Foxboro Stadium — the open-air concrete bowl in Foxborough, Massachusetts known at various points as Schaefer Stadium and Sullivan Stadium — served as the home of the New England Patriots for 31 NFL seasons. It opened on August 15, 1971, built for just $7.1 million with no public funding, and stood until demolition crews arrived in late January 2002 following one of the most dramatic nights in NFL postseason history.
Today the site hosts Gillette Stadium and the Patriot Place complex, but Foxboro Stadium’s legacy endures through three name changes that mirrored a franchise’s turbulent history, six FIFA World Cup matches, five FIFA Women’s World Cup matches, and a snow-covered final night that helped launch the Patriots dynasty.
Quick Answer: Foxboro Stadium Capacity
Foxboro Stadium had a final listed capacity of 60,292 seats. When it opened in 1971 as Schaefer Stadium, the original capacity was 61,114. Over three decades, minor reconfigurations trimmed that figure to 60,292 — placing it among the smaller venues in the NFL during its final years of operation.
Capacity Through the Years
When Schaefer Stadium opened in August 1971, it could seat 61,114 fans — a respectable number for the era but modest by the standards of newer NFL facilities being built at the time. Most of those seats were aluminum bench-style bleachers without seatbacks, giving the stadium its no-frills character and meaning that capacity figures were based on bench-length estimates rather than fixed individual seats.
Over three decades of use, minor renovations and seating reconfigurations reduced the official capacity in stages. By the time the venue was renamed Foxboro Stadium in 1988, the figure stood at 60,794 — the listed capacity through 1994. A further reconfiguration reduced it to 60,292 for the final years of operation from 1995 to 2002. By the late 1990s that number placed the venue near the bottom of the NFL’s capacity rankings, with the league average hovering closer to 70,000. The capacity gap — combined with aging infrastructure and a lack of modern amenities — accelerated plans for a replacement facility.
Gillette Stadium opened on the same Foxborough site in September 2002, bringing significantly more seats, a partial roof over portions of the bowl, club seats, and luxury suites — everything Foxboro Stadium conspicuously lacked.
Three Names, One Stadium: Schaefer, Sullivan, and Foxboro
The stadium’s three official names across its lifespan each reflected a different chapter in the Patriots franchise’s history. It opened in 1971 as Schaefer Stadium, named for the Schaefer Brewing Company in one of the NFL’s earliest corporate naming-rights deals. The arrangement gave the venue a blue-collar, beer-and-football identity that suited its exposed-concrete, bleacher-heavy construction.
When Schaefer’s deal expired after the 1982 season, Anheuser-Busch stepped in to purchase the naming rights — but rather than brand the venue with one of its own beer labels, agreed to name it in honor of the Sullivan family, the Patriots’ majority owners at the time. Sullivan Stadium took effect on May 23, 1983.
The Sullivan name lasted until real-estate developer Robert Kraft purchased the stadium. Kraft stripped the Sullivan branding and renamed the venue Foxboro Stadium in 1988, tying it to its host town rather than any ownership or corporate identity. The physical structure changed very little across all three names: the same unenclosed bowl, the same aluminum bleachers, the same brutal New England winter exposure that made late-season home games a genuine competitive advantage for the Patriots.
Construction and Field History
Groundbreaking took place on September 23, 1970, and the stadium was completed in under a year, entirely without public money. Architects David M. Berg Associates Inc. and Finch/Heery designed a single-tier grandstand running along each sideline and extending past the end zones, with open bleacher sections at each end. The $7.1 million final cost came in just $200,000 over budget — remarkable discipline for a major sports venue of that era.
The playing surface changed three times during the stadium’s life: Poly-Turf artificial turf was used from 1971 to 1976, replaced by AstroTurf from 1977 to 1990, before the field converted to natural grass for the 1991 season — a surface it kept through its final game in January 2002.
On the World Stage: FIFA World Cup 1994 and 1999
Despite its modest dimensions, Foxboro Stadium earned an international profile when it hosted six matches at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The most celebrated was Argentina’s 4–0 demolition of Greece, in which Diego Maradona scored what would prove to be his final World Cup goal and Gabriel Batistuta bagged a hat-trick before 54,456 fans. The stadium also hosted Argentina vs. Nigeria — the last official FIFA World Cup match Maradona ever played — and the Italy vs. Spain quarterfinal.
Five years later the venue reprised its role for the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, hosting five matches including a dominant semifinal in which China crushed reigning champions Norway 5–0 before 28,986 spectators. The tournament became one of the best-attended women’s sporting events in history, adding a significant layer to Foxboro Stadium’s legacy well beyond American football.
The stadium also served as the founding home of MLS club the New England Revolution from 1996 through 2001 and hosted the MLS Cup in both 1996 and 1999. Earlier, the New England Tea Men of the NASL had also called it home, making Foxboro Stadium one of the more versatile multi-sport venues of its era.
The Tuck Rule Game: A Final Night for the Ages
Foxboro Stadium’s last game became one of the most debated in NFL history. On January 19, 2002, with the field blanketed in snow, the New England Patriots hosted the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Divisional playoff. With New England trailing late in the fourth quarter, referee Walt Coleman overturned what had appeared to be a Tom Brady fumble, ruling instead that Brady’s arm was still in a forward-throwing motion — an incomplete pass, not a turnover, under the NFL’s then-applicable tuck rule.
The Patriots kicked a tying field goal, won in overtime 16–13, and went on to claim their first Super Bowl title that February. The Tuck Rule Game remains fiercely contested: Oakland fans argue a fumble was missed; Patriots fans point to a correct application of the rulebook. What no one disputes is the consequence — the win launched the New England dynasty that would produce six Super Bowl championships over the following two decades. Demolition of Foxboro Stadium began within days of that final whistle.
Demolition and What Replaced It
Crews began demolishing Foxboro Stadium in late January 2002, with work completed by mid-2002. Gillette Stadium rose on the same Foxborough site and opened on September 9, 2002, bringing modern amenities, club seats, luxury suites, and significantly more capacity — everything the old concrete bowl had conspicuously lacked.
In 31 seasons under three different names, Foxboro Stadium hosted more than 250 NFL regular-season and playoff games, two FIFA World Cup tournaments, multiple MLS seasons and championship matches, and numerous concerts and other events. Its aluminum bleachers and open-air design made it objectively uncomfortable by modern standards, but generations of Patriots fans remember it as a venue where atmosphere — and cold — made a genuine difference on the field.
Foxboro Stadium FAQs
How many people does Foxboro Stadium hold?
Foxboro Stadium’s final listed capacity was 60,292 seats. When it originally opened in 1971 as Schaefer Stadium, the capacity was 61,114. Minor reconfigurations over three decades brought it to 60,292 by the time it closed in 2002.
What is the capacity of Foxboro Stadium?
The official seating capacity of Foxboro Stadium in its final years of operation (1995–2002) was 60,292. The stadium listed a capacity of 60,794 from 1988 to 1994, and opened in 1971 with a capacity of 61,114. Most seating consisted of aluminum bench-style bleachers rather than individual fixed seats.
What is Schaefer Stadium?
Schaefer Stadium was the original name for what eventually became Foxboro Stadium. It opened on August 15, 1971, in Foxborough, Massachusetts, named after the Schaefer Brewing Company in one of the NFL’s earliest naming-rights deals. It was renamed Sullivan Stadium in 1983, then Foxboro Stadium in 1988, before being demolished in 2002.
What were the three names of Foxboro Stadium?
The stadium was known as Schaefer Stadium (1971–1982), named after the Schaefer Brewing Company; Sullivan Stadium (1983–1988), named after the Patriots’ owning Sullivan family; and Foxboro Stadium (1988–2002), after Robert Kraft purchased the venue and rebranded it after the host town.
When was Foxboro Stadium demolished?
Demolition began in late January 2002, days after the Tuck Rule Game on January 19, 2002, and was completed by mid-2002. Gillette Stadium opened on the same Foxborough site on September 9, 2002.
What was the last game played at Foxboro Stadium?
The last game was the AFC Divisional playoff on January 19, 2002, between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders, played on a snow-covered field. The Patriots won 16–13 in overtime in what became known as the Tuck Rule Game — one of the most debated officiating decisions in NFL history.
Did Foxboro Stadium host FIFA World Cup matches?
Yes. Foxboro Stadium hosted six matches at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, including Argentina vs. Greece (Diego Maradona’s final World Cup goal, Gabriel Batistuta hat-trick) and the Italy vs. Spain quarterfinal. It also hosted five matches at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, including the China vs. Norway semifinal won 5–0 by China.
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