Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois — officially renamed Gies Memorial Stadium in September 2025 — is the home field of Illinois Fighting Illini football on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. It’s both a working Big Ten stadium and a WWI memorial, with nearly 200 exterior columns inscribed with the names of University of Illinois students and alumni who died in the war.
If you’re trying to find the stadium, plan a visit, or just understand why a Big Ten football venue in Champaign is called a ‘memorial’ stadium, here’s everything in one place: location, capacity, history, and what to expect on gameday.
Quick Answer
Memorial Stadium (now Gies Memorial Stadium) sits at 1402 South First Street in Champaign, Illinois, on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. It seats 60,670, opened in 1923 as a WWI memorial, and hosts Illinois Fighting Illini football home games each fall.
Where Is Memorial Stadium in Champaign?
The stadium’s street address is 1402 South First Street, Champaign, IL 61820, on the southeast side of the University of Illinois campus. It sits directly next to the State Farm Center (the Illini basketball arena) and the Smith Football Performance Center, making that stretch of campus the athletics hub for Urbana-Champaign.
The stadium is easy to spot from a distance thanks to its columned exterior — a design detail that sets it apart from typical enclosed-bowl football stadiums and is the first clue to its memorial origins.
A Stadium Built to Remember
Unlike most college football venues, Memorial Stadium was conceived first as a memorial and second as a sports facility. Ground broke on September 11, 1922, and the stadium opened November 3, 1923, with a 7-0 Homecoming win over Chicago; it was formally dedicated on October 18, 1924, during a homecoming game against Michigan.
Designed by Holabird & Roche (with English Brothers as general contractor), its U-shaped original layout borrowed from Harvard Stadium. The colonnade of nearly 200 pillars was funded in part by donors who purchased individual columns to honor University of Illinois students and alumni killed in World War I, and their names remain engraved on the structure today.
The playing field itself is named Zuppke Field, honoring longtime head coach Robert Zuppke, and a 12-foot bronze statue of Illinois legend Red Grange has stood outside the stadium since 2009. A bell from the battleship USS Illinois (BB-65) also rings out each time the Illini score at home.
Capacity, Renovations, and the Gies Renaming
Seating capacity has shifted considerably over the stadium’s history — from about 55,524 in the 1920s up to a peak of 71,227 between 1964 and 1982 — and has held at today’s 60,670 since a 2011 renovation.
The playing surface evolved from natural grass (1923–1974) through AstroTurf and AstroPlay before settling on FieldTurf in 2008, the same year the university completed the $100 million “Illinois Renaissance” project that modernized seating, concourses, and premium areas. Additional upgrades followed in 2013 with new video boards and sound systems.
In September 2025, university trustees renamed the venue Gies Memorial Stadium after a $100 million gift from alumnus Larry Gies, given in memory of his father, Larry Gies Sr., a U.S. Army veteran. It’s the largest athletics donation in school history, and the new name was chosen specifically to preserve, not replace, the stadium’s memorial identity.
Planning a Visit
Gies Memorial Stadium hosts Illinois Fighting Illini home football games each fall, along with occasional other campus and community events. General parking is available in surrounding campus lots, with additional reserved and premium lots tied to specific ticket packages — expect lots to open several hours before kickoff on gamedays and to fill up close to campus, so plan for a walk or shuttle from outer lots if you arrive late.
Ticket prices vary by opponent and seating tier, from general admission up through premium club and suite seating. For current gameday hours, parking maps, bag policy, and ticket purchases, check the official Gies Memorial Stadium page on fightingillini.com, which is also the authoritative source for any schedule or policy changes.
Gies Memorial Stadium FAQs
Where exactly is Memorial Stadium in Champaign?
It’s at 1402 South First Street, Champaign, IL 61820, on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, next to the State Farm Center and Smith Football Performance Center.
Who plays at Memorial Stadium / Gies Memorial Stadium?
The Illinois Fighting Illini football team of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a member of the Big Ten Conference.
Why is it called a ‘memorial’ stadium?
It was built and dedicated in the 1920s as a memorial to University of Illinois students and alumni who died in World War I, with their names inscribed on nearly 200 exterior columns.
When was the stadium renamed Gies Memorial Stadium?
University of Illinois trustees approved the renaming in September 2025 following a $100 million donation from alumnus Larry Gies, made in memory of his father, an Army veteran.
What is the seating capacity of Gies Memorial Stadium?
60,670, a capacity that has held steady since a 2011 renovation, though the stadium has seated as many as 71,227 in past decades.
Get More from Gies Memorial Stadium
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Gies Memorial Stadium, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Want the day’s theme park news in your inbox? Subscribe to ThrillZing Daily — free.