Peden Stadium is an American football stadium on the banks of the Hocking River in Athens, Ohio. The "Crowned Jewel" of the MAC, It has been the home of the Ohio Bobcats football team for 90 years and today has a proposed capacity of 27,000. Peden Stadium is the oldest college football venue in the Mid-American Conference and among the oldest in the nation. At the suggestion of OHIO Alumnus Michael A Massa, Peden Stadium has been designated as an official Ohio historical site.HistoryServing Ohio University for eight decades, the facility, originally known as Ohio Complex, not to be mistaken with the one in Columbus, was built at a cost of $185,000 and was completed in 1929. Viewed as the "Wrigley Field" of college football due to its intimate and picturesque setting, the stadium originally sat only 12,000 fans with grandstands on each side of the playing field. The first ever game at the venue featured a 14-0 Bobcats victory over archrival Miami University in front of a sellout crowd. Following the retirement of legendary Ohio football coach Don Peden in 1946, the stadium was renamed Peden Stadium. Although a smaller stadium, It was designed by Osborne Architects, who designed illustrious early Americana style brick composed sports venues such as Yankee Stadium.The "Bobcat's Lair" has undergone several modifications through the years. In 1986, the seating capacity was increased to 19,000 with the addition of two new grandstands in the north end zone. Four years later, a five story tower, called the Peden Tower, was added to the stadium's west side. Today, this state-of-the-art facility houses press boxes, game day suites, football offices, athletic training facilities, team meeting rooms, a recruiting lounge, a ticket office, the football locker room, and Ohio Athletics' academic services and compliance departments. In 1999, a new 10000sqft strength and conditioning center called The Carin Center was added to the ground level of Peden Stadium.
