Ohio State adds Wrigley Field to list of coolest sites
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The ivy-covered brick home run walls of Wrigley Field will wrap Ohio State in sports stadium history Nov. 16 when the Buckeyes travel to Chicago to play Northwestern.
The venue is among the most famous OSU has played in, even if it was not designed for football. Wrigley has housed the Chicago Cubs since it was built in 1914, but also was home of the NFL Chicago Bears from 1921-70 and Chicago Cardinals from 1931-38.
Playing at the “Friendly Confines” of Wrigley will be cool – and expensive. Ticket prices are expected to be ridiculously high. Worth it? Depends on your bank account and priorities. The Buckeyes at Wrigley got me thinking about the most iconic, beautiful and unusual venues Ohio State has visited. It's a long list, but I narrowed it to 10. I gave extra credit for postcard settings, strength of stadium tradition and site oddity. In addition, frequency matters. The Big House and Camp Randall are classics, but Ohio State plays at Michigan and Wisconsin enough to render the stadiums rather ho-hum, compared to places like Notre Dame and the Rose Bowl.
Finally, my picks do not consider the fervor of the game-day environment, which is a separate list.
10. Cleveland Stadium
We're talking about the old place/ dump, not the current home of the Browns. Long before Ohio State signed on to play Northwestern at Wrigley, the Wildcats played the Buckeyes at the home of Cleveland's baseball and football teams. The game, which OSU won 34-3 on Oct. 18, 1991, gave fans from northeast Ohio a chance to watch the scarlet and gray without having to travel a couple hours south.
9. Los Angeles Coliseum
Built in 1923, the memorial complex – dedicated to those who served in the U.S. military during World War I – has housed the Southern California Trojans since its beginning and was home to UCLA (1933-81). It also hosted two Summer Olympics (1932 and 1984) and soon a third (1928). The NFL Rams, Raiders and Chargers (1960) also played there. The old stadium has become a bit tattered, and its location is not the greatest, but the art deco architecture and being only 10 miles from Hollywood gives it star power. The Buckeyes are 46-1 all-time in the building, which will become less “special” now that USC has joined the Big Ten.
8. California Memorial Stadium
Built into the side of a mountain, and with a view of San Francisco, the Bears' home offers one of the more picturesque settings in college football. The Buckeyes are 3-0 in Berkeley.
7. The Polo Grounds
Another stadium better known for baseball. Ohio State traveled to Upper Manhattan in 1938, when it defeated New York University 32-0. The Polo Grounds housed baseball's New York Giants (1891-1957), as well as the Yankees for nearly a decade (1913-22), and the Mets for two seasons (1962-63). The NFL Giants and Jets also played there. The stadium was demolished in 1964.
6. Tiger Stadium
Alabama coach Bear Bryant once huffed, “Baton Rouge happens to be the worst place in the world for a visiting team. It's like being inside a drum.” Stadium atmosphere doesn't count in my rankings, otherwise LSU's home field would be No. 1. Still, Death Valley deserves a spot in the top 10 based on its location in the deep South, where the heat and humidity combine to give night games amazing scenery as jawdropping as snow-capped mountains and pristine lakes. Ohio State has made one visit to Baton Rouge, in 1987, escaping hell with a 13-13 tie in Earle Bruce's last season.
5. Autzen Stadium
Ohio State visits Eugene, Oregon, this season, and the Buckeyes can only hope the game ends up like their only other visit to the Land of Nike. Woody Hayes took his guys to the Pacific Northwest in 1967, a few weeks after Autzen opened, and OSU prevailed 30-0. Autzen is an intimate setting that seats 54,000, and the Oregon hills provide a spectacular backdrop..
4. Folsom Field
Home of the Colorado Buffaloes, the 50,000-seat stadium is like a tight-fitting T-shirt – all over you and tough to escape. Folsom features one of the tightest sideline-to-stands distances in the country, which makes it feel like a WWE event played at an elevation of 5,440 feet. With the Rocky Mountains rising in the distance, college football doesn't get much more beautiful than this. The Buckeyes traveled to Boulder just once in 1985.
3. Husky Stadium
I'm a water guy and a mountain guy, and Washington's gorgeous home field has both, including views of Lake Washington and Mount Rainier. Situated on Union Bay, Husky Stadium also offers a view of downtown Seattle. Ohio State is 2-1 at UDub's home field.
2. Notre Dame Stadium
The stadium itself is not the most spectacular structure in the world, but the history of the place makes it stand out among the crowd. Not only is the campus beautiful, but how do you top Touchdown Jesus officiating the proceedings? The Four Horsemen? Knute Rockne and the Gipper? Ohio State secured one of its most exciting wins there last season, topping the Fighting Irish 17-14 on a Chip Trayanum touchdown with one second remaining. The Buckeyes are 2-1 in South Bend, Indiana.
1. Rose Bowl
Didn't need a spoiler alert for this one. It already was obvious that Granddaddy's home would rule the day. It's not just the setting sun turning the San Gabriel Mountains orange or the stadium grass so green you'd swear it was painted (it's not), but also the magnitude of the moment that makes Pasadena's pride and joy shine. The Buckeyes are 9-7 in Rose Bowl games, but 9-8 in the stadium, having lost to UCLA during the 2001 regular season.