www.kylefield.com
Regarded as one of the nation’s most intimidating road venues, Texas A&M’s Kyle Field has been the home of the Aggie football team since 1905.
Kyle Field was named for Edwin Jackson Kyle, who served as Texas A&M’s dean of agriculture and athletic council president. Kyle donated a 400-by-400 foot area of the southern edge of campus that had been assigned to him for horticultural experiments.
The permanent seating on the east and west sides of Kyle Field were added in 1927 and the horseshoe was completed in 1929. The stadium was expanded in 1967 to include two decks of grandstands, and the third decks were added to the east and west sides in 1980. The Aggies played on grass through the 1960s, but A&M became one of the many schools that switched to artificial turf in the early 1970s. Grass returned to Kyle Field in 1996 and the Aggies currently play on grass.
In April of 2012, it was announced that Texas A&M University and the 12th Man Foundation engaged Populous to lead the design study phase for the renovation and redevelopment of Kyle Field, recognized as the nation’s top college football gameday experience and “Home of the 12th Man.”
On May 1, 2013, the Texas A&M Board of Regents approved a $450 million renovation of the famed stadium, to begin following the 2013 season and be completed prior to the 2015 campaign.
More information can be found online at www.kylefield.com.
QUICK FACTS- Built: 1927, 1929, 2013-15 (renovation)
- Capacity: 82,600 (2013) - 102,500 (2015)
- Record Crowd: 90,079 vs Nebraska (Nov. 20, 2010)
Capacity:
Known as one of the nation's most intimidating road venues, Texas A&M's Kyle Field has been the home of the Aggie football team since the mid-1920s.
The Aggies have always been tough to beat at Kyle Field with an all-time record of 174-148-19 on their home field.
In the 1990s, Texas A&M was dominant at Kyle Field with a 55-4-1 (92.5 winning percentage) record. During that span, the Aggies put together two of the longest home winning streaks in school history.
From 1990 to 1995, the Aggies won 31 straight games at Kyle Field, which ranks as the fifth-longest by an NCAA Division 1-A school since World War II. The Aggies also won 22 straight at Kyle Field from 1996 to 2000.
Likely making Kyle Field an even tougher road venue for opponents was the $32.9 million north end zone expansion, which was completed in 1999. The formation of the Bernard C. Richardson Zone raised the capacity of Kyle Field to 82,600, making it the largest football stadium in the state of Texas. The Zone also brings the fans in the north end zone 65 feet closer to the action on the field of play.
The Zone opened at full capacity for the first time for the annual Texas A&M-Texas grudge match in 1999 and a state-record football crowd of 86,128 watched the Aggies tally a hard-fought 20-16 victory over the archrival Longhorns.
The opening of The Zone propelled A&M's season home attendance to consecutive record-breaking seasons in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Texas A&M drew over a half-million fans to Kyle Field in 2002, easily the most in school history.
Originally built in 1927 and 1929, Kyle Field was named for Edwin Jackson Kyle, who served as Texas A&M's dean of agriculture and athletic council president.
The stadium was expanded in 1967 to include two decks of grandstands, and the third decks were added to the east and west sides in 1980. The Aggies played on grass through the 1960s, but A&M became one of the many schools that switched to artificial turf in the early 1970s. Grass returned to Kyle Field in 1996 and the Aggies currently play on grass.
Atop the third deck of the west side of Kyle Field is A&M's two-level press area. The A&M press box, which puts the radio/television outlets on the lower level and the writers on the upper level, has been rated among the nation's finest many times and can accomodate more than 250 members of the working press. Texas A&M's postgame press briefings are held in a spacious auditorium which features phone lines, studio lighting and a raised camera deck.
Kyle Field and its amenities continued to expand with the addition of the Bright Football Complex on the south end of the stadium. The facility opened in the fall of 2003. It includes a players' lounge overlooking Kyle Field, dressing rooms, one of the largest training and rehabilitation facilities in the country and a state-of-the-art academic center.
The newest addition to the stadium is the brand new 12th Man TV. The structure sits in the south end of the stadium, stands 110 feet high and houses nearly 4,000 square feet of video board. It, along with over 1,100 feet of ribbon board, debuted for the 2006 season and provides fans the best in-stadium video entertainment in college football.
Notable Events:
On November 26, 1999, just one week after the collapse of the Aggie Bonfire, the Aggies beat the fifth-ranked Texas Longhorns 20–16 in an emotional comeback game before a then-record crowd of 86,128.[19][20] Two years later, on September 22, 2001, the first game for the Aggies after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the students organized a "Red, White and Blue-Out." Students assigned each deck a different color (red on third deck, white on second deck, and blue on first deck) to wear for the game against Oklahoma State. Despite the short notice, attendees followed the instructions, resulting in a red, white, and blue stadium. More than $150,000 was raised in shirt sales, which was donated to FDNY charities.[21]THREE-DAY CELEBRATION OF KYLE FIELD REOPENING INCLUDES FIREWORKS, MUSIC, AND STADIUM TOURS
COLLEGE STATION, August 14, 2015 -- An extended celebration of the grand reopening of Kyle Field is set to kick off Friday, September 11, the day before the Aggies’ first home football game this season, and continue through the weekend -- complete with fireworks, what is billed as the "world’s largest tailgate," a free concert, and tours of the 102,512-seat stadium.
"For all Aggies – past, present, and future – Kyle Field embodies our culture, our traditions, and our core values, and that is what we will be celebrating," said Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp in announcing the three-day series of events. "To the rest of the world, Kyle Field projects a message not just about football, but about the overall excellence of our great university. Kyle Field is ‘home’ to generations of Aggies and to the Spirit of Aggieland, and it always will be."
He said Kyle Field will be the largest collegiate football stadium in Texas and one of the largest in the nation, and unrivaled in amenities. "I can’t wait to hear the reactions from every single fan after opening day," he added. "More restrooms, better cell phone coverage, terrific food – we hope everyone finds the game day experience even better than ever."
The free concert, beginning at noon Saturday on Simpson Drill Field, will feature performances by Grammy-nominated Texas country singer Pat Green and the Grammy-nominated rock band Relient K.
"Aggies have always been proud of Kyle Field and the many traditions that unfold there, but this amazing facility will shine an even brighter spotlight on the 12th Man, the athletic program and our great university," said Texas A&M President Michael K. Young. "My wife, Marti, and I are very excited about attending our first Aggie home football game in what will unquestionably be the nation's very best collegiate sporting venue."
The three-day celebration will begin at 2:30 p.m. Friday with re-dedication of the relocated statue of the late John David Crow, Texas A&M’s first Heisman Trophy winner. The huge bronze statue was originally placed in front of the Bright Football Complex, but has been moved to a prominent location outside the new west stands of the stadium so that it can be readily viewed by more fans and other campus visitors.
That ceremony will be followed at 3 p.m. with the unveiling of the Core Values monument, which is also located outside the west stands. The monument calls special attention to the longstanding core values that make Texas A&M and its students unique: loyalty, integrity, excellence, leadership, respect and selfless service.
The celebration continues that night with a fireworks show in conjunction with Yell Practice.
Aggie fans and supporters everywhere are encouraged to join in the festivities and longstanding tailgating tradition by bringing food, tents, tables, barbecue pits and grills to the Texas A&M campus to help create the "world’s largest tailgate" before the Aggies take on Ball State at 6 p.m.
An open house and free tours of the West Side of Kyle Field will be conducted Sunday, September 13, beginning at 2 p.m.
"Aggies don’t need any added incentive to attend Midnight Yell Practice, but those who turn out to get ready for Ball State will have bragging rights for life -- being able to say they were among the very first to view the newly enhanced Kyle Field," Chancellor Sharp stated.
Kyle Field Celebration Schedule of Events
| Time | Event | Location |
| Friday, September 11 | ||
| 3:00 p.m. | Statue Rededication/Unveiling | Kyle Field, West Side |
| 10:30 p.m. | Gates open for Yell Practice | Kyle Field, East Side |
| Midnight | Yell Practice | Kyle Field, East Side |
| Saturday, September 12 | ||
| 7:00 a.m. | Tailgating | Various Campus Locations |
| Noon | Music played by Disc Jockey begins | Simpson Drill Field |
| 1:15 p.m. | Performance by Grammy-nominated band Relient K | Simpson Drill Field |
| 2:45 p.m. | Performance by Grammy-nominated Texas country singer Pat Green | Simpson Drill Field |
| 3:30 p.m. | Kid’s Yell Practice | The Association of Former Students |
| 3:45 p.m. | Spirit Walk | |
| 4:00 p.m. | Gates open at Kyle Field | |
| 4:30 p.m. | Corps Step-off | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Kick-off against Ball State | |
| Sunday, September 13 | ||
| 2 - 5 p.m. | Kyle Field Open House: Free admission to the West Side of Kyle Field - tour the Hall of Champions and All American Club and view the field from the West Side | |
