September 12, 2015
Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium (Capacity: 8,300)
Stony Brook, NY
Stony Brook Seawolves vs Central Connecticut State Blue Devils
Final Score: 38 – 9
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The Stony Brook Seawolves are a relative newcomer to the college football landscape as the program was born in the 1980s. The growth thus far has been impressive as the Seawolves moved up to Division I in 1999 and after some conference shuffles, they are currently in the football strong CAA at the FCS level. Relatively recent shared conference titles and a pair of NCAA tournament berths (with a win each in 2011 and 2012) show the continued growth. Greater aspirations by the current AD look to make the sports scene at Stony Brook even bigger, I just hope it doesn’t come at a cost to the students and locals (yeah, right). The student body and endowment certainly is there as this highly regarded public university is a flagship school in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With nearly 25,000 students, there is a high focus on research and Stony Brook has had a great contribution and impact in many sectors (especially environmental). On the football side of things, the rise of the program required a real stadium and in 2002, Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium was completed. This facility, named after a state senator, has a clean look, solid sightlines and a decent fanbase.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
Being on Long Island, one may think Stony Brook is near New York City. On the contrary as it is over an hour away in the middle of Suffolk County on the North Shore. The little hamlet of 13,000 does not have a center core, but there is a nice area along Route 68 with some activities to fill time before a game. This section a few minutes from campus features the Long Island Museum, an open-air complex that includes a huge collection of carriages. Also nearby is the Stony Brook Grist Mill and the Stony Brook Village Center, a 1940s era shopping center (with small eateries) that looks much newer than its age. The center is upscale and has a slight Hamptons class vibe, but the Post Office is a cool building to check out. Finally, this area is on the marshy harbor that leads into the Long Island Sound. After checking out the Hercules statue, I walked down to the tidal shore, which featured hundreds of Fiddler Crabs.
Location Ranking: 6 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Campus is in the southeast portion of Stony Brook and though it takes at least 10 minutes to get to from the LIE (I-495), only one road is needed from Exit 62. Nicholls Road (Rt. 92 north) leads right up to the entrance of the school and after making the left into one of the entrances, a road circles the outer perimeter of the University (aptly named Circle Road). Stony Brook is big in terms of surface area and it takes a little bit to get to the athletic complex. The stadium lies on the border between sports facilities and academic buildings. For parking, non-pass holders can use the lot next to the arena. Though this quickly becomes full with tailgaters, there is an elongated lot along Circle Road that is better for those looking to make a faster in/out. This open lot is for the Long Island Rail Road as the Stony Brook station on the Port Jefferson line conveniently provides a mass transit option that is within walking distance to the stadium. I wasn’t able to accurately judge game-day traffic as the rain led to a trickling exit. My guess is that a slow campus departure quickly leads to a more rapid getaway thanks to Route 92.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8
Exterior
LaValle Stadium is built below street level, so the only exterior architecture comes from the south stands. An off-white look with the windows of the press/suite section make up the entrance face and small gold letters display “Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium”. Gates are clearly marked and entrance through security checks went smoothly.
Exterior Ranking: 6 out of 10
Concourse
A walkway above the lower seats and around the perimeter made for easy access through the stadium. The only time it got cluttered was on the home side as many congregated for partial rain protection, while still watching the game. Underneath those primary stands provided concrete shelter and access to the upper seats via stairway access in an odd placement. Bathrooms in both this and other areas were surprisingly small and I’m sure problematic for bigger crowds.
Concourse Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Food
Food stands come few and far between as I counted a total of two permanent stands and three small handcarts. “Stadium Snacks” did not offer much as the choices included hot dogs, cheeseburgers and a few other things to nosh on. A Deluxe Wolfie Dog came with chili, cheese and jalapenos. Side carts included Mac and Cheese with a meat topping, Soft Pretzels and Oreo Churros.
Food Ranking: 2.5 out of 8
Interior
I quite enjoyed the set-up at Stony Brook as this stadium has a clean look and a seating bowl that provides great views all around. Much of the seating can be found on the east sideline, where the double-decker stands are topped by a two-level press box full of windows. Included in that box are six luxury suites. Metal bleachers set on the concrete structure made up about 2/3rds of this east side section, while the remainder of the seats are comprised of red, individual chairbacks. I found the 200 level provided the best vantage point and the slope of each row was nice and steep. Leg room on both levels was good for a football stadium. Campus fields and trees make up the look beyond. The lower level sections continue on for two more sides before giving way to a sloped end zone covered by a tarp. An extra section can be found above the walkway at the south endzone, while the students all sit next to the band on the west sideline and this arrangement worked quite well. There’s no curve to the seating structure as it forms an elongated octagon. Not ideal, but the fact that the seats start their corner turn in the endzone is good. Despite the small size, LaValle Stadium has a decent design that provides fans a solid place to watch football.
Interior Ranking: 11 out of 14
Scoreboard
A beautiful board in the north end includes a video display that is high quality. The screen takes up most of the scoreboard, while the lower portion has the requisite game info. Various school wordmarks can be seen on the rest of the blue base, including the name, which honors the Sharoff Family for donating. A simpler board sits above the seats at the other end.
Scoreboard Ranking: 4 out of 4
Displays
With Stony Brook’s desire to build school spirit as they strive towards this “Together We Transform” initiative, the lack of displays is apparent. Only a sign near Gate 2 showed any school or team display as the back of this banner included the conference titles achieved by football, soccer and lacrosse (the latter two also use this stadium). I will say that the splashes of red were nice to see as the place did have some character. Even the field featured yardage numbers in red and the sideline was splashed in blue and red.
Displays Ranking: 1 out of 6
Cost
Last season, football fans parked for a steep $10. I was expecting the same when pulling in for the 2015 home opener, but was surprised to see free, open lots and no attendants. Hopefully, this is a permanent change for fans. General admission tickets average $15, depending on the game and when you buy them. Stony Brook promotes to save $3 by purchasing tickets in advance, however if bought online, there is a $4 fee. This comically defeats the purpose, so as long as it is not a big game in danger of a sellout, buy them at the stadium. Food charges are a bit higher than average with hot dogs going for $4, burgers for $6 and bottled soda for $3.75.
Cost Ranking: 7.5 out of 8
Fan Support
I would have liked to see more fans for a home opener as the stadium was maybe half full (keep in mind that is with a small stadium capacity). The following week for a game against a ranked opponent and perfect weather, the stadium was about 75% full. They do have the capability of packing LaValle, as evidenced by the sold-out homecoming events with standing-room only crowds over 10,000 and the seating sellout of their 2012 playoff game. Attendance has increased the last several seasons and the Seawolves are pushing into the middle-tier of the CAA in terms of fan support. Stony Brook’s ability to fill up the stadium is not questioned, but they are still a ways away from seeing that on a consistent basis.
Fan Support Ranking: 5 out of 8
Atmosphere
It is a shame that rain began 30 seconds into the game as the fans were primed for this one. “Lets Go Seawolves” was the chant during the first possession and after a great intro by the large and excellent Marching Band, the atmosphere was set-up to be good. But the weather dampened things and gradually fans filtered to shelter. What I could gather is that fans here are supportive. Touchdowns were met with decent cheering and fireworks were set off after each score.
Atmosphere Ranking: 9 out of 14
Other Stuff
New in 2015 is Seawolves Town, a fanfest of sorts that includes games, rides and food trucks geared towards families. It got off to a slow start, but it’s a nice section for fans. Students have their own area, which was for the best given the alcoholic nature on that side, which included a concert…..The list of items not allowed in the stadium included umbrellas, which is ridiculous when the game is not fully attended. So kudos to security that had common sense and let fans bring them in on this rainy night, which seemed appreciated by many and nobody complained about blocked views…..There seemed to be an inordinate amount of security/ushers at each section entrance, despite 90% of the place being General Admission…..Stony Brook’s rival is Albany and the recent schedule adjustment to make this the last game of the year is called the “Empire Clash”…..Wolfie is the mascot for the Seawolves and he seemed to be a hit throughout the crowd.
Game
It was a fluky start for the Seawolves as Central Connecticut jumped out to a quick lead less than a minute in to the game when Dan Hebert caught a bobbled ball and scored from 51 yards out. But that was the highlight of the day for the Blue Devils as the Stony Brook defense dominated the rest of the way, allowing only 69 more yards. The Seawolves took control with a few first half scores and their running game was remarkable, gaining 345 yards. They were led by Stacey Bedell who had 147 and 3 TDs. Stony Brook went on to win 38-9 in the rain. Some more one-sided stats: First Downs were 28-6 to the Seawolves and the home side controlled the ball for 43:26.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
