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The Houch

Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium

Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, KY, home of Western Kentucky. Capacity 22,113. Opened 1968.

Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, KY
Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KYPhoto: Unknown author, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Capacity
22,113
Opened
1968
Surface
FieldTurf
Roof
Open air
Elevation
507 ft
Western Kentucky here
84–⁠49 games on file since 2003

Since it opened: Western Kentucky is 86–⁠53 in home games from the 1972 season on. Our source names a game’s stadium only from 2001, so that count takes every earlier home game not marked neutral and may include a few played elsewhere.

Biggest games here

From the games on file here, 2003 on: title and postseason games, meetings of two ranked teams, upsets by our pregame Elo ratings and the biggest swings in CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.

Crowds season by season

Average and biggest crowd at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium by season, 2003 to 20260k10k20k30k2003: 11,216 a game over 6 games; biggest 18,3172004: 8,769 a game over 5 games; biggest 11,6192005: 12,798 a game over 5 games; biggest 18,9442006: 9,051 a game over 6 games; biggest 12,4242007: 16,488 a game over 5 games; biggest 18,8982008: 16,697 a game over 5 games; biggest 22,2972009: 14,103 a game over 6 games; biggest 20,5682010: 14,577 a game over 5 games; biggest 20,7722011: 15,310 a game over 6 games; biggest 19,4092012: 17,415 a game over 6 games; biggest 23,2522013: 18,334 a game over 5 games; biggest 20,9732014: 16,306 a game over 6 games; biggest 18,4722015: 17,960 a game over 6 games; biggest 20,3202016: 17,705 a game over 7 games; biggest 23,6742017: 15,706 a game over 6 games; biggest 18,6142018: 14,231 a game over 5 games; biggest 20,8112019: 15,191 a game over 6 games; biggest 20,3042020: 4,049 a game over 5 games; biggest 4,4282021: 16,485 a game over 6 games; biggest 25,1712022: 15,440 a game over 6 games; biggest 20,1682023: 15,710 a game over 6 games; biggest 20,7122024: 13,828 a game over 6 games; biggest 19,1272025: 14,772 a game over 6 games; biggest 17,2472026: 17,247 a game over 1 games; biggest 17,24720032008201320182023

Biggest crowds on file

25,171Indiana at Western Kentucky2021
23,674Vanderbilt at Western Kentucky2016
23,252Southern Miss at Western Kentucky2012
22,323UL Monroe at Western Kentucky2012
22,297Murray State at Western Kentucky2008

Bars are each season’s average crowd, dots its biggest (the record in orange), the dashed rule today’s capacity. Attendance is on file for most games from 2001 on.

Weather on game day

Coldest kickoffs

Hottest kickoffs

Snow at kickoff

Coldest game days before 2004

Hottest game days before 2004

Kickoffs: the NOAA report nearest kickoff from the closest weather station (NOAA NCEI Integrated Surface Database). Game days: the day’s high and snowfall at the NOAA station nearest the stadium, for Western Kentucky’s home games before 2004 (NOAA GHCN-Daily, public domain).

The stadium’s history

Opened
1968
Architect
Ryan Associated Architects
Heery International & Taylor-Whitney Architects (renovation)
Surface over the years
FieldTurf (2009–present)
Astroplay (2002–⁠2008)
Grass (1968–⁠2001)
Renovated
2008
Record crowd
25,171 (Sept. 25, 2021)

From the stadium’s Wikipedia article, Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.

From above

50 mN ↑
The stadium’s footprint, north up: about 210 by 220 meters (690 by 710 feet), the field in green. Outline from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Recent games here

Oct 8, 2026Western Kentucky 34, Missouri State 13
Sep 26, 2026Western Kentucky 52, Mercyhurst 7
Nov 15, 2025Western Kentucky 42, Middle Tennessee 26
Nov 1, 2025Western Kentucky 35, New Mexico State 16
Oct 14, 2025Florida International 25, Western Kentucky 6
Sep 20, 2025Western Kentucky 31, Nevada 16
Aug 30, 2025Western Kentucky 55, North Alabama 6
Aug 23, 2025Western Kentucky 41, Sam Houston 24
Nov 30, 2024Western Kentucky 19, Jacksonville State 17
Nov 16, 2024Louisiana Tech 12, Western Kentucky 7
Oct 30, 2024Western Kentucky 31, Kennesaw State 14
Oct 10, 2024Western Kentucky 44, UTEP 17

Around the stadium

Playing surface
FieldTurf · Official source

Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.