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Located in the Music City along the
banks of the Cumberland River and across from downtown Nashville,
LP Field has been the home of the Titans since 1999. The history
of the team dates back to 1960, when they were known as the Oilers
and played in Houston. For over 25 seasons the Oilers played at
the Astrodome, the first multipurpose dome stadium in the country.
By the mid 1980s the Oilers, owned by Bud Adams, became
dissatisfied with the Astrodome as it was one of the smallest
stadiums in the NFL. In 1987, Adams threatened to move the Oilers
to Jacksonville. However, after he voiced his idea, Houston officials renovated the Astrodome
adding 10,000 seats and additional luxury suites. Adams was not
satisfied with the additions for long. In the 1990s he began to lobby for a new
dome stadium to be built in downtown Houston. Adams was
willing to contribute $85 million to a stadium but Houston
officials and residents were not willing to fund a new stadium.
After failing to receive support for a stadium, the Oilers began looking to relocate, this time to Nashville. On May 5, 1996,
metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County voters approved a $144
million bond for stadium construction.
After the 1996
season, the Oilers moved from Houston to Tennessee. The only
problem with this move was Nashville did not have a stadium ready for the team.
While the stadium was built, the Oilers played at the Liberty Bowl and
Vanderbilt Stadium for two seasons. After playing at temporary collegiate stadiums
for two seasons, the team finally moved to their new stadium in 1999 and were
renamed the Tennessee Titans. On September 12, 1999, the Titans
played their first regular season game at LP Field. The stadium
has had several names throughout the years. Originally it was named Adelphia Coliseum until
2002, then as The Coliseum until 2006 and now as LP Field after
Louisiana-Pacific bought the naming right for $30 million over 10
years.
LP
Field consists of three levels of
69,000 blue and red seats. The lower grandstand circles the entire
gridiron.
Two
other decks of seating are located on both sides of the field. Two scoreboard/video-boards are located
behind the seating area past the endzones. LP Field contains 144
luxury suites, and 9,600 club seats (which make up the second tier
of the grandstand). The stadium is also the home of the Tennessee
State Tigers and hosts the annual Music City Bowl. Fans attending
games at LP Field receive excellent views of the nearby Nashville
skyline and the Cumberland River.
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