No One Can Agree If This is the Worst Football Stadium in Michigan Or Not
There's a video floating around YouTube naming the worst football stadiums by state across America. For Michigan, they chose to pick on Rynearson Stadium at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.
The reviewer says, "it's hard to believe but this is an upgrade. For years this place was an unmitigated dump. There were very few fans to came to see the team get smoked. Now the team is a bit better and they've tarped off some of the ugliness but the stadium is still cheap. The gray turf is cool...I guess."
That gray turf arrived with a 2014 renovation. They join the famous blue field at Boise State in Idaho which is the only non-green turf in football.
Check out the video, cued up to the review of EMU's stadium.
Poor Eastern. They are the Rodney Dangerfield of Michigan D1 colleges. No damn respect. They play almost literally in the shadow of Michigan Stadium next door in Ann Arbor and just don't enjoy the fanbases that the other MAC directional schools, Western and Central do.
But is Rynerson Stadium really all that bad? We took a look around and sought out more reviews. To be fair, they're mixed. But there are plenty of good.
From Yelp:
Not a bad seat in the house. Parking is free and across the street. They sell craft beer in the endzone!! Food trucks and good concessions. They are starting to win frequently too. Family four pack for 40 bucks with food and drink. Kids zone, clean bathrooms...what more do you want?!!
EMU has a perfectly lovely stadium. No, it's not Michigan stadium. But that's okay. They have a large supply of clean restrooms. They have both healthy and unhealthy snacks available for your mid-game snacking needs. And they have free parking within spitting distance of the gates.
StadiumAndArenaVisits has thoughts on Rynearson which they determine to be a 52 out of 100 experience:
Rynearson Stadium is a simple facility....The downfall however is a track surrounding the football field, which puts the seating further away.
Several of the “Factory” displays along with various green “E” logos give the generally dull stadium some life and color. Team achievements are lacking, but there is a display of Track and Field championships located on the ground-level wall on the West stands.
This Friday Night [what was the basis of the review] event brought an estimate of 6,000 to 9,000 to the game, better than a typical showing as there is often a big time struggle to fill the stands. Eastern Michigan is certainly near the bottom of the FBS in terms of fan support and atmosphere. I’m not sure that winning teams will bring more out given their history and that the region is dominated by nearby Michigan football.
So let's not let one internet review sink Eastern's experience. They're tough and scrappy, they have always had to be - as evidenced by the galvanized steel look they employ.
Rynearson Stadium has a few claims to fame other than football. They hosted an epic 1975 Santana concert that has been released as a live album and is a favorite among collectors.