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Kenan

Kenan Stadium

Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, NC, home of North Carolina. Capacity 50,500. Opened 1927.

Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, NC
Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NCPhoto: CramBetter.com, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Capacity
50,500
Opened
1927
Surface
Natural Grass
Roof
Open air
Elevation
419 ft
North Carolina here
96–⁠67 games on file since 2001
College GameDay
once

Since it opened: North Carolina is 335–⁠210–⁠18 in home games from the 1927 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, 2001 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 Kenan Stadium by season, 2001 to 202620k40k60k80k2001: 52,583 a game over 6 games; biggest 58,5002002: 50,292 a game over 6 games; biggest 60,5002003: 47,133 a game over 6 games; biggest 59,8002004: 55,430 a game over 7 games; biggest 73,2582005: 52,667 a game over 6 games; biggest 60,0002006: 48,857 a game over 7 games; biggest 57,0002007: 57,417 a game over 6 games; biggest 61,0002008: 57,829 a game over 7 games; biggest 60,5002009: 56,607 a game over 7 games; biggest 59,7502010: 58,250 a game over 6 games; biggest 60,0002011: 56,000 a game over 7 games; biggest 60,0002012: 50,286 a game over 7 games; biggest 62,0002013: 51,500 a game over 7 games; biggest 62,0002014: 54,667 a game over 6 games; biggest 60,0002015: 49,643 a game over 7 games; biggest 61,0002016: 50,250 a game over 6 games; biggest 59,0002017: 50,071 a game over 7 games; biggest 59,0002018: 43,622 a game over 5 games; biggest 50,5002019: 50,500 a game over 6 games; biggest 50,5002020: 3,535 a game over 5 games; biggest 3,5352021: 47,947 a game over 7 games; biggest 50,5002022: 47,933 a game over 6 games; biggest 50,5002023: 49,331 a game over 7 games; biggest 50,5002024: 47,686 a game over 7 games; biggest 50,5002025: 50,500 a game over 6 games; biggest 50,5002026: 46,431 a game over 2 games; biggest 50,500200120062011201620212026

Biggest crowds on file

73,258Boston College at North Carolina2004
62,000Duke at North Carolina2013
62,000NC State at North Carolina2012
61,000Miami at North Carolina2015
61,000South Carolina at North Carolina2007

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.

College GameDay here

ESPN’s College GameDay has broadcast from Kenan Stadium once, first in 1997.

Nov 8, 1997Florida State 20, North Carolina 3Kenan Memorial Stadium

College GameDay’s sites from Wikipedia’s list of College GameDay locations (CC BY-SA).

Weather on game day

Coldest kickoffs

Hottest kickoffs

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 North Carolina’s home games before 2004 (NOAA GHCN-Daily, public domain).

The stadium’s history

Architect
Atwood & Nash
Corley Redfoot Architects, Inc. (renovations 1987–present)
Surface over the years
Grass (1927–⁠2018)
RootZone 3D Blend AstroTurf (2019–⁠2024)
Natural Grass (2025-present)
Expanded
1963, 1979, 1987–⁠88, 1995–⁠98, 2010–⁠11
Renovated
1995–⁠98, 2003, 2007, 2010–⁠11, 2016, 2018, 2020

From the stadium’s Wikipedia article, Kenan Stadium.

From above

100 mN ↑
The stadium’s footprint, north up: about 250 by 210 meters (830 by 690 feet), the field in green. Outline from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Recent games here

Oct 3, 20263Notre Dame 37, North Carolina 26
Sep 12, 2026North Carolina 35, East Tennessee State 3
Nov 22, 2025Duke 32, North Carolina 25
Nov 8, 2025North Carolina 20, Stanford 15
Oct 25, 202516Virginia 17, North Carolina 16
Oct 4, 2025Clemson 38, North Carolina 10
Sep 13, 2025North Carolina 41, Richmond 6
Sep 1, 2025TCU 48, North Carolina 14
Nov 30, 2024NC State 35, North Carolina 30
Nov 16, 2024North Carolina 31, Wake Forest 24
Oct 12, 2024Georgia Tech 41, North Carolina 34
Oct 5, 2024Pittsburgh 34, North Carolina 24

Pouring rights

Coca-Cola has the stadium’s soft-drink pouring rights, on record since 2020. Official source.