Norfolk State University plays its home football contests in the spacious William “Dick” Price Stadium, named for former NSU athletics director and head football and track coach Dick Price.

Built in 1997, Dick Price Stadium has a seating capacity of 30,000, and is recognized as one of the largest sports and entertainment venues in Hampton Roads. It is also one of the 10 largest Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) football stadiums in terms of capacity.

The stadium was constructed at a cost of $12.2 million. Located on the southeast end of campus, the stadium has a brick facade, a natural grass surface, an all-weather,
eight-lane rubberized track, a two-story press box and concession areas located throughout the stadium’s ground level.

In 2003, Viacom Outdoor Sports Marketing constructed a $400,000 Opto Tech LED video display board at the east end of the stadium to show crowd and field action shots, pre-recorded messages, live satellite feeds for NSU’s televised games, and more.

The first contest played in Dick Price Stadium drew a record 34,000 fans, as NSU hosted Virginia State in 1997 in the annual Labor Day Classic.

For the fifth time in the stadium’s short history, Norfolk State ranked in the top 20 in Division FCS in attendance per game in 2007. NSU averaged a Price Stadium record 17,220 fans for its six home games, seventh in the nation and first among both MEAC and state FCS programs. NSU also drew two of the three-largest crowds in Dick Price Stadium history last season. The crowd of 27,756 that saw NSU beat Hampton on Oct. 13 was the second-largest in stadium history, trailing only the sellout crowd of 34,000 that saw the inaugural game between NSU and Virginia State in 1997. In addition, the crowd of 26,970 that saw the Spartans top Virginia State on Sept. 1 this season was the third-largest attendance figure in stadium history.

NSU also ranked 20th in FCS in attendance in 2005, 15th in 2003, 19th in 2001 and 17th in 1998.

ABOUT DICK PRICE

Dick Price is the winningest football coach in NSU history. He compiled a 61-42-4 record over 10 seasons (1974-83), which included three of NSU’s four CIAA
championships. His teams finished .500 or better in eight of his 10 years at the helm of the program. Fifty-three of his players went into the ranks of professional football.

Price put his stamp on Norfolk State in more ways than one. He also coached the men’s track team to NCAA Division II national championships in 1973 and 1974, and was twice named the NCAA Division II Track Coach of the Year. He later served as the Spartans’ athletics director from 1989-99. He was inducted into the NSU Athletics Foundation Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.