Ranking all of college football's 'Memorial' stadiums on Memorial Day
College football stadiums are the greatest architectural tributes in college sports
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3 min read
Hundreds of years ago, the buildings that we fill to celebrate college football may have been dedicated to the ruler or deity of the land. The time, money and effort put into the construction and maintenance of college football stadiums usually pairs with a tribute to a certain person or group. Sometimes it is a family that has generously helped the school's athletic department grow and sometimes the "Memorial" in Memorial Stadium is in memory of many people worth honoring.
More than a dozen active college football stadiums have "Memorial" in the name, with a few paying direct tribute to veterans of the armed forces. On this Memorial Day, we have prepared an arbitrary ranking of all of the stadiums with "Memorial" in the name.
| Rank | Stadium | School | Capacity |
| 1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: The Coliseum takes the top spot for its extensive history (one of the most iconic stadiums in America since it opened in 1923) and for the busy fall it will have as the host for the LA Rams and Trojans.  | USC | 93,607 |
| 2 | Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium: Everything is bigger in Texas. Not only is Darrell K. Royal Stadium the biggest "Memorial" stadium on our list, but it's one of the top-10 biggest stadiums in the world. First opened in 1924, the stadium has been expanded several times and rededicated in 1977 to the memory of all alumni who lost their lives in American wars.  | Texas | 100,119 |
| 3 | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium: Coach Bennie Owen deserves some recognition for his efforts in helping raise the money for the stadium, first opened in 1925 and named to honor students and staff who died in World War I.  | Oklahoma | 82,112 |
| 4 | Memorial Stadium: The ongoing NCAA record for consecutive sellouts makes Nebraska's Memorial Stadium the top "Memorial Stadium" on this list.  | Nebraska | 87,000 |
| 5 | Frank Howard Field at Memorial Stadium: Touching Howard's Rock and running down the hill has become one of the most nationally-recognized pre-game traditions in recent years. Having a team that's competing for national titles doesn't hurt, I suppose.  | Clemson | 81,500 |
| 6 | California Memorial Stadium: The publicly-funded stadium was built in 1922-23 and named in honor of Californians who lost their lives in World War I. | Cal | 62,717 |
| 7 | Memorial Stadium: Faurot Field, a.k.a. "The Zoo" has been in use since 1926, when it was dedicated to Mizzou alumni who lost their lives in World War I. This Memorial Stadium gets a boost in the rankings for the iconic "Rock M," located above the stadium's north end zone. | Missouri | 71,168 |
| 8 | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium: Navy's spot in the American Athletic Conference has, and will continue, to shine a spotlight on the unique atmosphere at home games in Annapolis. | Navy | 34,000 |
| 9 | War Memorial Stadium: Though the stadium only gets the Razorbacks for one game per season, the Little Rock-based stadium gets bonus points for these rankings as the host of the Delta Classic between Arkansas Pine Bluff and Grambling State. | Arkansas | 53,727 |
| 10 | Memorial Stadium: There is a memorial to students who died in World War I outside the stadium, with names carved onto more than 200 pillars outside the 93-year old stadium. | Illinois | 60,670 |
| 11 | Memorial Stadium: "The Rock" opened in 1960 and replaced the first Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, built in 1925. | Indiana | 52,929 |
| 12 | Kenan Memorial Stadium: Several generous gifts from the Kenan family, beginning with 1894 UNC alum William R. Kenan, Jr., resulted in the name being featured prominently around campus, including the on-campus stadium. | North Carolina | 62,980 |
| 13 | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium: Justin Fuente's recent success with the Tigers highlighted a great environment at the 41-year old stadium originally dedicated to Memphis citizens who served in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. | Memphis | 62,380 |
| 14 | War Memorial Stadium: Capacity isn't the figure that matters here. In Laramie, "The War" sits 7,215 feet above sea level. | Wyoming | 32,580 |
| 15 | Veterans Memorial Stadium: Originally built in 1950 and dedicated to Pike County residents who died in World War II, Troy's stadium saw several renovations (and a few name changes) as it made the jump to FBS. | Troy | 30,000 |
| 16 | Aggie Memorial Stadium: Opened in 1978, the building is dedicated to alumni who fought in the Korean War and Vietnam War. | New Mexico State | 30,343 |
| 17 | University of Kansas Memorial Stadium: It's been a tough run for football fans in Lawrence. When Kansas is successful, the atmosphere is very different but recent struggles make it tough to vouch for this Memorial Stadium. | Kansas | 50,071 |
