48
9 August 31, 2024 66,105 Furman W 76–0
10 November 26, 2016 66,038 Mississippi State L 20–55

Manning Center indoor practice facility

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In 2004, a 150,000-square-foot (14,000 m2) indoor practice facility and locker room facility was opened. It is linked to the existing stadium via a secured tunnel.

Video display

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The new display cost $6 million.

For the 2008 season, Vaught–Hemingway Stadium got a new HD Daktronics video board to replace the Sony Jumbotron that had been installed in the north endzone in 1997. The new board is the 8th largest scoreboard in NCAA college football (fourth in the Southeastern conference), measuring at 48 ft (15 m) by 84 ft (26 m) (4,032 square feet). Ole Miss' board cost $6 million, all of which was paid for by Telesouth Communications as part of a multimedia rights agreement with the university.[10]

In 2016, Vaught-Hemingway upgraded to three new 13mm pixel HD video boards by Daktronics. The north board measures 48 ft (14 m) by 104.5 ft (31 m) (5,016 square feet), and the two south boards measure 30 ft (9 m) by 49 ft (15 m) (1,470 square feet).[11]

Concerts

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Date Artist Opening act(s) Tour / concert name Attendance Notes
April 22-23, 2023 Morgan Wallen (first night only) 4/22: Bailey Zimmerman, ERNEST, HARDY
4/23: Nate Smith, ERNEST, HARDY 		One Night At a Time World Tour ~60,000 First concert at the stadium. Second night Wallen did not perform due to lost voice and medical notice to not sing.
April 20, 2024 Morgan Wallen Lauren Watkins,
Nate Smith, Bailey Zimmerman 		One Night At a Time World Tour ~60,000 Rescheduled from canceled concert the prior year.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2015 Ole Miss Football Guide". University of Mississippi Department of Athletics. July 17, 2015. p. 3. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  2. ^ "Ole Miss Releases Vaught-Hemingway Expansion Plans". University of Mississippi Department of Athletics. December 15, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  3. ^ Sansing, David G. (1999). "10". The University of Mississippi: A Sesquicentennial History [A Modern University]. Oxford, MS: The University of Mississippi Press. p. 254. ISBN 1-57806-107-5. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  4. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  5. ^ "2021 Ole Miss Rebels Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Mississippi. p. 161. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field". University of Mississippi. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d "2021 Ole Miss Rebels Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Mississippi. p. 206. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  8. ^ http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/umaaf/spec-rel/071812aaf.html [dead link‍]
  9. ^ OleMissSports.com: FieldTurf Being Installed At Stadium[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Green Initiative Tries to Improve Jumbotron". The Daily Mississippian. September 12, 2008. Archived from the original on August 1, 2009. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  11. ^ "Ole Miss Gets Campus-Wide LED Display Upgrades From Daktronics". Retrieved December 10, 2016.
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