No matter what Harvard claims, Penn’s Franklin Field is the oldest collegiate stadium being used for football

In 1894, the children of America’s newly minted upper crust families applied to Ivy League universities in droves, studying to become civic and business leaders who would turn the country into a world power during the Industrial Revolution.

That same year Henry Laussat Geyelin, was named the director of University of Pennsylvania’s Athletic Association. He knew a state-of-the-arts-sports facility was a way Penn could stand out against other top schools competing for these monied prospective students.

A Penn alum, track and field champion, and football star, Geyelin spearheaded the building of a stadium where Penn’s track and field and football team could showcase their skills.

On April 20, 1895, Franklin Field — named after Ben Franklin — opened at 33rd and Spruce with the first Penn Relays.

This Saturday, the Philadelphia Historic District will celebrate Franklin Field as America’s first college sports stadium at its 14th “Firstival.” Firstivals, the heart of the city’s celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday, mark events that happened for the first time in Philadelphia and often anywhere else in the world.

“Geyelin was the father of Penn Athletics,” said Mike Mahoney, the director of athletic communications at Penn. “The demand was there. The people wanted it. We were one of the top programs in the country and there was a lot of interest in seeing Penn Football. He built to his demand.”

Geyelin raised $100,000 for the new field, the equivalent of $3.89 million in today’s money.

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During Franklin Field’s inaugural year, Penn’s football team won its first national championship against Cornell — 46 to 2.

In 1922, a year after Geyelin’s death, Franklin Field’s original wooden stands were rebuilt with brick and concrete. A second tier was added, making Franklin Field America’s first two-tier college stadium. The new stadium was built into its iconic horse shoe shape.

Today the block-long stadium seats 52,593 people.

Back in its early days, Franklin Field wasn’t just a gathering space for sportsmen, but it was a place where Philadelphia’s high society went to see and be seen.

Eventually, Franklin Field became home to many other 20th century firsts in college sports. In October 1895, it became the first field where a scoreboard was used during a college game. The first college football game was broadcast from here in 1940.

Millennial firsts include the first ESPN College GameDay broadcast at a Football Champion Subdivision (FCS) school in 2002. In 2010, the field was home to the first Ivy League Women’s Lacrosse tournament.

The Quakers — Penn’s football team — shared Franklin Field with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1958-1970. The 1960 NFL Championship, during which the Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers, was played at Franklin Field, too.

Franklin Field celebrated its 125th birthday in 2019.

“Harvard University likes to call its stadium the first dedicated football stadium,” Mahoney said. “That’s semantics. We built ours with track and field in mind and we are a few years older than Harvard. We have the oldest stadium that’s being used today for college football.”

This week’s Firstival is Saturday, April 4, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Franklin Field, 235 S. 33rd Street. The Inquirer will highlight a “first” from the Philadelphia Historic District’s 52 Weeks of Firsts program every week. A “52 Weeks of Firsts” podcast, produced by All That’s Good Productions, drops every Tuesday.