September 3, 1994: The New Rutgers Stadium Opens

September 3, 1994, 30 years ago: The new Rutgers Stadium opens on the site of the old one, on the Busch Campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, in Piscataway, "On the Banks of the Old Raritan" as the school song goes.

From 1938 to 1992, Rutgers University had played football at a 23,000-seat stadium on the same site. But the growth of college football made the facility inadequate for the modern game: Wooden benches with no seat backs, not enough of them, no permanent lights, and press facilities barely good enough to cover a high school football game.

So the old stadium was dug up, and a new one was built in its place. The Scarlet Knights played their 1993 home schedule at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands.

The new stadium was ready for the 1994 season, seating 41,500. Rutgers hosted Kent State University, based in Kent, northeastern Ohio, and a member of the Mid-American Conference. Rutgers won, 28-6.

The natural grass field was converted to FieldTurf in 2004. A new south end was built in 2009, expanding the stadium to 52,454 seats.

In 2011, the naming rights to the stadium were sold, and it became High Point Solutions Stadium. In 2020, it adopted its current name, SHI Stadium. Both High Point and SHI are headquartered in New Jersey.