Post by Trojan Warrior on Dec 5, 2015 7:28:26 GMT -6
The upper deck of Birmingham's Legion Field once had the words "Football Capital of the South" emblazoned on its facade. In 2005, the upper deck was torn down because it was unsafe.
That alone serves as a microcosm of the history of the venue once considered among the best in America.
It was the home of the biggest rivalry in college football, the Iron Bowl, for many years. It hosted arguably the most significant college football game of all time, the inaugural SEC Championship Game between Alabama and Florida in 1992. It even helped birth a new football program at the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 1991.
But while "The Old Grey Lady" has had her day in the sun, the sun has long since set on the stadium. The SEC Championship Game left Legion Field in 1994, and the Iron Bowl followed suit six years later. Last year, the stadium played a significant role in (temporarily) killing the same UAB program it helped build.
What went wrong? What happened to cause Legion Field from being a place where championship games were held to being a place that SEC teams are ashamed to play a bowl in?
The stadium is old, for sure. Legion Field was built in 1926. But the Rose Bowl was built in 1921, and it still plays host to some of the biggest games in college football.
The difference between the Rose Bowl and Legion Field, besides location, is that the city of Pasadena, California, still treats the Rose Bowl as the city's crown jewel. Numerous renovations have been made to the Rose Bowl in recent years, including an improved press box and a new videoboard.
Birmingham, on the other hand, stopped caring about its football stadium years ago, and it shows.
Full article: www.theplainsman.com/article/2015/12/the-rise-and-fall-of-legion-field
That alone serves as a microcosm of the history of the venue once considered among the best in America.
It was the home of the biggest rivalry in college football, the Iron Bowl, for many years. It hosted arguably the most significant college football game of all time, the inaugural SEC Championship Game between Alabama and Florida in 1992. It even helped birth a new football program at the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 1991.
But while "The Old Grey Lady" has had her day in the sun, the sun has long since set on the stadium. The SEC Championship Game left Legion Field in 1994, and the Iron Bowl followed suit six years later. Last year, the stadium played a significant role in (temporarily) killing the same UAB program it helped build.
What went wrong? What happened to cause Legion Field from being a place where championship games were held to being a place that SEC teams are ashamed to play a bowl in?
The stadium is old, for sure. Legion Field was built in 1926. But the Rose Bowl was built in 1921, and it still plays host to some of the biggest games in college football.
The difference between the Rose Bowl and Legion Field, besides location, is that the city of Pasadena, California, still treats the Rose Bowl as the city's crown jewel. Numerous renovations have been made to the Rose Bowl in recent years, including an improved press box and a new videoboard.
Birmingham, on the other hand, stopped caring about its football stadium years ago, and it shows.
Full article: www.theplainsman.com/article/2015/12/the-rise-and-fall-of-legion-field