The story behind all 16 SEC football stadium names

Alabama will be the latest SEC football program to refresh the name of its football arena when Saban Field is dedicated at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

This got us thinking: Do you really know the story behind the names of the other 15 SEC football stadiums?

That’s why we’ve done the research and created this easy-to-understand guide to the names behind the stadiums you see every Saturday.

Stadiums named after former coaches (3)

Jordan-Hare Stadium

Originally known as Auburn Stadium, the facility was renamed Cliff Hare Stadium in honor of a former football player who was president of the old Southern Conference and longtime chairman of Auburn’s Faculty Athletic Committee.

The hyphen came about in 1973 when legislation was passed to add the name of active coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan to the stadium. From then on, it was known as Jordan-Hare Stadium. In 2005, Pat Dye Field was named after the coach who led the Tigers from 1981 to 1992.

Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Cambell-Williams Field)

The home of the Texas Longhorns was originally called War Memorial Stadium, then just Memorial Stadium. In 1996, the school honored legendary coach Darrell K Royal by putting him on the nameplate. Royal led the Longhorns to three national titles while leading the program from 1957 to 1976. The field was renamed in 2020 after previously being named after Joe Jamail. The sons of the late Texas billionaire and donor requested that the playing surface be renamed after Ricky Williams and Earl Campbell.

Neyland Stadium

Built in 1921, Tennessee football’s home stadium was known as Shields-Watkins Field in honor of a prominent donor and his wife, Alice Watkins-Shields. The name changed in 1962 when the school added the name of Gen. Robert Neyland to the stadium. Neyland coached for 21 years beginning in 1926, leading the Vols to a 173-31-12 record and the 1951 national title.

The playing surface was named Shields-Watkins Field in honor of the original name. Then in 2024, Pilot announced an investment to keep the name Neyland Stadium. The school’s website now lists the name Neyland Stadium with “received from Pilot” underneath.

Named after donors (5)

Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (Broyles Field)

The Razorbacks’ home stadium in Fayetteville hasn’t always been the site of the biggest games. Just as Birmingham was for Alabama, Little Rock was the site of most of Arkansas’ big games until a few decades ago. Donald W. Reynolds, a businessman and philanthropist, named Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville in 2001 when the capacity was expanded from just over 50,000 to over 70,000. The stadium was named after legendary coach and athletic director Frank Broyles in 2007.

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Owen Field)

The home of Oklahoma football was upgraded in 2002 after the Gaylord family made a donation toward the renovation. The Gaylord family was the longtime owner and publisher of The Oklahoman newspaper in Oklahoma City until 2011. The field is named after a 1920s coach who helped build the original stadium.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (Florida Field)

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, also known as “The Swamp,” was named after a donor and fan of the University of Florida in 1989. It opened in 1930 as “Florida Field” and the playing surface still bears that name today.

Williams-Brice Stadium

When the home of the South Carolina football team needed to be expanded, a donation from the estate of Mrs. Martha Williams-Brice was instrumental. The stadium’s capacity was increased from 43,000 to over 54,000 and the venue was officially named in her memory on September 9, 1972. Prior to her donation, the site was known as Carolina Stadium.

From the school’s website: “Mrs. Williams-Brice’s husband, Thomas H. Brice, was a Gamecocks football player from 1922 to 1924, and her family operated the Williams Furniture Company in Sumter. She left her nephews, Thomas W. and Philip L. Edwards, a substantial inheritance from the furniture fortune, much of which they gave to the University of South Carolina. This included a bequest for the stadium project.”

Davis Wade Stadium (Scott Field)

The home of Mississippi State’s football team for nearly 80 years was Scott Field. It was named after Olympian Donald Scott until Aflac co-founder Floyd Davis Wade made a donation to the school in 2001. He funded most of the stadium’s $30 million renovation, which added a 7,000-seat upper deck. Today, the stadium is known as Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.

Named after Presidents/Administrators (2)

Sanford Stadium (Dooley Field)

The Georgia Bulldogs play in a stadium named after former president Dr. Steadman Vincent Sanford. He joined the faculty in 1903, founded the Grady School of Journalism in 1921, served as dean from 1927 to 1932, president until 1935, and then chancellor of the University System of Georgia. He also led the effort to build the stadium that bears his name in 1929.

The playing surface was named Dooley Field in 2019 in honor of legendary coach (1964-1988) and athletic director (1979-2004) Vince Dooley.

Kyle Field

The home of the Texas A&M football team is perhaps the least known stadium of the group, named in 1908 after Edwin Jackson Kyle, the dean of agriculture and president of the Texas A&M athletic council.

He used a 400-by-400-foot area on the south edge of campus that had been assigned to him for horticultural experiments to build a football bleacher. Kyle served as U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala from 1945 to 1948.

Named after administrators/trainers (2)

Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium

This could have fallen into an earlier category, as Denny Stadium (1929-75) was named after former President George Denny. He got company on the nameplate in 1975 when the Alabama Legislature voted to add then-active coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.

The name was officially changed before the first home game in 1975, when Alabama defeated Clemson at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Saban Field is scheduled to be dedicated before the Sept. 7, 2024, home game against South Florida.

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium

Like Alabama, the home of Ole Miss football is divided. Johnny Vaught’s name was added in 1982 to honor his record of 190-61-12 and three national titles won. He joined the name of Judge William Hemingway. The former law professor and chairman of the university’s athletic committee lived from 1869 to 1937. The playing surface was named after donor Dr. Jerry Hollingsworth in 1998.

Common names (2)

Tiger Stadium

The name of the LSU Stadium is pretty self-explanatory.

Memorial Stadium

Missouri Stadium was built in 1926. The playing surface was named Faurot Field in 1972 in honor of coach Don Faurot.

Company name rights (2)

FirstBank Stadium

Vanderbilt’s stadium was upgraded in 2022 to reflect a new partnership. Before that, it was just Vanderbilt Stadium at Dudley Field. The field was named after a former dean who helped found what later became the SEC.

Kroger Field

The home of the Kentucky football team was known as Commonwealth Stadium from its inauguration in 1973 until the grocery store purchased the naming rights in 2017.