Doak S. Campbell Stadium (in full Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium), popularly known as "Doak", is a football stadium on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. It is the home field of the Florida State Seminoles football team of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Opened in 1950, it was originally named Doak Campbell Stadium in honor of Doak S. Campbell, the university's first president. On November 20, 2004, the Florida Legislature added longtime head football coach Bobby Bowden to the stadium name to become Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium. A petition in June 2020 sought to remove Campbell's name, as he resisted racial integration while president of Florida State University. FSU President John E. Thrasher asked Athletics Director David Coburn "to immediately review this issue and make recommendations to me." As of June 2022, no recommendations have been made.
The stadium is part of the University Center complex, a mixed-use facility encompassing university office space, university classrooms, the university's Visitor's Center, souvenir store, The University Center Club, now known as the Dunlap Champions Club, and skyboxes and press boxes for use during football games.
With a capacity of 79,560, the 49th-largest stadium in the world, the second-largest stadium in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the 18th largest stadium in the NCAA.
History
The stadium, named after FSU President Doak Campbell, hosted its first game against the Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets on October 7, 1950, with the Seminoles winning the game 40–7. At that time the facility had a seating capacity of 15,000. Florida State began to play at Centennial Field during the team's 1947 season and would continue to play there for the following two years (1948 and 1949). Florida State College – FSU's predecessor institution – also fielded teams from 1902 to 1904 (precise location of where games were played is not documented).
Doak Campbell Stadium, with its original capacity of 15,000 in 1950, was built at a cost of $250,000. In 1954, the stadium grew to a capacity of 19,000. Six thousand more seats were added in 1961. During the Bill Peterson era (1960–70), the stadium was expanded to 40,500 seats, and it remained at that capacity for the next 14 years.
Since that time, the stadium has expanded to 82,300, largely in part to the success of the football team under head coach Bobby Bowden coupled with the ever-growing student body. It now is the 2nd largest football stadium in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Aesthetically, a brick facade surrounding the stadium matches the architectural design of most of the buildings on the university's campus. In addition to the obvious recreational uses, The University Center surrounds the stadium and houses many of the university's offices. The field was officially named Bobby Bowden field on November 20, 2004, as Florida State hosted intrastate rival Florida. The FSU War Chant began during the Auburn game in 1983 and has since spread to be used by fans of the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Chiefs.
Expansion and improvements
Following the latest expansion in 2003, the stadium has a seating capacity of 82,300. Prior to the start of the 2007 season, a new state-of-the-art sound and public address system was installed. Before the 2008 season, two new HD Scoreboards were installed; the main one in the north endzone measures over , the south endzone has a scoreboard. Six new LED ribbon boards were installed in each of the four corners of the stadium as well as underneath the north scoreboard, over the player entrance and above the entrance used by the Marching Chiefs. The new boards allow for more game stats and more information on other games in addition to improved replay viewing. An indoor practice facility, adjacent to the stadium, was constructed in 2013.
In 2023, financial recommendations saw approval by the Seminole Boosters, Inc. Board of Directors. With further approval from the FSU Board of Trustees, improvements will come by widening seats on the east and west sidelines to 18 inches. In addition to widening aisles, handrails will be added as well and legroom upped to 34 inches in select areas. The total capacity of Doak will decrease to 65–70,000 once the grand reopening begins in 2025. During the 2024 season, the total capacity will be around 50,000 people due to temporary seating.