Camp Randall Stadium

About Camp Randall Stadium

On the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, the oldest stadium in the Big Ten occupies ground that trained soldiers before it ever hosted a game. Camp Randall seats 76,057, and between the third and fourth quarters some 76,000 of them jump in unison hard enough to register on a seismograph. The Badgers have played here since 1917, on a field that was a Civil War training camp first.

The stadium opened on November 3, 1917, with a 10-7 homecoming victory over Minnesota, designed by architect Arthur Peabody at a cost of just $15,000. It has been expanded repeatedly, from 10,000 seats through additions in 1921, 1951, 1958, 1966, and a major $109.5 million renovation from 2001 to 2005. The $77.6 million CR Future south end zone renovation in 2021-2022 replaced bleacher seating with premium sections, reducing capacity from 80,321 to the current 76,057. A $5.5 million heated-field project completed in 2024 installed 30 miles of underground tubing beneath the FieldTurf surface.

Jump Around defines the experience. Between the 3rd and 4th quarters, House of Pain’s “Jump Around” plays over the PA and the entire stadium jumps, students, alumni, opposing fans, everyone. The seismic readings are real. The tradition began informally in 1993 and was first played over the stadium PA on October 10, 1998, and it has become one of the most famous traditions in college football.

The Civil War origins give the stadium a weight that most college venues lack. Over 70,000 of Wisconsin’s 91,327 troops trained on this ground beginning in May 1861, and the site briefly held Confederate prisoners of war in April 1862. The land was transferred to the university in 1893, and football followed two years later.

Getting to Camp Randall Stadium

Public Transit

Madison doesn’t have rail transit, but bus service and game-day shuttles cover the stadium well.

The Bucky Shuttle eliminates the parking headache entirely. It runs starting 2.5 hours before kickoff and for 1 hour after the game.

Driving + Parking

The stadium address is 1440 Monroe Street, Madison, WI 53711. I-94 is the primary approach from Milwaukee and Chicago.

Remote Lots 60 and 76 cost $5 (with $10 Bucky Shuttle). Closer Lots 46 and 67 cost $20. Tailgating is permitted in designated surface lots, charcoal grills are allowed but propane is prohibited. The free Badger Bash tailgate at Union South starts 2.5 hours before kickoff.

Rideshare

Uber and Lyft use the designated zone on N. Charter Street between Regent Street and Dayton Street. From downtown Madison hotels, expect $8–$12. From the airport, about $15–$20. Post-game congestion is heavy, consider walking to State Street for a faster pickup.

From the Airport

Construction & Design

The ground came with a history before the stadium did. In 1861 the state turned the land into Camp Randall, a Union Army training camp where more than 70,000 Wisconsin soldiers mustered, and which briefly held Confederate prisoners in 1862. The university took the site in 1893, football arrived, and in 1917 the architect Arthur Peabody drew up a concrete stadium for about $15,000. Ten thousand seats. Nobody imagined 80,000.

It grew in bursts across the century, in 1921, 1951, 1958, and 1966, each addition bolting more onto the bowl. The big modern rebuild came in 2001 to 2005, a $109.5 million project by Berners-Schober that gutted and rebuilt the stands, added luxury boxes, and lifted capacity to 80,321. Then, in 2021 and 2022, HOK led the $77.6 million CR Future project on the south end, which swapped old bleachers for premium seating and actually trimmed capacity to its current figure.

The field is FieldTurf, not grass, which matters in a state where football runs into December. In 2024 the school buried about 30 miles of tubing under the turf, a $5.5 million heated-field system that can hold the surface near 36 to 38°F to melt snow. A bet on landing College Football Playoff games in Wisconsin winters. The building keeps changing. The one thing that never does is the noise between the third and fourth quarters.

History of Camp Randall Stadium

Camp Randall’s history begins before football. The site was designated as a Union Army training camp in 1861, named after Governor Alexander Randall. Over 70,000 Wisconsin soldiers trained here, and the site briefly held Confederate prisoners. The land was transferred to the university in 1893.

First Game (November 3, 1917): Wisconsin defeated Minnesota 10-7 in the stadium’s homecoming debut. The original concrete structure held 10,000 fans, a modest beginning for a venue that would grow to 80,000+.

The Stampede (October 30, 1993): After a 13-10 victory over Michigan, the Badgers’ first win over the Wolverines since 1981, students in the general-admission section rushed toward the field. A crush against the field-level fence injured 73 people, 6 critically. The tragedy led to major safety changes: the fence was removed, a center aisle was added to the student section, and crowd management policies were overhauled across college football.

Jump Around Tradition (October 10, 1998): The song had been used informally by the swim team since 1993, but the first official PA play came at the Homecoming game against Purdue. It has been played between the 3rd and 4th quarters of every home game since, becoming one of the most famous traditions in college sports.

2005 Expansion: Luxury boxes pushed capacity to 80,321, completing the stadium’s transformation from a 10,000-seat concrete bowl to one of the largest venues in the Big Ten.

Heated Field (2024): A $5.5 million project installed 30 miles of tubing beneath the FieldTurf surface, warming the field to 36-38°F, built for December College Football Playoff games in Wisconsin weather.

The Fifth Quarter: Many fans stay in their seats long after the final whistle for one of college football’s great traditions, the Fifth Quarter, a roughly 20-minute postgame concert by the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. Under longtime director Michael Leckrone the band turned the ritual into an institution: polkas, “Varsity,” and “On, Wisconsin,” with the crowd swaying, hopping, and singing along whether the Badgers won or lost. Paired with Jump Around between the third and fourth quarters, it keeps Camp Randall loud and moving for long stretches when the ball isn’t even in play. Few stadiums ask their fans to stay after the game; here, leaving early means missing part of the show.

From Civil War training ground to Jump Around to 80,000 fans on a Saturday in October, Camp Randall Stadium is where Wisconsin football lives, the oldest stadium site in the Big Ten, where the history runs deeper than the sport itself.

Sources & Further Reading

• Wisconsin Athletics, Camp Randall Stadium: uwbadgers.com. Capacity, gameday, and facility information.
• UW Wisconsin 101, “A History of Camp Randall”: wi101.wisc.edu. The Civil War camp and site history.
• Wikipedia, Camp Randall Stadium: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Randall_Stadium. Renovations, capacity, and traditions.