Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium near the campus of the U.S. Naval Academyin Annapolis, Maryland. It is the home field of the Navy Midshipmen football team, the men's lacrosse team, and the Chesapeake Bayhawks lacrosse team. The stadium opened on September 26, 1959, when Navy defeated William & Mary in football, 29–2. The current seating capacity is 34,000. The attendance record for the stadium is 38,225, when Navy defeated Air Force in football, 28-10, on October 5, 2013. Prior to 1959, Navy played its home games at Thompson Stadium, which seated only 12,000. In 1984, the stadium hosted soccer games as part of the 1984 Summer Olympics. The stadium serves as a memorial to the Navy and Marine Corps; it is dedicated to those who have served (and will serve) as upholders of the traditions and renown of the Navy and Marine Corps of the United States. The thousands of memorial bench-back and wall plaques are a constant reminder, as well as the list of numerous battles involving the Naval and Marine Corps forces since the early 1900s.