Saluki Stadium is a stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. It is primarily utilized by the Southern Illinois Salukis football team.

History

Saluki Stadium was constructed to replace McAndrew Stadium which was built in 1938 and stood as the main track and football stadium for 73 years. The new stadium was completed in August 2010 and followed shortly thereafter by McAndrew Stadium's demolition in February 2011. Saluki Stadium is part of the $83 million Saluki Way Project, which includes a major renovation to the 46-year-old SIU Arena and a new athletic support facility (that features new football offices and football locker rooms). The first event held at the stadium was an open house on August 24, 2010. Southern Illinois christened its new stadium on September 2, 2010, with a game against Quincy. Saluki Stadium itself is valued at $29.9 million and has a capacity of 15,000. A Daktronics video board and a new FieldTurf were added in 2019. The stadium hosted a large watch party for the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse and did the same for the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse.

Features

The stadium's seating includes 1,080 seat-back chairs as well as a capacity for nearly 2,500 on the grass berm enclosing the north end zone. The two-story press box features 12 club suites, a 2,500-square-foot VIP Club Room, along with traditional booths for radio, television, coaches, and the print media. A 20-by-40-foot scoreboard with video replay capabilities in the north end zone and expanded concessions and restrooms enhance the fan experience.

Attendance records

Design

360 Architecture and Image Architects, Inc. designed Saluki Stadium and J. E. Dunn Construction Group/Holland Construction Services Joint Venture is the general contractor.