Dolphin Stadium

Dolphin Stadium (previously known as Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Park, Pro Player Stadium, and Dolphins Stadium) is a football, lacrosse, soccer, and baseball stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium serves as host to the Miami Dolphins, the Florida Marlins (who will move out in 2010) , and the Miami Hurricanes.

Since its construction, there have been four Super Bowls (XXIII, XXIX, XXXIII, XLI) and two World Series ('97 and '03) played in the stadium. The stadium will serve as host again for Super Bowl XLIV in 2010.

Dolphins Stadium

Conception and construction

Dolphin Stadium was the first of its kind to be constructed entirely with private funds. Joe Robbie led the financing campaign to build Joe Robbie Stadium (JRS) for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. JRS revolutionized the economics of professional sports when it opened in 1987. Inclusion of a Club Level, along with Executive Suites, helped to finance the construction of the stadium. Season ticket holders committed to long term agreements and in return they received first-class amenities in a state-of-the-art facility.

The stadium was designed at Joe Robbie's request to have a wider than normal playing field in order to accommodate soccer and to serve as the home of a potential Major League Baseball franchise in South Florida. Because of this design decision, the first row of seats is 90 feet (27 m) from the sideline in a football configuration, considerably more distant than the first row of seats in most football stadia (the closest seats at the new Soldier Field, for instance, are 55 feet (17 m) from the sideline at the 50–yard line). While the decision to employ a wider playing field resulted in a Major League Baseball (MLB) expansion franchise for Miami (see below), it resulted in a less intimate venue for football when compared to other contemporary football facilities.

The Marlins move in

In 1990, H. Wayne Huizenga, then Chairman of the Board and CEO of Blockbuster Video and Huizenga Holdings Inc., agreed to purchase 50 percent of Joe Robbie Stadium and became the point man in the drive to bring Major League Baseball to South Florida. That effort was rewarded in July 1991, when South Florida was awarded an MLB expansion franchise. The new team was named the Florida Marlins and placed in the National League. On 24 January 1994, Huizenga acquired the remaining fifty percent of the stadium to give him 100% ownership. Since 1991, several million dollars have been spent to upgrade and renovate the stadium.

Notable sporting events and concerts held

The stadium has been home to the Miami Dolphins since 1987 and to the Florida Marlins since 1993. However, stadium management has indicated that the Marlins must find a new venue by the end of their current lease. It has been the site of the Orange Bowl game since 1996, except for the January 1999 contest between Florida and Syracuse, which had to be moved due to a conflict with a Dolphins playoff game. The stadium has played host to: four Super Bowls (1989, 1995, 1999, and 2007 with another scheduled in 2010), two World Series (1997 and 2003), and numerous concerts, featuring entertainers such as U2, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Billy Joel, Chicago, Genesis, Gloria Estefan, The Police , Guns N' Roses, The Who, Hall & Oates, Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney, The Three Tenors and Madonna on Nov 26, 2008.

The stadium was the venue where Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 600th career home run off Mark Hendrickson of the Florida Marlins on June 9, 2008.

Other events held

Other events held at Dolphin Stadium have included international soccer games, Monster Truck shows, Hoop-It-Up Basketball, RV and Boat Shows, the UniverSoul Circus, and Australian rules football exhibition matches and numerous trade shows. The Stadium also plays host bi-annually to the yearly Shula Bowl, a game played between Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University, when the game is hosted by FAU (FIU hosts the game at their own stadium, FIU Stadium, every other year). In 2006, Dolphin Stadium hosted the High School State Football Championships, sanctioned by the FHSAA Florida High School Athletic Association.

Renovations for the Florida Marlins

Behind the scenes, the facility underwent $100 million in renovations to accommodate Major League Baseball and the Florida Marlins before the 1993 season. Purists feared the result would be similar to Exhibition Stadium in Toronto; when the Toronto Blue Jays played there from 1976 to 1989, they were burdened with seats that were so far from the field (as far as 820 feet in some locations) that they weren't even sold during the regular season. However, as mentioned above, Robbie had foreseen Miami would be a likely location for an expansion major league baseball team, and the stadium was designed to make any necessary renovations for baseball as seamless as possible.

The conversion included the installation of retractable seating on the north side of the stadium (with the stands that were removed installed as seating at the Dolphins training camp facility), the construction of the baseball press box in the southwest corner of the facility, the building of the baseball dugouts, the addition of 660 new lights for suitable night play and the installation of a hydraulic disappearing pitcher's mound. The stadium also features a synthetic warning track designed to absorb water. At the time, the only other facility to feature this type of track was Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles. The renovation also included the construction of the Florida Marlins clubhouse and other amenities to accommodate baseball at the stadium.

The stadium's capacity for baseball was reduced to just over 47,600 seats. Even without the Marlins' desire for a more intimate atmosphere, most of the upper–deck outfield seats would have been too far from the field. The stadium's baseball capacity has been reduced even further in recent years, and it now seats just over 36,500. However, for the two times (1997 and 2003) the stadium has hosted the World Series, the 400 section in the outfield was uncovered, giving the Marlins an average attendance of over 66,000 for those seven home games.

Because of the need to fit a football field in the stadium, the field of play is larger than in most other new baseball stadiums. The distance to deep left center, , is the second deepest in the majors (only Minute Maid Park is deeper at 436), however, research suggests that this distance may actually be about 420 ft. True straightaway center (between the Bermuda Triangle and the right center field corner) is said to be anywhere from 394 feet to 410 feet and is not listed on the fence. The 33–foot (10 m) tall left field fence, nicknamed the "Teal Monster" further limits the ability of players to hit home runs. Foul territory is also fairly large in comparison with most new stadiums.

Since winning the World Series in 1997, Marlins' management has regularly argued that the stadium is insufficient to host an MLB team on a regular basis, largely due to the fact that current team management does not own any part of Dolphin Stadium (owned by Huizenga), and therefore are not able to take in any money from parking, concessions or the like. The Marlins also ran into problems during the 2003 World Series when the turf conversion between the Marlins and Dolphins games provided an unsteady playing surface for football. Also, most believe a retractable dome is needed to prevent rain–outs. The stadium did not prevent the team from winning a second world championship in 2003, however.

On the field, the stadium is equipped with a Prescription Athletic Turf (PAT) system which provides draining for its natural grass. At a cost of $1 million, the system ensures a firm, dry playing surface within half an hour's time after as much as a three inches (76 mm) per hour rain fall.

Like the Metrodome, Dolphin Stadium is not a true multipurpose stadium, but is a football stadium that can convert into a baseball stadium. Most of the seats are pointed toward center field – where the 50–yard line would be in the football configuration. As such, the sight lines are not as good for baseball. During the Marlins' two World Series appearances, most fans sitting in the upper–deck seats in left field were unable to see much of left and center field (areas that are not part of the football playing field) except on the replay boards.

Due to all the problems such as that, the Florida Marlins are booked for a new home in 2011, moving to the Miami Orange Bowl site at their new home (New Marlins Stadium).

MLB Playoffs for the Florida Marlins

Two National League Division Series have been played at Dolphin Stadium.

• 1997 against the San Francisco Giants⁺-Marlins win 3 games to 0
• 2003 against the San Francisco Giants⁺-Marlins win 3 games to 1

⁺The Marlins have never lost a Division Series, and they are 3–1 in NLDS games played at Dolphin Stadium.

Two National League Championship Series have been played at Dolphin Stadium.

• 1997 against the Atlanta Braves⁺-Marlins win 4 games to 2
• 2003 against the Chicago Cubs⁺-Marlins win 4 games to 3

⁺The Marlins have never lost a Championship Series, and they are 3–3 in NLCS games played at Dolphin Stadium.

Two World Series have been played at Dolphin Stadium.

• 1997 against the Cleveland Indians⁺-Marlins win 4 games to 3
• 2003 against the New York Yankees⁺-Marlins win 4 games to 2

⁺The Marlins have never lost a World Series, and they are 4–3 in World Series games played at Dolphin Stadium.

Note

• The Marlins are 10–7 in home playoff games at Dolphin Stadium.
• The Marlins are a perfect 6–0 in the Postseason Series, and they are the only MLB team that can claim undefeated in postseason.

Stadium naming

On August 26, 1996, Pro Player, the sports apparel division of Fruit of the Loom, purchased the renaming of Joe Robbie Stadium as Pro Player Park, and shortly after Pro Player Stadium. Pro Player, which specialized in licensed sports apparel, became the first sports marketing and products company to entitle a stadium or arena with their ten year, $20 million deal. This sparked a controversy in South Florida, as Joe Robbie had spent millions out of his own pocket after the city and the state refused to fund a new stadium for the Dolphins and many Miamians believed his name should remain on the stadium. Many people, including Florida-based sportscaster Hank Goldberg refer to it as "The Stadium Formerly Known as Joe Robbie" out of protest of the name. Pro Player filed for bankruptcy in 1999, but the name remained until January 2005, when their contract expired. The stadium was renamed Dolphins Stadium at that time.

As part of the agreement for the University of Miami to move into the stadium, H. Wayne Huizenga will rename the stadium by 2010, likely through a new corporate sponsorship deal.

2006 renovations

On January 10 2005, Huizenga announced a $300 million 3 phase renovation of Dolphins Stadium to add a club level and luxury suites, new scoreboards, additional parking, and eventually a dome or retractable roof. Daktronics has installed one of the largest HDTV-ready video system in the United States in both end zones that were completed by the Marlins' home opener on April 11, 2006 as well as the world's longest full–color ribbon boards which were completed in July that year.

On April 5, 2006, it was reported in both The Miami Herald and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that on April 8, 2006, the "s" would be dropped from the stadium name and revert back to the original "Dolphin Stadium" name along with a new logo. This renaming is part of a national branding campaign that concluded with Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007.

As part of the renovations, the Marlins will be forced to vacate the stadium when their lease expires after the 2010 season, so that Phase II of the renovations may commence. Huizenga has claimed that he may temporarily use portable grass and allow the Marlins to stay on a year-by-year basis after 2010 if they don't have a new stadium deal in place.

Stadium Statistics

• Seating
• Baseball – 36,500 (typical)
• Football – 76,500 (typical)
• Maximum – 78,000
• Football Press – 30 (seats Booth A) plus 11 radio/TV booths
• Baseball Press – 75 plus 9 radio/TV booths
• Gates – 8
• Ramps – 8 (25 feet (7.5 m) wide, 2 each corner)
• Escalators – 8 (2 each corner)
• Elevators – 13 (7 club level, 2 service/emergency, 2 press, 1 office, 1 freight)
• Parking
• 25,000 cars, 171 buses, 90 RV's, 84 limousines, 262 disabled spaces, 1 helipad
• Overall Size – x 736 feet (198 m x 224 m)
• Field Surface – Prescription Athletic Turf (Natural Grass)
• Turf Area –
• Concessions – 40 stands, 220 service lines (1 TV monitor per stand)
• Restrooms – 40 men, 40 women
• Locker Rooms – 4 (60 lockers per room)
• Scoreboards – Recently changed in the 2006 season with installation of new HD scoreboards
• Right field/East end zone – high x long (17 x 43 m), Color Board high x long (15 x 43 m)
• 3rd Base/West end zone – high x long (16.5 x 32 m), Color Board high x long (15 x 30 m)
• Baseball Scoreboard – high x long (10 x 62 m), clock is wide x high (14.3 x 14.25 m)
• Fascia Display – long x high (642 x 1.2 m)

Gallery

Relative location

• 16 miles (26 km) northwest of downtown Miami, Florida
• 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• 21 miles (34 km) northwest of the main campus of the University of Miami
• 14 miles (23 km) northwest from the Orange Bowl Stadium
• 3/4 miles (1.2 km) south of Calder Race Course
• 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Miami-Dade County, Florida/Broward County, Florida line

Notes and references

External links

• Official site
• 

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