Updated September 4, 2026. Capacity and renovation details reflect the Big Red Rebuild plan approved by the Board of Regents on April 24, 2026.
Memorial Stadium has been Nebraska’s home since 1923 and has sold out every game there since November 3, 1962, an NCAA record streak for any sport that stood at 410 games entering the 2026 season. On game days it is the third largest city in the state. The 2026 season is the last one in the current configuration: the $600 million Big Red Rebuild starts the day after the Iowa game and will not be finished until 2028.
Quick Facts
| Address | 600 Stadium Drive, Lincoln, NE 68588, on the UNL campus near downtown |
| Opened | October 13, 1923, a 24 to 0 win over Oklahoma; original capacity 31,080 |
| Capacity | 85,458 (2017 to present); peaked at 87,147 in 2013 and 2014 |
| Records | Football 91,585 (Miami, Sept. 20, 2014); all events 92,003 (Volleyball Day in Nebraska, Aug. 30, 2023, a world record for a women’s sporting event) |
| Surface | FieldTurf since 1999; AstroTurf 1970 to 1998; grass before that |
| Dedication | Honors Nebraskans who served in the Civil War, the Spanish American War and World War I |
| Expansions | 1964, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1999, 2006, 2013; the original 1923 superstructure is still intact inside the additions |
Capacity Through the Years
| Years | Capacity | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 1923 to 1963 | 31,080 | Original east and west grandstands |
| 1964 to 1967 | 44,829 to 64,170 | Three straight years of end zone additions under Devaney |
| 1972 to 1993 | 73,650 | South end zone expansion |
| 1999 to 2005 | 73,918 to 74,056 | West side skyboxes; FieldTurf installed |
| 2006 to 2012 | 81,067 | North Stadium and Osborne Athletic Complex |
| 2013 to 2014 | 87,147 | East Stadium expansion, the peak |
| 2017 to 2026 | 85,458 | Seat widening and premium conversions |
| 2027 | About 65,000 | Temporary, during Big Red Rebuild construction |
| 2028 onward | About 80,000 | New south and west structures, 20,000 chairbacks |
The Big Red Rebuild
The Board of Regents approved the $600 million project 8 to 0 on April 24, 2026, funded by $250 million in philanthropy and $350 million in private bonds. Construction begins immediately after the 2026 season. The south end zone seats will be demolished and replaced with a four tier structure topped by a large video board, the west sideline bowl will be rebuilt as a three tier structure, and a 360 degree concourse will connect the east and west sides at the lowest level for the first time. The plan also replaces cast iron sewer lines that date to the 1923 construction. Capacity drops to about 65,000 for 2027 and settles at about 80,000 for 2028, including 20,000 new chairback seats. The department projects stadium revenue rising about 40 percent to roughly $95 million a year, with concerts and other year round events.
Seating Layout
West Stadium holds the press box on level six, two suite levels, and the West Stadium Indoor Club above the 200 level. East Stadium is the largest and newest section, six levels with additional suites on levels three and five, built in the 2013 expansion. North Stadium houses the Skyline Suites and Skyline Club at the top, above the Osborne Athletic Complex and the home locker room, which moved to the Osborne Legacy Complex in 2023. South Stadium is the section being rebuilt after 2026.
Traditions
The Tunnel Walk. Since 1994 the team enters to the Alan Parsons Project instrumental “Sirius” after a “Husker” and “Power” call and response from opposite halves of the crowd. The entrance has moved twice with the locker room: southwest corner originally, northwest after 2006, northeast since 2023.
The balloons. Fans release red helium balloons after Nebraska’s first score. The practice dates at least to the 1960s and has been photographed as early as 1932. Helium shortages and environmental concerns paused it in 2012 and 2022.
Applauding the visitors. The crowd applauds the opposing team as it leaves the field, win or lose. The Cornhusker Marching Band, the Pride of All Nebraska, plays the visiting team’s fight song during the pregame show while the announcer welcomes “our friends from” the other school.
The Blackshirts. Nebraska’s defensive starters have worn black practice jerseys since 1964, when Bob Devaney needed a quick way to tell units apart in the first season of free substitution. The skull and crossbones logo followed.
Third largest city. With more than 85,000 in the stands, Memorial Stadium on a game day outdraws every Nebraska city except Omaha and Lincoln itself.
The Sellout Streak
The streak began November 3, 1962 with a 16 to 7 loss to Missouri in front of 36,501, the first year of Devaney’s tenure. The 100th came against Penn State in 1979, the 200th against No. 2 Colorado in 1994, the 300th against Louisiana Lafayette in 2009 and the 400th on September 20, 2024 against Illinois, a 31 to 24 overtime loss. Entering 2026 the count stood at 410, more than twice the second longest streak in the country. The school counts a game as a sellout when every ticket is sold, and donors and sponsors have bought blocks in lean years, most visibly the 2,400 discounted tickets for the 2021 Fordham game that were distributed to local youth.
Game Day Logistics
Getting there. The stadium sits on the north edge of downtown Lincoln at 10th and T Streets, about a mile from the Haymarket district and a short walk from the state capitol. Interstate 80 runs north of the city.
Parking. Campus lots are permit only on game days. The most common plan is to park in the Haymarket garages or downtown ramps and walk 10 to 15 minutes. Fans tailgate in the lots around campus and along the Haymarket.
Weather. September games can be in the 80s; November games at 11 a.m. can be well below freezing with wind. The stadium is open air with no roof over any seating.
Concessions. Runzas are the signature stadium food, alongside brats, brisket and the usual stand fare.
Before Memorial Stadium
The listed capacity ranks 13th among college stadiums and 25th worldwide. Before Memorial Stadium the program played at Nebraska Field on the same site from 1909 to 1922, going 28 and 0 and 2 there under Jumbo Stiehm, and at Antelope Field before that. The final game at Nebraska Field was a 14 to 6 win over Notre Dame on November 30, 1922. Nebraska Field was torn down in early 1923 and Memorial Stadium rose in its place in a single summer.
Related Reading
See the 2026 Nebraska schedule for home dates, Nebraska football history for the best seasons, and the bowl history for every postseason game. Other stadium guides: Michigan Stadium, Ohio Stadium, Beaver Stadium.