Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium holds 80,126, which is smaller than it was a decade ago and smaller than the record crowd of 88,308 that saw Oklahoma beat TCU in November 2017. It is the largest venue in the state and the ninth largest in the SEC, and the playing surface, Owen Field, has carried the same name for a century.
| Official capacity | 80,126, since 2019 |
| Record attendance | 88,308 vs TCU, November 11, 2017 |
| 2025 average | 83,532, thirteenth in the country |
| Opened | October 20, 1923 |
| Original cost | $293,000 |
| Named for | Oklahomans killed in the First World War; the Gaylord family added in 2002 |
| Field | Owen Field, for Bennie Owen, coach from 1905 to 1926 |
The Record Crowd
The largest crowd in the stadium’s history, and the largest to see a football game in Oklahoma, was 88,308 for TCU on November 11, 2017. Lincoln Riley’s first team won 38 to 20 on the way to the Big 12 title and the playoff, with Baker Mayfield a month from the Heisman. The figure was possible because the stadium’s capacity was listed above 86,000 at the time, before the 2019 renovation removed seats.
How the Capacity Changed
| Year | Capacity | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 1923 | About 16,000 | West stands opened |
| 1929 | About 32,000 | East stands completed |
| 1949 | 55,000 | North end enclosed in Wilkinson’s early years |
| 1957 | 61,000 | Added during the 47 game streak |
| 1975 | 71,000 | West upper deck |
| 2003 | 82,112 | East upper deck and suites, Gaylord name added |
| 2016 | 86,112 | South end zone enclosed, $160 million |
| 2019 | 80,126 | Bench seating replaced with wider chairbacks |
Early capacities are approximate. The stadium has been expanded eight times and renovated four.
Why It Got Smaller
The 2019 renovation replaced bench seating across much of the bowl with wider chairback seats, which cost about 6,000 in capacity and is why a stadium that drew 88,308 in 2017 now lists 80,126. It was the same trade Ohio Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium made in the same period: fewer, better, more expensive seats. The 2016 project that enclosed the south end zone for the first time, at $160 million, was the larger structural change.
The Dormitory Years
Between 1937 and 1942, during the Depression and the Dust Bowl, the university converted rooms on the stadium’s second floor into housing for male students who could not afford to attend otherwise. The university paid the utilities. It is one of two major stadiums, with LSU’s Tiger Stadium, that housed students inside the structure, though Oklahoma’s was a hardship measure rather than a funding device. Our Tiger Stadium page covers the other.
Owen Field
The field is named for Bennie Owen, who coached Oklahoma from 1905 to 1926, won 122 games with one arm after a hunting accident in 1907, and was an early advocate of the forward pass. The first game at the site drew 16,235 in 1926 for an upset of unbeaten Missouri. The name predates the Gaylord family’s, added in 2002 after donations exceeding $50 million.
Home Field
Oklahoma averaged 83,532 in 2025, above capacity, and has sold out every home game for decades. The stadium was the site of a 39 game home winning streak from 2005 to 2011, one of the longest in the sport’s history. Our Oklahoma all time record page covers what has happened on the field.
The Bottom Line
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium holds 80,126 after a 2019 renovation traded benches for chairbacks, down from a peak above 86,000. The record crowd of 88,308 saw Oklahoma beat TCU in 2017. It opened in 1923 as a war memorial, housed students during the Depression, and has carried Bennie Owen’s name on the field for a century.