Kyle Field capacity: Mix of good and bad for 5 biggest crowds in Texas A&M football history
Every Texas A&M football fan is well aware of the fact that Kyle Field has the largest listed capacity of any stadium in the state of Texas. If you count standing-room crowds, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas will sometimes wedge its way in there, but Kyle’s seating far outpaces that of even the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
This, of course, was not always the case. The Home of the 12th Man underwent significant renovations from early 2014 to mid-2015, with construction starting directly following Johnny Manziel’s departure. His stardom was significant in the ability to fundraise for the renovations, leading to the (admittedly, seldom-used) nickname “The House that Johnny Built”.
The renovations that took place updated the exterior, fully replaced everything along the west sideline, and closed in the bowl on the south end, including adding several more decks where there had previously been only bleachers. This also saw A&M add three video boards: one atop the new third deck in the south end zone, and two on the opposite corners. There were renovations performed on the east side as well, though they were minor compared to the west side. The Bernard C. Richardson Zone in the north end was largely untouched except for the exterior facelift.
The Ags actually played one year in Kyle with the renovations half-finished. Though they were not fully done in the 2014 season, the listed capacity was actually larger than it would be once things were done and dusted. This had to do with installing suites and those kinds of things, but I’d bear that in mind as you take a look at this upcoming list.
The first game that saw Kyle Field in its current form was against Ball State on September 12, 2015. As you might imagine, the Cardinals were not a huge draw, so that one won’t pop up on here.
But what were the top five crowds to see a game at Kyle? What were the Aggies’ fortunes on those days? Let’s take a look.