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Thunder and Lightning

Official Review by Joshua Guiher, Stadium Journey Regional Correspondent

Joan C. Edwards stadium is located at the end of campus in Huntington, West Virginia and has an official capacity of 38,016. It is constructed so that future expansion can bring the seating to over 55,000. Immediately upon entering you can see why the stadium has hosted 6 Div I-AA (now FCS) championship games and 5 MAC championship games since being built in 1991.

The shape of the stadium itself is a horseshoe with the open end fairly closed off by the weight room facility and the football offices.

Food & Beverage    3

The food was just basically your normal stadium food. Hot dogs, Gino's pizza, cotton candy, snow cones and funnel cake. The only item that I found that was a little unusual was a pepperoni roll, which was a lot of bread and very little pepperoni for $3.50. The funnel cake was very good and the guys working the stand were extremely nice as we all waited out the lightning delay. Drinks were Pepsi products and were $3 for a bottle of water and $3.50 for soda or Gatorade.

There were plenty of stands with the main food being located in booths facing the field while the stuff that was more carnival fare (cotton candy, funnel cakes, kettle corn, etc) were on the outside in small stands. It was a good setup and made the flow of the concourse work fairly well.

Atmosphere    4

The atmosphere was great considering the situation. Marshall was 1-4 coming into the game on a weeknight with major thunderstorms in the forecast. The attendance was 23,601 which I thought was very good. There was a nice promotion where the first 2,000 fans got free t-shirts since the game was a "white-out." The crowd was loud and into the game until the lightning delay even as the team fell behind 21-7. I believe the crowd would have stayed well into the game if not for the weather.

The band was pretty good and had a nice pre-game performance with a lot of formations and movement during songs, something I feel most marching bands forget. Marshall advertises a "state-of-the-art" sound system and it certainly was. In fact, it was too loud for me. Nice replay boards located at either end but it felt like they were used more for commercials than replays.

Neighborhood    3

The campus itself was very beautiful and well maintained. I made sure to visit the memorial fountain, which is located in the courtyard of the student union building. The immediate area right around the campus and stadium are not the nicest I have been to. However, if you go across the bridge into the downtown area about a mile away, it is all revitalized with nice shops and restaurants. Parking is also plentiful in this area and each hour is only 25 cents.

I decided to eat at the Marshall Hall of Fame Cafe based on a recommendation from Marshall's SID. It was a great place to eat with very tasty food and lots of options. It is a chain restaurant with 4 locations, all near college campuses. Even better was the walkway of historic Marshall memorabilia and Marshall museum where the items aren't even encased in glass. The museum is only open a few hours a day however so plan accordingly.

Fans    5

I can't say enough nice things about the fans. Extremely polite fans who offered food and beer from their tailgates, moved out of the way for me to take pictures, etc. During the lightning delay, when everyone had to gather on the concourse, the conversations were friendly and people made room for others without being asked to move. Definitely one of the nicest fan bases I have ever encountered.

Also as mentioned above, I was impressed with how many showed up to begin with, and even more so with how many stayed after the long delay in the pouring rain. The University should be proud of their fans.

Access    4

Access to the stadium was easy. Lines moved quickly including the bag check lines which I had to go through with my camera. I did think it was odd that bag checkers were about junior high age in a police exploration program. They were well trained however. Lots of gates and you were able to leave the stadium at any time and return with a hand stamp and ticket stub. This was very useful for those who wanted to grab a few more beers during the delay.

I parked about 4 blocks away in a metered parallel spot. Since those spots are only monitored Monday through Friday until 6pm, it only cost me a quarter to park for the entire game. The University also runs lots with ample parking which are easy to find for $5 a spot, but you probably only need to use them as a last resort for busy games.

The bathrooms were clean but a little dated and could use an overhaul. Very industrial and the one thing I would update if I was in the athletic department.

Return on Investment    4

Tickets are $22 for end zone seats and $32 for sideline seats, either of which offer a good view. Season tickets start at $120, which is just an ok deal, only saving $2 per game from walk-up sales. However, the "Coal Bowl" game against WVU was nearly impossible to find a ticket to, so season tickets were the way to go this year. Overall I think the experience is worth the price of admission that Marshall asks.

Extras    4

With the plentiful cheap/free parking options and the revitalized downtown area, making a trip to see a game at Marshall is a worthwhile experience. I was also extremely impressed with the athletic department, responding to my email inquiries within 15 minutes and recommending things for me to include in this review. The one drawback to the experience is the constant commercials and sponsorship plugs during breaks in the action. Overall, I highly recommend a trip to Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

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