Bobby Dodd Stadium - Atlanta, GA

Bobby Dodd Stadium (formerly Grant Field) has been used by Georgia Tech from since 1913; it was Georgia Tech's first permanent on-campus home field. Previously, they had used an amalgamation of Piedmont Park, Brisbane Park, The Flats, and Ponce de Leon Park.

Overall, NC State had a record of 4-12 at this field, playing all but the first as conference games -- first the Southern Conference, and later as ACC Conference mates. NC State lost the two games in which they were ranked, and is 2-4 when Georgia Tech has been ranked.

Date Opponent Time Ranking Result Attendance Length Comments
11/9/1918 at Georgia Tech * 2:30 PM - L, 0 - 128 50 min. Game ended early by mutual consent
11/18/1922 at Georgia Tech 2 PM - L, 0 - 17 60 min.
10/6/1984 at Georgia Tech (AP: 12, Coaches: 12) 12:17 PM W, 27 - 22 32,627 60 min.
10/11/1986 at Georgia Tech 12:15 PM AP: 17, Coaches: 18 L, 21 - 59 24,110 60 min.
10/1/1988 at Georgia Tech 12:08 PM W, 14 - 6 36,892 60 min.
9/8/1990 at Georgia Tech 12:08 PM L, 13 - 21 40,021 60 min.
10/3/1992 at Georgia Tech (AP: 23, Coaches: 23) 12:10 PM AP: 21, Coaches': 18 L, 13 - 16 40,761 60 min.
11/11/1995 at Georgia Tech 1 PM L, 19 - 27 33,121 60 min.
10/11/1997 at Georgia Tech (AP: 25) 3:30 PM L, 17 - 27 44,195 60 min.
10/30/1999 at Georgia Tech (AP: 7, Coaches': 7, BCS: 8) 3:30 PM L, 21 - 48 46,012 60 min.
10/20/2001 at Georgia Tech (AP: 23, Coaches: 25) 3:30 PM L, 17 - 27 41,942 60 min.
10/4/2003 at Georgia Tech 12 PM L, 21 - 29 50,113 60 min.
10/6/2005 at Georgia Tech (AP: 24, Coaches': 23, Harris: 24) 7:30 PM W, 17 - 14 51,432 60 min.
9/25/2010 at Georgia Tech 12 PM W, 45 - 28 48,825 60 min.
11/21/2019 at Georgia Tech 8 PM L, 26 - 28 38,198 60 min.
11/21/2024 at Georgia Tech 7:30 PM L, 29 - 30 34,591 60 min.

  * Non-conference games

Grant Field was constructed in 1913, on the land which was previously known as The Flats, Georgia Tech's home field from 1905-06 and once again in 1912. Its 1913 opening date makes the stadium the oldest continuously used on-campus stadium in the FBS. The original concrete stands, which sat 5,600, were built largely by Georgia Tech students, though other seating options brought the capacity to about 7,000. By 1919, flush with success under venerated head coach John Heisman, the stadium was expanded to 25,000, and increased by another 5,000 in 1925 with the completion of a horseshoe shape, which surrounded the south, east, and west sides of the field.

In 1944, the west stands were rebuilt to seat 44,000, and by 1958 the bowl was completed. By adding upper decks to the east and west (1962 and 1968, respectively), the Yellowjackets increased their stadium's capacity by just under 10,000 and by about 5,000 with each renovation to reach an ultimate maximum capacity of 58,121. The venue's seating dipped significantly in 1986 with the construction of the Wardlaw Center, which required the removal of the seats in the south endzone, lowering the number of seats to 46,000. Two years later, the stadium structure was formally named for Bobby Dodd, though the field still retained the name Grant Field until 2023, when it was renamed Hyundai Field (though the school may still reserve the right to use the Grant Field name). In 2001 and 2002, a phased construction process was enacted to create improved club seating and add some bleachers back to the north endzone, resulting in the venue's current capacity of 41,000 in the former year, 43,719 in the latter, and 55,000 upon the completion of work [1] [2].

Selling the naming rights to the field would turn out to be a comparatively minor change with regards to another change implemented following the 2023 campaign. Starting in April 2024, the Edge Center was slated for destruction, along with two full sections (218 and 219) and a partial section (217) in the north endzone. While the work lowered the venue's capacity to 51,913, it replaced a fittingly piecemeal building with a new sports center to be named the Fanning Center. Set to open in 2026, the multi-use structure is expected to house offices, nutrition rooms, a strength-and-conditioning space, a players' lounge, among many other amenities [8].

The Edge Center itself was located in the northeast corner of Bobby Dodd Stadium. The facility originally opened in 1982, and has had several additions in the following years, including the Hearn Academic Center in 1984. With the completion of the George Mathews Athletic Heritage Center, the Howard Candler Football Conference Center, the Homer Rice Center for Sports Performance, and the enlargement of the Hearn Center, the entire area was renamed the J.C. "Bud" Shaw Sports Complex, though the name seems to have fallen out of popular use around the turn of the century. The construction of the replacement Fanning Center is scheduled to be on the same footprint as the existing Edge/Rice Center [9].

Location of Bobby Dodd Stadium on an interactive map of Atlanta.



Photos of Bobby Dodd Stadium


A series of 3 images showing Grant Field in 1913, taken from the roof of the now-razed Knowles Dormitory [4]




A series of images from Georgia Tech's 1919 yearbook, probably showing a game from the 1918 football season. Which game (or games) they are from was not specified, but they don't appear to match the uniforms NC State wore in their yearbook picture [5]




Images of the 1922-1923 seasons, after the 1919 expansion. The first panoramic action shot is from the 11/30/1922 Georgia Tech-Auburn game which gave the Golden Tornado a Southern Conference championship (click to open enlarged view in new tab), while the remaining three are from the 1923 GT-VMI game which Georgia Tech won 10-7 [6]

Grant Field in 1925. Note the completion of the bowl [3]

Grant Field in 1958 [3]

Grant Field in 1985 [7]

The stadium in its 1986-2002 configuration, as seen in 1992 [7]

Bobby Dodd Stadium as seen in 2017 [1]

Construction on Bobby Dodd's Edge Center and north endzone sections in the summer of 2023 [10]



Last updated: 11/30/2024