Ohio Stadium through the ages: The evolution of the Horseshoe as seen in photos
Ohio State football is celebrating a century at the Horseshoe this year. In recognition of that, The Columbus Dispatch will be sharing special Ohio Stadium content throughout this week.
When Ohio Stadium was constructed in 1922, it was the largest stadium west of the Allegheny River. It continued to set the standard in future years as, in 1974, it was the first-ever football stadium to be officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Given that kind of home-field advantage, it might be no surprise to learn that OSU's record there is 467-111-19. The 600th game at Ohio Stadium is coming up Nov. 26 when the Buckeyes host rival Michigan.
These are some scenes and sites of the landmark venue from its 100-year history.
Get with the program
Ohio State's first game at Ohio Stadium was a 5-0 season-opening win over Ohio Wesleyan in front of 25,000 fans on Oct. 7, 1922. It wasn't until the third game of the season, however, when the Buckeyes started Western Conference play with a kickoff against Michigan, that OSU dedicated its stadium. This is the game program from that day's 19-0 loss, which was played in front of over 72,000 people. That crowd, The Columbus Sunday Dispatch, noted the next day in its headline, was unprecedented in the "middle-west." The James G. Thurber story that followed called it a "disappointment, perhaps, as an athletic competition, but a thing of incomparable splendor and magnificence as a spectacle."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Stadium renovations, changes through the years
