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Mackay Stadium

Mackay Stadium in Reno, NV, home of Nevada. Capacity 27,000. Opened October 1, 1966.

Mackay Stadium in Reno, NV
Mackay Stadium, Reno, NVPhoto: Lanski, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Capacity
27,000
Opened
1966
Surface
FieldTurf
Roof
Open air
Elevation
4,615 ft
Home team
Nevada
Nevada here
92–⁠60 games on file since 2001

Since it opened: Nevada is 131–⁠82 in home games from the 1979 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 Mackay Stadium by season, 2001 to 202610k20k30k40k50k2001: 17,573 a game over 5 games; biggest 24,2382002: 18,842 a game over 6 games; biggest 23,1092003: 22,258 a game over 6 games; biggest 31,9002004: 17,314 a game over 6 games; biggest 21,7992005: 14,581 a game over 5 games; biggest 23,4572006: 16,728 a game over 6 games; biggest 25,5062007: 17,087 a game over 6 games; biggest 25,2782008: 18,594 a game over 6 games; biggest 27,0572009: 17,500 a game over 6 games; biggest 24,0782010: 18,382 a game over 5 games; biggest 30,7122011: 15,776 a game over 6 games; biggest 25,9782012: 23,432 a game over 6 games; biggest 30,0172013: 24,939 a game over 6 games; biggest 32,5212014: 23,862 a game over 6 games; biggest 32,3272015: 22,170 a game over 6 games; biggest 29,5512016: 18,501 a game over 6 games; biggest 22,4112017: 16,722 a game over 6 games; biggest 18,6172018: 15,081 a game over 7 games; biggest 21,4312019: 16,180 a game over 6 games; biggest 20,1442021: 21,575 a game over 6 games; biggest 28,9602022: 14,905 a game over 6 games; biggest 18,2552023: 21,547 a game over 6 games; biggest 44,1822024: 17,288 a game over 7 games; biggest 21,5412025: 17,875 a game over 6 games; biggest 20,5352026: 20,585 a game over 3 games; biggest 21,679200120062011201620212026

Biggest crowds on file

44,182Kansas at Nevada2023
32,521UNLV at Nevada2013
32,327Boise State at Nevada2014
31,900UNLV at Nevada2003
30,712Boise State at Nevada2010

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

Snow on game day

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

The stadium’s history

Also known as
Chris Ault Field
Opened
October 1, 1966
Architect
Worth Group Architects (previous expansions)
Surface over the years
Natural grass (1966–⁠1999)
FieldTurf (2000–present)
Expanded
1978, 1990–⁠1992 and 2006
Record crowd
33,391 (vs. UNLV, 1995)

From the stadium’s Wikipedia article, Mackay Stadium.

From above

50 mN ↑
The stadium’s footprint, north up: about 240 by 270 meters (800 by 890 feet), the field in green. Outline from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Recent games here

Sep 26, 2026Air Force 36, Nevada 33
Sep 12, 2026Montana State 20, Nevada 7
Sep 5, 2026Nevada 49, Western Kentucky 14
Nov 29, 2025UNLV 42, Nevada 17
Nov 15, 2025Nevada 55, San José State 10
Oct 24, 2025Boise State 24, Nevada 3
Oct 11, 2025San Diego State 44, Nevada 10
Sep 13, 2025Middle Tennessee 14, Nevada 13
Sep 6, 2025Nevada 20, Sacramento State 17
Nov 23, 2024Air Force 22, Nevada 19
Nov 2, 2024Colorado State 38, Nevada 21
Oct 18, 2024Fresno State 24, Nevada 21

Around the stadium

Playing surface
FieldTurf · Single 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.

Pouring rights

PepsiCo has the stadium’s soft-drink pouring rights. Official source.