October 3, 2026
Foster Stadium (Capacity: 10,000)
Lexington, VA
VMI Keydets vs Mercer Bears
Final Score: 3 – 54
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Following a Friday Night game in Virginia Tech, we journeyed the next day into the rainy Shenandoah Valley. Situated in Western Virginia between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachians, the scenery is excellent, especially in the fall. One of the small cities nestled in the valley is Lexington. Population is around 7,500 and along with Civil War history, it is more known as being home to a couple of colleges. One of them is the Virginia Military Institute. Founded in 1839, the college is state-sponsored and differs from the other U.S. service academies in that graduates are not required to serve after graduating from here. Many do (and why wouldn’t you after going through those rigors) and there’s a big population of the overall military that comes from VMI. That includes many high-ranking officers. Though smaller than other academies, the ~1,500 students that attend are put through an intense four-year program in preparation for advanced post-school opportunities and all are required to participate in the ROTC. Despite it’s enrollment, VMI does complete in Division I athletics and we came to see football. The program dates back to the 1800s as there is long-standing tradition with football Saturdays here in Lexington. Unfortunately, a number of factors are against fielding a successful team and the Keydets’ all-time winning percentage stands around .400. If you take away the wacky COVID impacted years of 2020/2021 (when they also made their only ever playoff appearance), VMI has not had a winning record since 1981. Many seasons during the 2000s featured just 2 or less overall wins. They compete in the Southern Conference, where they’ve been long-time members except for a hiatus in the Big South from 2003-2013 (which honestly is a better competitive fit for them). Games are played at Foster Stadium, which opened in 1962 and despite the football quality, it is a memorable football experience in a beautiful area.
Prestige Ranking: 4 out of 5
Location
Campus at VMI is known as “Post” and there are plenty of stately, historic buildings all designed in the same beige color. The Baracks are fronted by a large open lawn known as the Parade Ground. Here is where you’ll find the vast majority of alumni and fans tailgating on a football Saturday. Things were tempered given the rain on this day, but there still were plenty of tents up with people tailgating. You can freely walk around the Post and nearby is the VMI Museum, which is worth a stop in. Foster Stadium is right across the street and unique glimpses of the stadium seating are seen between the buildings, which is elevated on a hill. From VMI, it is a 10-15 walk to reach the quaint downtown of Lexington. With a historic charm, it’s a decent place that features plenty of Mom & Pop shops. For a look into the history aspect, there’s the (Stonewall) Jackson House Museum or you can take a tour via horse-drawn carriage. The area’s outdoor beauty is best seen at Natural Bridge State Park, about 20 minutes south of Lexington.
Location Ranking: 8 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
I-81 runs down the spine of the Appalachians in Western Virginia and Lexington is not far from the interstate, just five minutes down US-60. Driving 81 is a royal pain through Virginia as it often is filled with Tractor-Trailers and Left Lane Lovers. It leads to plenty of frustrations and slow-downs. If coming from the east or the more populated 95 corridor, there’s an easy connection with I-64. Both downtown Lexington and VMI are on Main Street with parking “On-Post” occurring mainly at the Parade Ground. This big grassy area is where people will tailgate as well and it’s first come / first served. There’s a few other small campus parking areas (N. and S. Institute Hill). Be aware that it’s $40 to park at VMI and there are plenty of other free options in the city. Most optimal are the decks at the Visitor Center or the District Courthouse. That worked for us in saving some money and exploring downtown. The walk is 15 minutes and it’s better to use Main Street where the Visitors stands are to avoid very hilly Randolph Street.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 6 out of 8
Exterior
Elevation plays a big role in the stadium and it leads to an interesting exterior. Most of the look comes from the smaller visitor stands and this area is essentially protected by a large, plain beige wall. It at least says “Foster Stadium” on it. If you arrive from the Parade Ground where most parking/tailgating is, you actually arrive over this wall by crossing a connecting pedestrian bridge. It’s a unique entrance and there’s a little ticket-taker spot at the bridge. The corner entrance at street level is classy as two similarly colored buildings are connected by a gated opening. Over on the other side, the main home stands are faceless from the outside since it is built into a hill.
Exterior Ranking: 5 out of 10
Concourse
The outside track area makes up much of the “concourse” and you’ll find food tents and trucks at the west end of the stadium. With no infrastructure under the visitor’s stands, they and others need to make their way to the other side to find a bathroom. What I found really strange was at ground-level, the opening for the perceived concourse underneath the main, larger side seating was just a narrow tunnel. In fact, it’s the players area as I saw them wandering about pre-game getting drinks or being taped up. Eventually this area was blocked off. To reach the actual concourse, you have to climb steps from inside the seating bowl, which feels backwards. Finally, this small covered area includes restrooms, plus an additional concession stand.
Concourse Ranking: 1 out of 5
Food
Unexpectedly good! Before the game, we opted for a nice breakfast in town as opposed to the free hotel buffet, mainly because I figured we’d have a generic lunch. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the options which included Chick-fil-A, Moe’s Smoked BBQ and Divine Asian Cuisine. That last one was a Chicken Teriyaki and Rice Bowl that was good and filling. The beef brisket next door looked decent too. Do note that some basics were missing however as there were no Burgers, no Fries and no Chicken Tenders. Also, this is one of the few stadiums left not serving alcohol. They did have a local coffee truck serving a wide variety of those type drinks, welcomed by many on this cool, rainy day.
Food Ranking: 5 out of 8
Interior
If we can’t get a panoramic of the nearby mountains, this view is a decent consolation prize. Sitting in the main stands, the towering presence of VMI dominates the background beyond the football field as there is an impressive lineup of monochromatic, castle-like campus buildings. The seating on that side is kept very low, with just a handful of bleachers in a slight stepped up design. It’s also set on a beige concrete base, giving it a better feel. Where the vast majority of Foster Stadium’s seating lies is on the other sideline where a steep incline, helps provide great sightlines. There’s nothing fancy here (just like campus) as it’s a straight seating deck, extending from each 15-yard line. Bleachers are a red color. At the top is signage on the façade and a glass press box that includes some club seating. Because of how the steep stands are set-up, this was a rare place that I didn’t notice the outside track too much as it didn’t deter sightlines.
Interior Ranking: 9.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
The standalone scoreboard in the north end zone fits the stadium well with its concrete base and outline. The screen is good enough, though every time I looked over to see a replay, they cut away from the ESPN+ broadcast and put a logo on the screen. Digital game details are found on the top and sides, while a school logo above the video board.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
A few individual honors are on display, while team achievements or history is absent. At the main gate, there is a plaque for P. Wesley Foster Jr, whom the stadium is named for. Two other names are for former coaches Blandy Clarkson and John McKenna. Their concourse plaques outline undefeated seasons that they each led.
Displays Ranking: 1.5 out of 6
Cost
How is it this expensive to see VMI Football? Tickets are $40 at the gate and $32 – $37 if bought in advance. That’s the highest in the SoCon and the most expensive Get-In Ticket price that I’ve seen in all my other FCS visits so far. Even worse is the $42 parking charge. All of this for perennially one of the worst teams in football. It doesn’t make sense and is way out of touch, likely turning off many families from coming. At least the high parking cost can be avoided by parking free downtown and making the walk. Concession costs featured a $5 Hot Dog and $4 bottled soda.
Cost Ranking: 4 out of 8
Fan Support
Having VMI’s Corps of Cadets all attend the game helps boost attendance by at least 1,000 (and makes for a fantastic atmosphere, see below). Their mandatory presence is located in the lower half of the middle sections. For the game I attended, it’s hard to expect much given that it was a rainy Saturday and the team came in with a long losing streak. There were maybe 700 other fans in attendance on this day. Better weather days do bring relatively more respectable crowds as the stands become half full. The announced attendance number the last few years likely isn’t far off from the real crowd as that average is in the 4,000 – 5,000 range. That does put VMI in the lower third of the SoCon.
Fan Support Ranking: 3.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
There is a lot tradition here and I was impressed to see it line up well with in-game fan atmosphere. It’s all related to the Cadets and it is a very cool to watch them all march down the hill from Post into the Stadium. There’s also a Dress Parade during the late morning before each game (cancelled on this day because of the weather). As the event gets going, the Cadets are fully involved and as expected, they are organized in their cheers and chants. Even little plays are met with roars and claps as this is certainly one of the better student sections in FCS. After a score, the entire Corps spills out onto the track and Rats (freshman) do pushups. Be prepared for Little John as well, a historic cannon that is fired after scores and introductions. It is loud! Final note is that the VMI Fight Song is a catchy one.
Atmosphere Ranking: 10 out of 14
Other Stuff
There’s a class system at VMI and “Rats” are the new cadets. The first year is grueling as months of the Rat Line puts them through rigors of military preparation. It culminates in a day-long “Breakout”, where at the end, they become 4th Class. The Corps of Cadets then complete schooling through the years and 1st Class are the seniors…..The origin and meaning behind the sports nickname of “Keydets” is unknown…..VMI’s biggest rival is the other Public Senior Military College in the SoCon: The Citadel. They annually play in “The Military Classic of the South” with the winner getting the Silver Shako trophy. Interestingly, the nickname of this game was originally for nearby Virginia Tech-VMI as the school in Blacksburg also has a military ROTC presence. The evolution of VT and their athletic program led to the ending of that annual matchup. The teams did play again this year for the first time since 1984, as the Hokies won 73-3.
Game
VMI entered on a 19-game Division I losing streak. Prospects for ending that on this day were not good as they welcomed #23 Mercer to town. The only hope was for rain to play an equalizer and that was the case early as both teams traded field goals and the Keydets had an early interception. The faint hope was short lived as Mercer’s superior quality took over and the game was a total mismatch. The Bears outgained VMI by an astounding 658 to 102 yardage margin and the final score was 54-3.
