Joshua Guiher is a college football writer whose goal it is to visit all 120 FBS Stadiums in college football. He is submitting a once weekly column with Crystal Ball Run, sharing his stadium experiences. To read about all his stadium experiences, please visit CollegiateStadiums.com.
Either way, Josh is back with his column this week. And after traveling down to Annapolis two weekends ago, it’s time to go back to the Beltway and Byrd Stadium, where Randy Edsall’s Maryland Terrapins will host the No. 8 Clemson Tigers Saturday.
Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium – Maryland
I’m sure you are wondering why I decided to write about visiting Maryland for a football game at Byrd Stadium this week since it doesn’t fit the usual mold of large stadiums with sellout crowds. Well, I thought it would be good to cover a stadium that you can see a Top 10 program play (Clemson) and still be able to get tickets at face value from the ticket office.
Quick Facts:
* Byrd Stadium opened September 30, 1950 with a 35-21 Maryland win over Navy
* Capacity is 54,000
* The largest crowd ever was 58,973 on November 1, 1975 against #9 Penn State
Seating:
Seating at Byrd Stadium is bench style with plenty of room between seats and a good amount of leg room. The problem is that some of the seats are bad for seeing the action well. Now they aren’t limited view or anything like that, but if you want to know exactly how much a play gained on the opposite end of the field you likely want to avoid the end zone sections. Therefore, when I go, I try to stay within sections 3-9, 21-27, 204-210 or 304-310.
Concessions:
Byrd Stadium offers a decent assortment of foods in their concession stands. They have three different types of main stands that just repeat around the stadium. They are Terrapin Pizza, Gridiron Grill and Maryland Classics. The Maryland Classics stands are the most expensive, with crab cakes going for $10.75, and pit beef, pit turkey and BBQ pulled pork sandwiches each selling for $8, but it is also probably the best food that they sell.
The Gridiron Grill offers hamburgers, cheeseburgers, grilled chicken and Italian sausage sandwiches for $5.75 each and they have boardwalk fries for $5. Sadly, they don’t have old bay seasoning to go on the fries like the average Maryland person eats them. The pizza is $5.75 for a personal pan size and for some reason they also offer beef hot dogs at the pizza stand for $4.50.
Drinks are Pepsi products and cost $3.75 for a medium and $4.75 for a large. A 20oz bottle of Aquafina water is $3.75 or you can get a hot chocolate for $4.
Traditions (what to watch for):
The players run onto the field out of a goofy looking blow-up tunnel but they do pass by a cool terrapin statue that they all touch for good luck on the way out to the field.
The band is ok and worth watching if you like to listen to college bands.
Tailgating:
There are spots close to the stadium but to tailgate there you have to be a big-time booster for the program and while the conversation is good in this area, the better tailgating is out in the cash lots, particularly between the Comcast Center and the lacrosse fields. Also, it is against Maryland policy to purchase a parking pass from someone else and passes are only for season ticket holders; therefore the average fan has to use the cash lots.
In the cash lots, the students go all out, playing just about every drinking game known to man, especially for the night games.
Also note that Maryland prefers to segregate opposing teams’ fans in their own lot to limit interaction, and potential issues, with Maryland fans. If you want more information on the odd parking rules, check out this pdf on the official athletics site. If you want the official parking map, use this link.
Fans:
The fans can be hit and miss. Some really enjoy the coaching staff and some don’t do anything but complain the entire game. It kind of creates an odd situation especially if the team is winning.
I will say that all of the fans have always been nice to me, but they aren’t afraid to complain about the team and most love to talk basketball if you would like.
The students are usually really into the game and are much louder than the older fans.
Tickets:
Finding a ticket among the tailgates for face value or less when the games are rarely sold out would seem easy, but I always have a hard time finding one. It can be done, just be sure to avoid the professional scalpers who are always trying to rip you off. Also keep in mind that you can always fall back to the actual ticket office if you can’t find a deal on a ticket in an area you would like to sit if the game isn’t sold out.
Getting There:
Byrd Stadium is located in College Park, Maryland, which is actually so close to Washington DC that it is inside the Capital Beltway. Just take the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) to Exit 25 and get on Route 1 (Baltimore Avenue). Then make a right onto University Boulevard and this will take you right to the parking and you will be able to follow the mass amount of people to the stadium from there.
If you’d like the official version of these directions, click here.
If you are flying in, you have so many options from BWI, Reagan, Dulles and even the College Park airports. Pick whichever one works for you although BWI is probably the best. You can avoid renting a car if coming from BWI by using the Metro system to get from the airport to College Park for less than $7.50 a person.
If you would like to plan a Metro trip, try this link.
Where to Stay:
Being located so close to Washington DC, you have plenty of options for finding a hotel. There are a few hotels including a decent Days Inn located within walking distance to the campus right on Route 1 or you can find something in a different area if you would like.
Downtown:
If you want to eat at a popular place, then follow the advice of ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and “go to Bentley’s” or a decent meal. Beyond that, I’m not a big fan of College Park or the surrounding area. I usually try to find a Chicken Out Rotisserie because it is some of the best food you will ever eat.
What to do:
Since you are so close to the Washington DC area, check out all of the normal tourist areas such as the White House, the monuments and the national zoo. If you want to head up to Baltimore, then go to the inner harbor and go to the aquarium.
To be honest, you could spend a full week in the area checking out everything there is to do and still miss things. Pick one or two that fit what you enjoy.
Overall:
I enjoy Byrd Stadium and only wish they would sell out more. I think a $30 ticket in the Washington DC area is a steal for a team that is traditionally above average. It’s a great weekend destination especially if you are a visiting fan that wants to take a road trip.
For stories on all Josh’s adventures, be sure to hit www.collegiatestadiums.com, and follow him on Twitter @Collegiatestdms.
