Old football stadiums, both in the NFL and college, are the places where precious memories were created. But not every old stadium has been adequately maintained or preserved, thus becoming an endangered stadium. This page documents the most endangered football stadiums in North America, and the odds that they will be saved.
We will be adding and deleting from this list as circumstances change, including when venues are demolished or are somehow preserved. Nor do we assume that we’ve listed every endangered stadium (though we do limit ourselves to former and current NFL and Division I FBS stadiums), so if you think we’re missing one, drop us a line at editors@augustpublications.com.
RFK Stadium
Opening in 1961 as the first MLB/NFL multiuse facility, RFK Stadium sports a unique architecture with a gently undulating canopy, a highly functional track system that facilitated configuration changes and a layout that actually worked for both baseball and football. While that made it a functional facility for decades, it has lacked a major sports tenant since MLS’s D.C. United played its last match in 2017. It is now poorly maintained and sparingly used, increasing the likelihood that it is eventually demolished. There is still a lot of debate about the site’s future—and about whether that future includes a new NFL stadium for the Redskins—but with no movement to preserve RFK Stadium taking hold, it is inevitable that the facility comes down in the next few years. Odds RFK Stadium will survive: 1,000,000-1
SDCCU Stadium
The former San Diego Stadium / Jack Murphy Stadium / Qualcomm Stadium has lost MLB’s San Diego Padres and the NFL’s Chargers as tenants, leaving its demolition increasingly inevitable. San Diego State University is working on a project that calls for a new stadium and surrounding development at the site and is hoping to begin construction in 2020. Successful completion of negotiations with the city would make the proposal a reality, effectively paving the way for new development and the eventual demolition of SDCCU stadium. Odds SDCCU Stadium will survive: 1,000,000-1
Aloha Stadium
Built in 1975, Aloha Stadium is a former NFL Pro Bowl and Minor League Baseball home that is currently used for University of Hawaii at Manoa football. Maintaining the facility as it ages comes with a high price tag, which has prompted interest among state officials in the possibility of constructing a new stadium. Plans to replace Aloha Stadium are not final but, with the area around the facility being considered for a new stadium and surrounding development, any new facility plans are likely to lead to Aloha Stadium being demolished. Odds Aloha Stadium will survive: 750-1
RingCentral Coliseum
A multi-purpose NFL-MLB venue, RingCentral Coliseum (best known as Oakland Coliseum) is set to lose the Raiders, with the franchise on track to relocate to Las Vegas beginning in the 2020 season. That will leave MLB’s A’s as its lone tenant, and the team is actively working to build a new ballpark at the waterfront Howard Terminal. While the A’s ballpark plans are not all final, the Coliseum has become obsolete as a major sports venue and there has been no talk of renovating it for MLB. It therefore seems inevitable that it will be demolished in the future, but the exact timing will be determined by if/when the A’s land a new ballpark. Odds RingCentral Coliseum will survive: 50-50
Sam Boyd Stadium
With UNLV football expected to depart for the new Las Vegas Stadium after the 2019 season, questions are being raised about the future of Sam Boyd Stadium. While the demand for events in Las Vegas could in theory leave some type of niche for Sam Boyd Stadium, it is hampered by its aging condition and remote location that lacks any ancillary development. Between that and the growing number of entertainment venues/stadiums being built in Las Vegas, it could prove to be more feasible for UNLV to sell Sam Boyd Stadium and its site for redevelopment rather than continue to operate and maintain it for non-college-football events. Odds Sam Boyd Stadium will survive: 50-50.
FedEx Field
Faced with the 2027 expiration of their lease to FedEx Field, the Washington Redskins have been clear in expressing their desire for a new stadium. Finding a suitable site has proven to be a challenge, but the franchise has shown no interest whatsoever in remaining at the current FedEx Field site in Landover, MD. A new stadium for the Redskins would leave FedEx Field’s future uncertain and, with the well-maintained M&T Bank Stadium just up the road in Baltimore as a draw for major events, local and state officials could decide that tearing FedEx Field down for redevelopment is the most viable plan. Odds FedEx Field will survive: 50-50.
Astrodome
The Eighth Wonder of the World, the Astrodome is an icon to generations of Houstonians, and any talk of tearing it down instantly generates yowls of protest. The big problem: Harris County can’t really come up with a solid redevelopment plan. Voters turned down a proposal to readjust the interior for football and smaller events in 2013, and a later $105-million plan to renovate the space for events was approved by Harris County Commissioners. However, since that approval was granted in April 2018, work at the Astrodome has stalled amidst some questions over the feasibility of plans approved by county officials. The Astrodome is a one-of-a-kind classic. Odds Astrodome will survive: 1-50.