Year opened: 1975
Capacity: 80,311
Names:
Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium, 1975
Pontiac Silverdome, 1975 to date
Pro football tenants:
Detroit Lions (NFL), 1975-2001
Michigan Panthers (USFL), 1983-84
Postseason games hosted:
Super Bowl XVI, 49ers 26 Bengals 21, Jan. 24, 1982
USFL Semifinal playoff, Panthers 37 Invaders 21, July 10, 1983
NFC Divisional playoff, Lions 38 Cowboys 6, Jan. 5, 1992
NFC Wild Card playoff, Packers 28 Lions 24, Jan. 8, 1994
Other tenants of note:
Detroit Pistons (NBA), 1978-88
Detroit Express (NASL), 1978-80
Notes: Hosted Cherry Bowl, 1984-85. Hosted annual Motor City Bowl, 1997-2001. Used as venue for FIFA World Cup, 1994. Original teflon-coated roof was supported by air pressure inside the stadium. Was replaced by a canvas fabric following 1985 storm damage. Original AstroTurf surface replaced by FieldTurf in 2005. Temporary grass surface utilized for FIFA World Cup. Originally owned by City of Pontiac, venue was closed in 2006 and auctioned off to private ownership in 2009 (at a substantial loss), reopening in 2010. However, it has since fallen into serious decay.
Fate: Still standing,but no longer in use.
[Updated 5/17/14]
Use the following link for information about the history and conception of the Pontiac Silverdome, intitially named the Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium.
ReplyDeletehttp://Silverdome-architect.blogspot.com
Thanks for the link with the additional information. Very interesting, and a nice addendum to the post!
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