| Miami
Dolphins - Pro Players Stadium |
| Address: |
2269 Dan Marino Blvd.
Miami, FL 33056 |
|
| Name: |
Florida Pro Player Stadium |
| Home Team:
|
Miami Dolphins |
| Capacity:
|
75,192 |
| Playing
Surface: |
Grass |
| Year Opened:
|
1987 |
|
After more than a decade of
existence, Dolphins Stadium is still one of the best NFL stadiums
in the league. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s
after playing at the Orange Bowl for many years, Dolphins owner
Joe Robbie began lobbying for a new stadium for his team. After
voters continually rejected tax increases for a stadium to be
built, Joe Robbie decided to have the stadium built himself.
After finding a site to build the stadium, construction began
in December 1985. The facility was paid for by the selling of
luxury suites, club seats, private funds, and long term agreements
with season ticket holders. Dolphins Stadium was completed in
just over two years. Soon after its completion, the stadium
was renamed Joe Robbie Stadium. The
Miami Dolphins played their first game at Joe Robbie Stadium
on August 16, 1987. Joe Robbie Stadium was a major upgrade
from the Orange Bowl. The state of the art facility has 75,000
orange and teal seats that enclose the field. With its many
circular ramps and escalators accessibility to any seats is
easy. Two video boards are located above the rim of the upper
deck of each end zone. In 1990, in an effort to bring MLB
baseball to Florida, Wayne Huizenga purchased 50% of Joe Robbie
Stadium, the site that baseball could be played. In 1991,
MLB awarded the area a team, the Florida Marlins, to begin
playing in 1993. Joe Robbie Stadium now would become a multipurpose
facility.
When the stadium was built for the Dolphins,
Joe Robbie insisted on a rectangular grandstand layout that
was wider than needed for football, believing that baseball
would possibly come to Miami. The seats in the lower level
on the north side of the stadium had to become retractable
so the field could be configured for baseball. The first Florida
Marlins game played at the stadium was on April 5, 1993. In
1996, Joe Robbie Stadium was renamed Pro Player Stadium, after
the company bought the naming rights to the stadium. In January
2005, owner of the Dolphins, Wayne Huizenga announced that
Pro Player Stadium would be renamed Dolphins Stadium. Furthermore
it was announced that the stadium would be renovated and enlarged.
To be completed in three phases over several years the project
is expected to cost $300 million. The project includes remodeling
of the Club Level and luxury suites, new scoreboards, additional
parking, and eventually a dome or retractable roof. Dolphins
Stadium has been the host to three Super Bowls and the 1997
and 2003 World Series.
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