Broke ground 1968 Opened 27 September 1969 Architecture firm HNTB | Expanded Phone +1 734-487-2282 | |
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Location 184 Westview Street
Ypsilanti, MI 48197 Operator Eastern Michigan University Capacity 30,200 (1992-present)
22,227 (1974-1991)
15,500 (1969-1973) Surface FieldTurf (gray) (2014–present)
FieldTurf (green) (2005–2013)
Astroturf (1991–2004)
Natural Grass (1969–1990) Address 799 North Hewitt Road, Ypsilanti, MI 48197, USA Owner Eastern Michigan University Team Eastern Michigan Eagles football Similar Eastern Michigan University, Waldo Stadium, Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Scheumann Stadium, Doyt Perry Stadium | ||
Rynearson Stadium is a stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Eastern Michigan University Eagles. It held its first game on September 27, 1969, when EMU upset the University of Akron, 10-3. Currently, the stadium has seating for 30,200 people. Standing room is available in the south end zone, allowing for crowds larger than the listed capacity. The largest attendance for an EMU game at Rynearson Stadium was 26,188 (87% of capacity), on November 28, 2008, for a 56-52 win over Central Michigan.
The stadium is located on the school's west campus, just south of the Huron River. It originally consisted of two opposite sideline stands around the field and running track. It is one of only two stadiums in the MAC which shares its football field with a running track (UB Stadium being the other). In 1992, the seats were expanded south from each grandstand but not connected, giving the stadium the look of an unfinished horseshoe. This was done to conform to the new Division I-A rules for minimum stadium size. Originally a grass field, the field has been artificial since 1991 and was upgraded to FieldTurf in 2005. More recently, the original FieldTurf was replaced prior to the 2014 season by a new gray FieldTurf surface. This made Rynearson Stadium only the second Division I FBS stadium with a non-traditional field color (after Albertsons Stadium at Boise State) and the sixth college football stadium overall with this feature. Lighting was added in 1974, partially due to the Detroit Wheels of the World Football League using the stadium as their home field. The stadium has also hosted high school football games.
The stadium was named for the late Elton J. Rynearson, Sr., who coached football at Eastern Michigan for 26 seasons. His teams compiled a record of 114-58-15. In one six-year period, from 1925–30, Rynearson’s teams won 40 games, tied two, and lost just four.