Michie Stadium

^{October 25, 2008
Michie Stadium (Capacity: 40,000)
West Point, NY
Army Black Knights vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Final Score: 14 – 7}

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I was eagerly anticipating a visit to see Army Football in beautiful Michie Stadium and of course, it came on a rainy day. Luckily, the rain held off long enough for pictures and it did not ruin a great setting to take in college football. The United States Military Academy in West Point certainly is a unique place as the very selective four-year service academy is a national landmark filled with historical sites, monuments and buildings. Cadets fulfill “Duty, Honor, Country” as they take a strict curriculum involving academics, military and athletics. Picturesque West Point is about 50 miles north of New York City, located appropriately on a western point of the Hudson River. This beautiful (and strategic) spot along the river features rolling hills and cliffs. The Black Knights have played at Michie Stadium since 1924, making it the 15th oldest in the country at this level. Army is a team that oozes tradition, with three straight national championships in the 1940s and three Heisman trophy winners. Competing as an Independent, their last winning season was in 1996 when they played in the Independence Bowl. Despite constantly playing up in talent level, Michie Stadium is an honorable place to watch some extraordinary young men play football. The wonderful setting and great traditions help to outweigh other stadium experience aspects that are quite poor.
Prestige Ranking: 5 out of 5

Location

All of the grounds essentially are West Point, while the closest “town” is that of Highland Falls, which is adjacent to the south. This tiny village of 3,600 has a Main Street with some small eateries, along with housing the USMA Visitors Center. Right next door is the free West Point Museum, which had a lot of weaponry displays. Both are well worth a visit, along with a tour of the campus (though not offered on game days).
Location Ranking: 6.5 out of 10

Accessibility / Parking

Getting to the hilly area is a bit of a chore as it is located off of US-9W. The Palisades Parkway and I-87 provide the closest access to reach that road. Then, as you come in through the mountainous Rt. 293, it becomes apparent you already are on Army grounds. The entrance to the actual campus is well-protected by three gates and once you enter, the winding campus is very confusing. However, people were very nice and helpful in leading you to parking. We were directed to a grassy lot and then shuttled by bus over to the stadium. Though initially it may seem confusing, once passing the gates, things are well-organized and easy to follow.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 3.5 out of 8

Exterior

The front of Michie Stadium looks a hundred feet higher than the back as the stadium sits on a hill. Visible architecture on the higher west side is basically the inner workings of the seating bowl. One of the front walls has a small Army and Michie Stadium written out. Walking down the hill along the north side, the playing field and seating bowl is visible and then as you get to the east side, there is a section with an outdoor fanfest featuring food and entertainment, including an appearance by the band. The facility at this point consists of a large wall featuring Army murals and players painted on it. The Black Knights walk this area prior to the game, into the stadium. Adding to the setting is Lusk Reservoir within a short reach.
Exterior Ranking: 5 out of 10

Concourse

Once inside, the concourse was average, plain and somewhat dark with really nothing special to speak of as it was full of concrete. Each sideline had a concourse, while the main seating on the west side featured a secondary concourse level for the upper deck. Getting around the stadium is disjointed as walkways don’t connect and the terrain doesn’t help matters.
Concourse Ranking: 2 out of 5

Food

Food options were incredibly basic for a stadium that holds this many people. Offerings were mainly snacks as hot dogs were the only cooked item available.
Food Ranking: 1.5 out of 8

Interior

Michie Stadium features one of the most scenic settings in all of college football. Not only does the Hudson Valley location allow for striking views of the rolling hills and mountains, but there is also the spectacular view from the upper-deck where the low, small set of stands on the other side allows for the view to be augmented by the water in the Reservoir. The seating bowl is designed in a U-shaped. Most of the seats are in the lower level and there are about 15-20 rows that sit under the overhang from the upper-deck (nice protection during the rainy game). We sat in the very steep upper deck to enjoy the view of the game and beyond. A small, but nice and new two-level press box sits at the top with Michie Stadium and Army spelled out. The concrete structure wraps past the end zones before the corners open up. The east sideline contains a long set of seating. Nearly the entire bowl is aluminum bleachers with no backs. There are a few special areas of loge seats and club seating tucked in between the 1st and 2nd levels. Above and behind the south end zone seating is the newly constructed Kimsey Athletic Center, which is home to several offices and facilities. The architecture of the building fits in nicely with the rest of Michie’s design. Overall, the beautiful setting sets the stage for the game, especially on a Fall day when the leaves are changing. Sightlines are great and the minimalist stadium material/design lets the setting and atmosphere take the lead.
Interior Ranking: 11.5 out of 14

Scoreboard

A new scoreboard sits over the seating in the north end zone and it is well done with a clear video screen in the center. A small digital display for game info is at the bottom, while “Michie Stadium” is written at the top. The other end zone features a much smaller horizontal board that has the scoreboard info, along with a couple graphic displays.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4

Displays

Army does an OK job honoring its past inside the stadium, but with such a storied football history, I was hoping for a little more outside and in the concourse. On the wall between the lower and upper decks are listings for National Championships, Heisman Trophy winners and an Outland Trophy winner. Next to the smaller scoreboard are two retired jerseys, including the jersey of #24 Pete Dawkins, whom we saw the retirement ceremony for. Lastly, a reminder of the rivalry between service academies can be seen all around campus and that includes the football stadium, where a “Beat Navy” and “Beat Air Force” sign sits on the new football building in the south end zone.
Displays Ranking: 2.5 out of 6

Cost

Prices were not too bad with tickets averaging around $30, parking at $10 and the program at $5.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8

Fan Support

Our announced attendance was 27,383 and Army has been averaging around 30,000, with the stadium usually filled rather well. That number wasn’t too far off as to how many were actually in their seat and it was understandable that the weather drew some away at halftime. Overall fan support is ok and it it certainly is an older crowd that makes up the stadium. National support is of course quite good.
Fan Support Ranking: 5.5 out of 8

Atmosphere

Tradition is a big part of college football and that is exemplified at Army. It starts with the Regiment marching into the stadium and watching these Cadets take the field gave me goosebumps. The parachute team follows by landing near the 50-yard line to deliver the game ball. The rain and wind cancelled this portion of the festivities, which I would have loved to see. Before kickoff, the Cadets then sprint over to take their seats in the southwest corner. Traditions continue during the game as after each score and kickoff, a cannon in the end zone goes off, followed by a very loud boom that explodes from a different cannon on the other side of the reservoir. Overall, the crowd was pretty good and it did get relatively loud for a game that was tough to make some noise with the rain and wind. A good part of that was likely from the Cadets.
Atmosphere Ranking: 11 out of 14

Other Stuff

Of course, when one thinks of Army football, the rivalry with Navy has to come in mind. The last game of the year is played in a neutral site and it is one of the best scenes in sport when members of both academies march into the stadium. Army also plays Air Force each year and the winner of the three-way series receives the Commander in Chief trophy…..The playing field is named after former coach Earl Blaik, while the stadium is named after Dennis Michie, who was instrumental in starting the football program…..The tailgating scene was plentiful and peaceful with many older groups of people relaxing with food, drinks and chatter…..I did not particularly enjoy the incredibly annoying P.A. announcer and his ridiculously stupid quips during the game.

Game

In the game, it was an expected defensive battle. Army took the lead first and then the Bulldogs tied it at seven in the middle of the third quarter. Watching the Army flexbone offense was unique as they almost always use that formation and stick with the run. Only nine passes were thrown and the team ran for 203 yards. After a La Tech missed field goal, Army drove down and Chip Bowden completed a 2-yard pass to Ian Smith for the go-ahead and winning touchdown as the Army defense shut down the Bulldogs. Chris Mooney had 57 yards rushing for the Black Knights.

Stadium Experience Ranking: 64 out of 100