TechSideline.com: Lane Stadium Historical Photos

Last Updated 5/12/05: Added two photos from 1998 and four from spring 2000; moved a previously 1974-dated photo to the "unknown dates" section as photo of unknown date #10.

Lane Stadium construction began in April of 1964, and the stadium was completed four years later. The first varsity games were played in Lane during the 1965 season, when three games took place in the new stadium, which at the time had a fully-constructed West side, including press box, but had just a small center section of stands on the East side, roughly between the 35-yard lines.

The small, short section of East stands was expanded to its full width (from end zone to end zone), and approximately 15 rows of temporary bleachers were added to the top of the East stands. At this time, the stadium seated just over 30,000 fans. Prior to the 1968 season, the East stands were expanded to the same level as the West stands, and Lane Stadium stood in that capacity of approximately 40,000 seats until 1980, when the East stands were expanded again to the high, deep configuration that they have today.

The 1980 East stands expansion boosted capacity to over 50,000, where it stood for nearly 20 years, increasing and decreasing as various end zone bleacher configurations, both temporary and permanent, came and went. In 1999, the current six-year expansion plan began with permanent bleachers being installed in the North end zone. The South end zone stands were built and completed in 2002, and the West side expansion is scheduled for completion for the 2005 football season, bringing capacity to 66,233.

The following photos are historical photos of Lane Stadium. The photos are not the property of TechSideline.com and come from a variety of sources. The photos are divided into three sections:

Lane Stadium Historical Photos (with Notes) (click the thumbnails for full-size versions)
Photos with Known Dates
	NEW!! Date: 1965 Notes: This photo shows the West side and pressbox under construction, probably late 1964/early 1965. The exact date the photo was taken is unknown, but the processing date printed on the back of the photo is July 1965 (photo courtesy Bryan Taliaferro).
	NEW!! Date: 1965 Notes: This photo shows the West side under construction, probably late 1964/early 1965. The view is from the West side stands towards the South end zone. The exact date the photo was taken is unknown, but the processing date printed on the back of the photo is July 1965 (photo courtesy Bryan Taliaferro).
	NEW!! Date: 1965 Notes: This photo shows the West side under construction, probably late 1964/early 1965. The view is from the West side stands towards the North end zone. The exact date the photo was taken is unknown, but the processing date printed on the back of the photo is July 1965. Shown in the end zone is Al Butler, EE, Class of 1967 (photo courtesy Bryan Taliaferro).
	Date: 1968 Notes: Taken approx. spring 1968, this photo includes a pic of then-VT president T. Marshall Hahn. The East stands are in the process of being expanded to the same height as the West stands.
	Date: 1972 Notes: This photo shows the Tennessee-style checkerboard end zone that VT had during the coaching reign of Charlie Coffey (1971-73).
	Date: Oct. 7, 1972 Notes: This is a shot of the action during the 1972 VT-Houston game. Don Strock set a VT single-game passing record of 527 yards that still stands. The Hokies were winning 24-7 when this photo was taken, but the game ended in a 27-27 tie. The scoreboard has the gobbler head on it. Side note: with regards to the scores on the score board, ECU beat Richmond 21-0 that day, and Maryland beat Wake Forest 23-0. (I know you were just dying to know how those games ended up.)
	Date: 1975 Notes: Dugouts have been built on the baseball field, and "HOKIES" is painted in the end zones, but other than that, no visible changes from the photo above.
	Date: 1980 Notes: Expansion of the East stands to its current tall configuration is underway in this photograph.
	Date: 1984 Notes: Tulane's punter gets off a punt from the end zone in this game-action photo that shows empty corners in the upper part of the West stands.
	Date: 1987 Notes: Commencement! If I squint really hard, I can see myself. Not.
	Date: Nov. 29, 1996 Notes: Taken during the 1996 VT-UVa game, this photo shows an unusual paint scheme for the end zones. Even if you like painted end zones, it's hard to like this nasty-looking white-background scheme.
	Date: Sep. 13, 1997 Notes: Prior to the famous Boston College sunset photo of 1999 (included below), this was THE photo of Lane Stadium to have, taken during VT's 31-3 victory over Syracuse in 1997. This version is too small to see any detail, but if you ever see a larger version, you can see the Merryman Center under construction.
	NEW!! Date: Spring 1998 Notes: Taken when the soccer (practice?) fields were located where the football practice fields reside today. This photo shows the West side, the side of which has not yet been cleaned and whitewashed, a procedure that was done prior to the 1998 football season.
	NEW!! Date: 1998 football season Notes: Taken during a 1998 football game, this photo shows an empty North end zone, painted end zones, and a just-finished Merryman Center. This photo was probably taken early in the 1998 season, because later in the season, temporary bleachers were installed in the North end zone for big games against WVU and Virginia.
	Date: Nov. 26, 1999 Notes: This is the famous sunset-over-Lane picture from the 1999 Boston College game, the day that Virginia Tech clinched their undefeated season with a 38-14 win.
	NEW!! Date: Spring 2000 Notes: This photo shows the old South end zone, including bleachers, the old scoreboard, and trees.
	NEW!! Date: Spring 2000 Notes: This photo is a good shot of the old press box.
	NEW!! Date: Spring 2000 Notes: A photo of the old press box, taken from behind the South end zone.
	NEW!! Date: Spring 2000 Notes: A photo of the South end zone, taken from the North end zone between the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
	Date: Aug. 27, 2000 Notes: This photo shows a lightning strike over Lane just moments before the famous canceled BCA Classic game. The two teams can be seen on the field, lined up for kickoff.
	Date: 2000 Notes: The North end zone is fully expanded, and the video scoreboard is present, both of which were completed in 2000. The end zones are painted in this photo, but from 2001-2003, they weren't, so that categorizes this as a photo from the 2000 season.
	Date: April 20, 2002 Notes: This panoramic shot of the stadium, taken from the North end zone, shows the South end zone facility under construction during the 2002 spring game.
	Date: Summer 2002 Notes: Aerial view #1 of South end zone construction.
	Date: Summer 2002 Notes: Aerial view #2 of South end zone construction.
	Date: Summer 2002 Notes: View of South end zone construction from Southgate Drive.
	Date: Fall 2002 Notes: Nice shot taken from high in the new South end zone facility, prior to the start of the 2002 season.
	Date: Fall 2002 Notes: A nice field-level shot of the West stands showing the old press box, prior to the start of the 2002 season.
	Date: Fall 2002 Notes: A shot of Lane's new South end zone facility at night, prior to the start of the 2002 season.
	Date: August 25, 2002 Notes: Photo taken during the 2002 Arkansas State game, the first game played in Lane after the South end zone expansion.
	Date: July 5, 2003 Notes: Taken just before new sod was put down, this photo shows how poor the field looked in the summer of 2003.
	Date: July 9, 2003 Notes: New sod is laid in Lane.
	Date: Spring 2005 Notes: Aerial view #1 of West side expansion.
	Date: Spring 2005 Notes: Aerial view #2 of West side expansion.
	Date: Spring 2005 Notes: Aerial view #3 of West side expansion.
Photos With Unknown Dates Think you know when these photos were taken? Post your thoughts on the TSL message board
	Photo #1 of Unknown Date Notes: Probably late 80's or early 90's. The trees behind the south end zone are mature, but the Merryman Center (started 1997) is not yet under construction.
	Photo #2 of Unknown Date Notes: Late 90's or 2000. The Merryman Center (completed 1998) is present, but the practice fields (completed in 2001) were not built yet.
	Photo #3 of Unknown Date Notes: Probably mid-70's to early 80's. Compare this to the 1975 photo above, and you'll see that they're very similar.
	Photo #4 of Unknown Date Notes: Probably 1997/98. The Merryman Center appears to be nearing completion (1998), and the Johnson-Miller Track Complex (dedicated 1997) and softball field (completed fall 1997) can be seen.
	Photo #5 of Unknown Date Notes: 1960's/early 1970's. There are no trees behind the South end zone, and there is no Gobbler head (which was present in the early 70's) on top of the score board.
	Photo #6 of Unknown Date Notes: This photo is obviously taken during a WVU game (look at the yellow-hued visitors' stands to the left, right, and in the South end zone), but when? The interior walls of Lane appear to be painted white, which was done prior to the 1989 season.
	Photo #7 of Unknown Date Notes: Probably late 80's/early 90's.
	Photo #8 of Unknown Date Notes: Probably taken during the 2002 Arkansas State game.
	Photo #9 of Unknown Date Notes: Probably taken during the 2000 home game with WVU, given that it's a night game, there are fireworks, the North end zone bleachers have been expanded, and some tinges of yellow (the WVU band?) can be seen in the South end zone bleachers.
	Photo #10 of Unknown Date Notes: This photo is very similar to the 1975 above, but "HOKIES," which was painted in the end zone in 1975, is not present here, nor are the baseball dugouts shown in the 1975 photo. The back of old War Memorial Gym, which was torn down in 1972 or 1973, is still intact. Also, no checkerboard end zones (1971-73) are present. So, this photo could have been taken anywhere from 1968 to 1970.
"Concept" Photos Created by taking real photos and "Photoshopping" them
	Notes: This one shows what Lane would look like with rows added to the West side.
	Notes: This one shows what Lane would look like with the North end zone expanded similar to the South end zone.