September 23, 2023
Glass Bowl (Capacity: 26,038)
Toledo, OH
Toledo Rockets vs Western Michigan Broncos
Final Score: 49 – 34
.
It was a breezy, mild Saturday as we arrived in Toledo for some football. This port city of 270,000 in Northwest Ohio is the 4th biggest city in the state and the 79th largest in the U.S. Toledo sits at the mouth of the Maumee River, which leads into Lake Erie a short distance away. The city self-promotes itself as the “Water Recreation Capital of the Midwest” with marinas, boat rides and parks. Toledo is more known for glass manufacturing, hence the nickname “The Glass City”. The University of Toledo is a school with 17,000 students and they have had a long-time athletic nickname of “Rockets”, which does not have anything to do with the coincidental astronomy interests here. They’ve been members of the MAC basically since inception and they usually field a pretty good football team. The Rockets have won the league title 12 times and they haven’t had a losing season since 2009. Games are at the Glass Bowl, a WPA era stadium built in 1937 and expanded many times since.
Prestige Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Location
Pretty typical of a mid-sized city is Toledo with all of the attractions you would expect, yet nothing that brings a wow factor. There is a Casino, a Zoo and an Art Museum, which is highly regarded if you are into that. Even if you don’t like art, check out the Glass exhibit (it’s free!). The Metropark system is also decent and we took in some nice views of downtown before the game. Tony Packo’s is a famous restaurant that is more than just Hot Dogs and Chili Sauce, so be sure to check them out. The University is in the Ottawa section of Toledo, which is about 4 miles west of downtown and the square parcel of land that campus resides on is surrounded mostly by housing neighborhoods, including Old Orchard and Ottawa Hills. Dorr Street on the south entrance has some smaller restaurants and fast food places. Not much of a bar scene though. The Ottawa River splits campus in half and the stadium is in the middle of the southern section. It’s a nice campus to walk through as Centennial Mall features a number of historic limestone buildings all around.
Location Ranking: 6 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Toledo is at the crossroads of I-90 (E-W) and I-75 (N-S). Given the University’s location from downtown, you’ll spend some time on local roads, but these are straight shots and easy to navigate. There are plenty of general parking areas on the outskirts of campus and it seems that staff will direct you to overflow parking if these all fill up. That didn’t occur when we reached Lot 1 off Centennial Drive. The central location of the stadium made the walk tolerable (closest lots are reserved). If you are forced further out, some lots have shuttles. Traffic wasn’t an issue both to and from.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8
Exterior
The elevation and disjointed nature of the structure make for a mish-mash of looks from the outside. Let’s start at the North End Zone, where the Strength and Conditioning Center is a separate building made from a light-colored stone. The stonework is very different from the corner Blockhouses, which are original to the stadium design. This can also be seen at the other end, which is essentially a wall at a low height. It is a very neat and historic look that makes it feel like you are entering a historic fort. From the sidelines, the home side features a plain and rather dull concrete set-up. On the other side, the back of the steel structure at least includes yellow panels spelling out the team name. As I said, there is no real flow, but there are some good looks in spots.
Exterior Ranking: 6 out of 10
Concourse
Starting under the home stands, the concourse is spacious, despite large concrete beams in the way. Stone walls, blue paint and player pictures give the area some character and concession stands having snaking ropes so that there is enough room to maneuver. However, the bathrooms feature troughs for the guys (haven’t seen those in awhile) and those awful sinks where you need to hold the faucet while trying to wash your hands at the same time. This concourse leads to an outdoor walkway around the endzone, which is narrow because food trucks and picnic tables take up space. On the other side, multiple walkways for the seating structure help flow, but the concourse under the stands has many obtrusive spots. Overall, it’s a clean and effective concourse, though there is a downfall in that it only goes around three sides of the stadium.
Concourse Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Food
The food trucks really add to the experience as El Viejon (Street Tacos) and Mama’s (Filipino) gave fans an unexpected option. There’s also Chick-Fil-A for those that go crazy over that stuff. Even the concourse options are solid as you can get a Turkey Leg, a Cheesesteak or a sampling of Big C’s BBQ, made on-site. Beer carts are found in many spots around the stadium and the mix of offerings is good. The best choice on this day was locally brewed Maumee Bay’s Oktoberfest.
Food Ranking: 6 out of 8
Interior
The Glass Bowl is arguably the best stadium in the MAC…with one glaring flaw. What is with those giant light fixtures?! On the Visitors Side, the stands are split between a lower section and a quasi-upper deck. In the middle is a walkway and this is where they put three light fixtures. So, if you sit in the upper seats, there is a good chance a big, fat pole is in the way for some plays. Outside of that wacky-ness, I really liked this place. The bowl has a natural curvature and it is placed quite close to the field. It’s a horseshoe design with two angled corner sections to complete the turn. Rows go up at a decent angle, allowing for a nice view throughout. A chairback is very rare in college and that’s the case here as seats are predominately metal bleachers. They sit on a concrete base and there’s a small gap between the bleacher and next row up, so small things may roll away or slip through the gap. On top of the home sideline is a large, three-story box that blends in nicely. This houses 45 suites, a 400-seat stadium club, the press box and other sport offices (for a cool look inside, check out: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=4Ud5iuhR6o3). Aesthetics are great at the Glass Bowl as the color scheme in the end zones and sideline walls feature blue and yellow. The student section behind the South end are in those colors too (with a “T” ingrained). At the other end is an athletic complex and what is really cool are the original Blockhouses that have been retained. I believe these were where teams used to change and get ready in the old days. There’s a lot of the old stone around the stadium and it is almost protected like a fort as the surrounding wall has sharp vertical stones at the top. Overall, the Glass Bowl is a great modern blend of history, character.
Interior Ranking: 11 out of 14
Scoreboard
The video screen on top of the football building is the larger of the two scoreboards and the video / game display is of decent size. Clarity is fine too, though a protective screen in front of it makes it a bit fuzzy. Replay frequency is tainted towards the home side (it’s not the ESPN+ broadcast). At the other end, is a smaller screen flanked by ads and then a very old-school game board that has numbers reminiscent of the 1980s.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
The Rocket theme is played up in a good way that isn’t overbearing and it is highlighted by an actual, decommissioned rocket that they got from the U.S. Army in 1961. It’s painted blue and yellow and legend has it that it’s pointed at their rival, Bowling Green State University. The stadium compliments the team by having a decent amount of former player pictures / coaches. While the Glass Bowl lacks any sort of historical timeline or thorough display, they do show the years of MAC Championships on the façade of the Press Box. Also there are four retired numbers.
Displays Ranking: 3 out of 6
Cost
Parking is “free”, well, they incorporate the price into the ticket. If you are able to get a ticket for below face value, then this is a win. That was the case for the game I attended, as I got a seat for just $12, the least expensive that I’ve seen in the MAC. On the contrary, the range if bought from the team is $19 to $34, with those cheaper seats being the ones that face the sun and may have an obstruction. On Homecoming and on the Day of Game, there are incremental jumps. Concessions aren’t bad either with basic food items available at a stand for $5 or less. Beer is *just* $7 (that’s the reality in 2023). Comparative to other stadiums, even the heartier items are fairly priced.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8
Fan Support
Within the context of FBS Football, fan support for Toledo isn’t great. The game we saw was a fair gauge because it was a pleasant Saturday afternoon against a conference opponent. However, the stadium was half-full at best and the East stands were glaringly empty. It also wasn’t a great turnout for the game against San Jose State the week before. Homecoming and the BG game will fill much more of the Glass Bowl. You would think a mid-size city like this would show more support, but the problem is location. Toledo is an hour from the University of Michigan and two hours from Ohio State and Notre Dame. There are soooo many fans in the area of these football programs, that the Rockets fall as their second favorite team. On the positive side, when you look at the MAC, Toledo is likely the best in the conference. They consistently rank #1 in attendance and it just feels like they are supported more and have a fuller stadium compared to the rest of the MAC. There is also a good, organized student turnout as they fill a section behind the endzone (even if it emptied way before the end of the game).
Fan Support Ranking: 5 out of 8
Atmosphere
Toledo puts on a good college football show as the large marching band performs before the game and at the half. They also sit next to the students and perform a catchy little tune after a first down as the students answer with “Go Rockets”. After a touchdown, fireworks are shot off and they use the ones that appropriately look like rockets going up. I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff. There also is a cannon that fires, a tradition that dates back to the 1960s when someone in the administration liked seeing it at a Texas game. The crowd is generally into the event as small roars accompany the big moments. Many will rise for a touchdown, but not so much for 3rd Down on defense. The crowd only gave polite applause when it was announced that their QB reached an impressive yardage milestone. The playing of Rocket Man had only the students singing. There’s a lot of forced stuff from the P.A., including an unnatural yelling of T-O-L….E-D-O. A contest between two people of who could sing the Dave White Chevrolet jingle better had me rolling my eyes. Otherwise, this college football atmosphere satisfied what you want to see and hear on a Saturday Afternoon.
Atmosphere Ranking: 9 out of 14
Other Stuff
When the stadium was being renovated way back in the day, glass elements were used throughout. It fit well given that Toledo was known for glass production and that became the name of the stadium…..In the main tailgating lot, there are large screens that show other games. A nice feature even if you are just walking around…..I normally don’t put my gambling exploits here, but this was a crazy win. We bet Toledo -6.5 for the first quarter and after going down 7-0, the Rockets scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes. This included a 33-yard swing pass for a TD with just 4 seconds on the clock. That sent my brother and I into much larger celebrations than the rest of the crowd…..It was the first time I had an issue with TickPick as I had to spend 40 minutes on the phone with them a few hours before the game because my ticket was never delivered. I know they are a third-party seller, but that’s the last time I’ll use them due to their terrible customer service…..Boy, Toledo loves their 50/50 raffle. I saw this promoted EVERYWHERE. In the parking lots, up and down the aisles during the game, even as a QR code on every bleacher seat…..The Rockets have a strong rivalry with nearby Bowling Green. Their neighbors just 25 miles away play annually for the Battle of I-75 Trophy…..Rocky the Rocket is their mascot and this unique one has been around for a long time.
Game
It was wacky and long (3 hours and 47 minutes is ridiculous and college football needs to fix this like baseball did). The much derided Special Teams coach for Toledo decided to fan the fire even more by starting the game with an onside kick. That failed and Western Michigan marched down the field to go up 7-0. Toledo then looked like they would take control as they had two touchdowns towards the end of the quarter. It became apparent that the 25 MPH wind was going to be a factor as WMU scored 17 straight in the next quarter with the wind at their back. Things looked even more bleak for the home side as their leader, QB Dequan Finn was carted off the field injured early in the 3rd quarter. However, backup Tony Gleason went 6 for 10 and RB Peny Boone dominated with 211 rushing yards as the Rockets took advantage of turnovers. After the Broncos took the lead early in the 4th Quarter thanks in large part to a flea flicker play, Toledo jumped ahead for good with 11 minutes left in the game. The defense bent, but didn’t break as they won 49-31. It was a sloppy game overall as there were 4 interceptions, 7 fumbles and 17 penalties.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
