| The present day Neyland Stadium, Shields-Watkins Field had its beginning in 1919. Col. W. S. Shields, president of Knoxville's City National Bank and a UT trustee, provided the initial capital to prepare and equip an athletic field. Thus, when the field was completed in March 1921 it was called Shields-Watkins field, in honor of the donor and his wife, Alice Watkins-Shields.
The stadium, apart from the field it grew to enclose, came to bear its own distinguished name: Neyland Stadium. It was named for the man most responsible for the growth and development of Tennessee football -- General Robert R. Neyland, who served as head coach from 1926 to 1952, with two interruptions for military service. After retiring from the coaching ranks, Neyland was athletic director until his death in 1962. He was the guiding force behind additions to the stadium's capacity, and is the one most responsible for the winning tradition that Volunteer fans have come to expect over the years.
The addition of the north upper deck (10,642 seats) in time for the 1996 season opener against UNLV brought the stadium's official capacity to 102,544; a seating adjustment completed prior to the 1997 campaign added 310 seats to make it 102,854. An NCAA-record 107,608 fans packed the mammoth facility for the 1996 Florida contest. In fact, Tennessee had two of the top 10 and three of the top 15 crowds in NCAA history heading into the 1997 campaign.
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