Michie Stadium

Michie Stadium
	Aerial view during an Army v Air Force, November 2008
	Michie Stadium Location within the State of New York Michie Stadium Location within the United States
Full name	Blaik Field at Michie Stadium
Location	700 Mills Road; West Point, New York, U.S.
Coordinates	41°23′15″N 73°57′51″W / 41.38750°N 73.96417°W
Owner	U.S. Military Academy
Operator	U.S. Military Academy
Capacity	30,000 (2024 & 2025); 36,000 (2026 & beyond)
Surface	FieldTurf (2008–present); AstroPlay (2001–2007); AstroTurf (1977–2000); Grass (1924–1976)
Construction
Broke ground	1924
Opened	1924, 100 years ago
Renovated	2026: east grandstand (Michie Stadium Preservation Project)
Expanded	1962: east grandstand; 1969: west upper deck; 2003: press box
Construction cost	$300,000
Tenants
	Army Black Knights (NCAA) (1924–present)
Website
	michiestadium.com

Michie Stadium /ˈmaɪki/ is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. The home field for the Army Black Knights, it opened 100 years ago in 1924 and has a seating capacity of 30,000 for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.^[1]

The stadium sits at the upper portion of campus, directly west of Lusk Reservoir. The field is at an elevation of 335 feet (102 m) above sea level and runs in the traditional north–south configuration, with the press box above the west sideline. Due to the view offered by its location overlooking the Hudson River and the Neo-Gothic architecture of the campus below, it was rated as Sports Illustrated's #3 sports venue of the 20th century.^[2]

Construction on the Michie Stadium Preservation Project began Monday, April 15, 2024. The project is replacing the East Stands and all amenities, including walkways, bathrooms, and concessions. The stadium's capacity is capped at 30,000 during construction. The new East Stands are scheduled to be ready just before the 2026 football season, and will increase the stadiums capacity to 36,000.^[1]

Overview

Dennis Michie

Michie Stadium is dedicated to the memory of Dennis Michie (1870–1898), who was instrumental in starting the football program while a cadet at the Academy. A member of the Class of 1892, Michie organized, managed, and coached the first football team at West Point in 1890. Six years after graduation, he was killed in Cuba during the Spanish–American War. There have been several renovations since the stadium's first game in October 1924, when Army defeated Saint Louis, 17–0.

Blaik Field

In 1999, the football field at Michie Stadium was named "Blaik Field" on September 25, in honor of Earl "Red" Blaik, West Point's all-time leader in wins during a 17-year tenure from 1941 to 1958. Blaik led Army to three consecutive national titles from 1944 to 1946.

Playing surface

Since 2008, the playing surface has been FieldTurf. This replaced AstroPlay, which had been used since 2001. The stadium's playing field was natural grass until AstroTurf was installed in 1977.

Army–Navy Game

Michie Stadium first hosted the Army–Navy Game in 1943 during World War II, after it was played at Thompson Stadium at Annapolis the year before. Neither Army nor Navy had played at an on-campus facility since very early in the rivalry, since teams' home stadiums are not nearly large enough to accommodate the crowds and media that usually attend the rivalry games. Their rivalry game is normally played at a neutral site between the campuses on the East Coast, usually in Philadelphia in early December. In 2020, the Army–Navy Game was moved from Philadelphia to Michie Stadium due to state-imposed attendance limits on outdoor events as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[3]

Attendance Records

**Highest attendance at Michie Stadium^[4]**
Rank	Attendance	Date	Game result
1	42,765	Oct. 2, 1971	Army 22, Missouri 6
2	42,503	Oct. 20, 1973	Army 3, Notre Dame 62
3	42,399	Oct. 14, 1972	Army 0, Penn State 45
4	42,382	Sept. 23, 1972	Army 7, Nebraska 77
5	42,249	Nov. 4, 1972	Army 17, Air Force 14
6	42,139	Nov. 9, 1974	Army 17, Air Force 16
7	42,123	Oct. 27, 1973	Army 10, Holy Cross 17
8	42,085	Nov. 1, 1969	Army 6, Air Force 13
9	41,952	Oct. 23, 1971	Army 14, Virginia 9
10	41,903	Oct. 28, 1972	Army 7, Miami (FL) 28

Gallery

Press box, 2004
Football team entrance on game day, 2005
View looking south into the Hudson Valley, 2008
View looking north into the Hudson Valley, 2008
Michie Stadium from across the reservoir, 2011
Ceremonies before a men's lacrosse game, 2013
The USMA graduation ceremony, 2021
Plaque honoring Dennis Michie

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Construction Set for April 15 on the Michie Stadium Preservation Project; Changes to the Fan Experience Expected in 2024 and 2025". goarmywestpoint.com. April 8, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
^ "Our Favorite Venues – Certain ground rules prevail when it comes to picking the best places in the world to watch sports: no domes, no condemned buildings, no Hooters". Sports Illustrated. June 7, 1999. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
^ "Army-Navy game in December moves from Philadelphia to West Point". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. Associated Press. October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
^ "2021 Army Football Media Guide". Retrieved December 2, 2021.

External links

Official website
World Stadiums.com - photos - Michie Stadium

[preserv-1] "Construction Set for April 15 on the Michie Stadium Preservation Project; Changes to the Fan Experience Expected in 2024 and 2025". goarmywestpoint.com. April 8, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2024.

[2] "Our Favorite Venues – Certain ground rules prevail when it comes to picking the best places in the world to watch sports: no domes, no condemned buildings, no Hooters". Sports Illustrated. June 7, 1999. Retrieved February 14, 2024.

[3] "Army-Navy game in December moves from Philadelphia to West Point". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. Associated Press. October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.

[4] "2021 Army Football Media Guide". Retrieved December 2, 2021.

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v t e Army Black Knights football
Venues	The Plain (1890–1923) Michie Stadium (1924–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Air Force (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Navy: Army–Navy Game (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) Notre Dame
Culture & lore	Army Mules Black Death Award "On, Brave Old Army Team" "The Army Goes Rolling Along" 1946 "Game of the Century" West Point Salute Touchdown, Army Code Breakers
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Army Black Knights baseball
Venues	The Plain (1890–1923) Michie Stadium (1924–1939) Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field (1939–present)
Rivalries	Air Force Navy
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders MLB draftees
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
National championship seasons in bold; College World Series appearances in italics