Gies Memorial Stadium — renamed in September 2025 after 102 years as Memorial Stadium — is the 60,670-seat home of Illinois Fighting Illini football on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. It’s also a World War I memorial, with nearly 200 exterior columns inscribed with the names of University of Illinois students and alumni who died in the war.
Whether you’re looking up the exact seating capacity, tracing how that number has shifted across a century of renovations, or just planning a gameday trip to Champaign, here’s a complete rundown: capacity and attendance records, the WWI memorial history behind the name, the seating layout, and everything you need for gates, parking, and tailgating.
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Quick Answer
Gies Memorial Stadium (formerly Memorial Stadium) seats 60,670 for Illinois Fighting Illini football — the configuration Illinois Athletics has used since 2011. It sits at 1402 South First Street in Champaign, Illinois. The stadium’s all-time attendance record is 78,297, set at a 1984 game against Missouri, back when a since-removed upper deck pushed capacity above 70,000.
Gies Memorial Stadium Capacity: Current Number and History
Gies Memorial Stadium’s official seating capacity is 60,670, the figure Illinois Athletics has used since the stadium’s north end zone was reconfigured in 2011. That number is the sum of every fixed seat, suite, and premium space currently built into the stadium — a permanent bowl of lower-level seating on the east and west sides, a smaller upper deck, and the enclosed north end zone structure added during the 2008 ‘Illinois Renaissance’ renovation.
Capacity hasn’t stayed flat across the stadium’s 100-plus years. It opened in 1923 at roughly 55,500 seats, grew past 70,000 through most of the mid-to-late 20th century as upper decks went up on both sidelines, then came down in stages as those upper sections were removed: to around 57,000 during the 2007 construction phase, back up to roughly 62,870 once the rebuilt north end zone opened in 2008, and down to today’s 60,670 in 2011. The single-game attendance record, 78,297, dates to a September 1984 win over Missouri, when the stadium’s now-demolished upper-deck seating pushed capacity to its historic peak.
For context inside the Big Ten, Gies Memorial Stadium’s 60,670 seats put it toward the smaller end of the conference’s football venues — well below stadiums like Michigan Stadium and Ohio Stadium that top 100,000 — but in line with other mid-sized Big Ten venues.
A World War I Memorial, Not Just a Football Stadium
Memorial Stadium opened on November 3, 1923, built and funded specifically as a tribute to University of Illinois students and alumni who died in World War I. Nearly 200 limestone columns ring the stadium’s exterior, each inscribed with the name of a fallen student — the stadium’s identity as a memorial predates its role as a football venue by design, not coincidence.
In September 2025, the university renamed the venue Gies Memorial Stadium after a $100 million gift from alumnus Larry Gies, honoring his father, Larry Gies Sr., a U.S. Army veteran. The university kept ‘Memorial’ in the name, but the change has drawn pushback from alumni and veterans’ groups who argue it dilutes a dedication originally meant to honor more than 5,000 WWI dead, rather than a single family. Both names — Gies Memorial Stadium and Memorial Stadium — are in common use, so you’ll see the venue referred to either way.
Seating Layout and Stadium Features
The 60,670 seats are split across four stands: large east and west sections with lower bowls and balcony seating above, a smaller south end zone, and the enclosed north end zone added in 2008 that brought in roughly 5,000 seats along with locker rooms, meeting space, and training facilities underneath. The west side holds the three-level press box and most of the stadium’s suites and premium club seating.
FieldTurf has covered the playing surface since 2008, following stints with AstroPlay (2001-2007) and the original AstroTurf before that. A Daktronics video board and ribbon-style displays along both sidelines, added in 2013, handle the stadium’s scoreboard and replay duties today.
Planning Your Visit: Gates, Tickets, and Bag Policy
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Gates open 90 minutes before kickoff for general admission and two hours before kickoff for premium seating ticket holders. Each ticketed guest may carry one clear bag — a one-gallon clear Ziploc-style bag, a clear drawstring bag up to 12″ x 12″, or a clear tote up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″ — plus a small 4.5″ x 7.0″ clutch purse; all bags are subject to search at the gate. Re-entry isn’t permitted once a ticket has been scanned, and all stadium transactions are cashless.
Exact kickoff times, single-game ticket prices, and any security-policy updates change season to season, so check the official Gies Memorial Stadium facilities page or the team’s current gameday guide before you go.
Parking and Tailgating
Gameday parking uses a color-coded lot map: some lots sell passes in advance, others only on gameday, and single-game parking typically opens several hours before kickoff. Accessible parking is available in the ADA spaces around State Farm Center. All parking transactions are cashless, card only.
Tailgating is allowed in the lots for fans 21 and over, with personal tents capped at 10′ x 10′ and grills required to stay well clear of foot traffic, tents, and buildings. Current lot opening times and parking rates are posted each season on the official athletics facilities page linked above.
Getting to Gies Memorial Stadium
The stadium sits at 1402 South First Street in Champaign, on the south end of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. C-U MTD runs a gameday shuttle route to the stadium from around campus on home-game days, and rideshare pickup and drop-off is at the State Farm Center circle drives, reachable from First Street.
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Gies Memorial Stadium capacity FAQs
What is the capacity of Gies Memorial Stadium?
Gies Memorial Stadium seats 60,670 for Illinois Fighting Illini football, the capacity Illinois Athletics has used since the stadium’s north end zone was finalized in 2011.
Has Gies Memorial Stadium’s capacity always been 60,670?
No. It opened in 1923 with about 55,500 seats, grew past 70,000 through decades of upper-deck additions, and was reduced in stages — including a 2008 north end zone rebuild — down to today’s 60,670.
What’s the attendance record at Gies Memorial Stadium?
78,297, set during a September 1984 game against Missouri, when the stadium’s now-removed upper deck pushed capacity above 70,000.
Why was Memorial Stadium renamed Gies Memorial Stadium?
The University of Illinois renamed it in September 2025 after a $100 million gift from alumnus Larry Gies, honoring his father, Larry Gies Sr., a U.S. Army veteran. The stadium remains a WWI memorial too, with nearly 200 columns inscribed with the names of Illinois students and alumni who died in that war.
Where is Gies Memorial Stadium located?
At 1402 South First Street in Champaign, Illinois, on the south end of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.
What’s the bag policy at Gies Memorial Stadium?
One clear bag per ticketed guest — a one-gallon Ziploc-style bag, a clear drawstring bag up to 12″ x 12″, or a clear tote up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″ — plus a small 4.5″ x 7.0″ clutch purse. All bags are searched at the gate.
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