Wallace Wade Stadium

I am a Duke fan, but I have to admit most the other ACC teams have nicer and more modern stadiums. I’ve been to my share of games there over the years, most recently against Virginia Tech in November 2014. When Duke plays a team with a large following like VT there will be as many opposing fans as home team fans.
The benefits of WW (there are some) are the stadium is small, so no bad views, the people working there, or maybe they are volunteers, but anyway they are nice and helpful. Also unlike basketball tickets, the football ones are easy to come by and you can get em pretty cheap even right before the game.
There is a good chance you will have a long walk from where you park to the stadium, but Duke has a beautiful campus, so no complaints there. If you are into tailgating the options are limited at Duke football compared to other schools.
From what I hear there are plans to renovate and modernize Wallace Wade. Coach Cut has the program moving in the right direction, so I look forward to continue seeing both Duke football and Wallace Wade stadium improve.

My wife and I now have season tickets to the Duke football team, and for many years, we held season tickets to an equally «cozy» Ryan Field (Northwestern Wildcats). Note that some of my views are framed in the context of Ryan Field, some are framed in the grand scheme of stadiums, and well, some are just framed in my own personal opinion:
Location on campus: 4 out of 5
Woot woot — a stadium that’s actually within walking distance of the main part (s) of campus. While the walk from where we usually park is about 20 — 25 minutes from the stadium, we do have the added benefit of walking through some picturesque parts of campus such as the gardens, the row of picturesque WHOs, etc. At NU, that 20 minute walk would have been along one of the smaller arteries whose sole purpose was to connect the hospital and the stadium area with the rest of the campus. We have free parking, but parking rates are reasonable at 10 $ a pop. If you elect to take a campus shuttle, remember that it drops you off close to (7 — 10 minute walk), but not right at, the entrance to the stadium, which can present mobility issues for some.
Layout and atmosphere: 3.5 out of 5
Eerily similar to how NU was set up — a small and old football stadium (33k for Wallace and 47k for Ryan) next to an equally small and old in proportion basketball arena (9.3k for Cameron, 8k for Welsh Ryan). There’s some charm to this layout, but to others, I can see how it can come off as being outdated with no character.
Our seats are in section 8, which have the added bonus of having actual seats and chair backs, and not just benches/​bleachers with the option to rent or buy seatbacks. The view is generally very good, as we’re high enough not to be obstructed by the cheerleaders and dance team. My one legit gripe is that people who come from other teams are inevitably confused by the evens and odds. For example, our row consists of even section 8s and odd section 9s, which culminate in the middle with seats 17 and 19 for section 9, and seats 18 and 20 for section 8. I understand that the intent is to make things easier for fans, but conversely it adds a bit of confusion for some. The atmosphere is lively enough — I can’t help but think that with Duke’s bball success, football is sometimes overlooked. The most I saw WW filled this season was against UNC, and even then there were smatterings of empty seats.
While concession options are plentiful, restrooms are few and far between, and there is a very odd lack of drinking fountains. I get that buying a 3 $ bottle of water is preferable in terms of $ to giving water away out of a spigot, but COME ON!
Customer service: 3 out of 5
A mix of interested and disinterested, just like any other stadium. The concessions that are run by student groups have enthusiastic folks, and some stands have disinterested looking folks. The ticket takers are similar in break-​down: some are excited and will welcome you cheerfully, others just give you the perfunctory, «Welcome to Duke.» I’ve yet to see how quickly security reacts to unruly fans, which may be actually be a testament to the civility of most fans here.
Value: 4 out of 5
Our season package comes down to roughly 20 $ per ticket per game with my wife’s employee discount. The free parking helps. Food options can be pricey, but that’s expected at any venue, I guess. The best deals for beverages would be the souvenir cups, light ice. Not sure what the best bang for the buck is for actual food; sandwiches are at least 5 $ at any stand.
Overall: 4 out of 5
More like a 3.7 out of 5 star experience, but the usual rounding convention gives it a bump up. Not an unpleasant experience by any means, but since neither of us have really deep ties to Duke, we may not renew our season tix in the years to come.

Ok, so as a Duke Fan, I really cannot give Wallace Wade Stadium less than 4 stars– my fingers literally wouldn’t do it, so let’s just say that my fandom may have some persuasion as to why this is a 4-​star review, and not 3.
First, the complaints about Wallace being so small, is exactly why this is a great stadium. Similar to Cameron Indoor, the sacred grounds of Cameron and Wallace Wade makes both of the venues such a moving place to watch a game– you feel as though you are in an intimate setting… part of something special.
The upgrade/​renovation will be a lovely addition as the seats do feel like high school football stadium seats. The metal benches reflect the weather: cold when it’s cold, and hot when it’s hot. There are no backs, nowhere to put your drink, and often your knees jam into the backs of the people in front of you.
On the flip side, because of the size of the venue, there are no bad seats. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to enjoy a Duke football game at Wallace Wade. The concession stands are plentiful, prices for items are decent, and the bathrooms are actually modern and clean.
One of the aspects I really do not enjoy about going to Wallace Wade for a game is the complete nightmare of the parking situation. Seriously, walking miles from the car to the stadium is ridic!!! If you’re not an Iron Duke or a student, you better have your hiking shoes on, because GOOD LORD, the distance, and hills make it a freaking trek. When Duke wins, it sort of makes it all worthwhile, so the hike back to the car isn’t as bad when you’re riding high on a win! Oh, and remember where you parked because if you don’t, enjoy campus, because it could take a while.

Wallace Wade is a proverbial living fossil. It’s scheduled for major renovation after this season, so if you’ve never sat on backless steel benches while watching an actual NCAA FBS game in what amounts to nothing fancier than a concrete bunker carved into a 2-​acre hole in the ground (but with modern bathrooms), time is running out.
No club seating, luxury suites, cup holders. Capacity is 33,941, meaning a full house at Ohio State could fill this joint three times and still have people left over. And the Duke football team is bowl-​bound and 7-​and-​freaking-​2 as of this writing, still playing in front of the weakest crowds in the ACC.
Forget Touchdown Jesus or Howard’s Rock or Death Valley. Kids, come see where your great grandma watched the Rose Bowl, and enjoy the same gnarly tailbone pain she enjoyed. Go Devils!

My friends and I came here all the way from Jacksonville, NC to see the Naval Academy’s Midshipmen play against Duke’s Blue Devils. The Midshipmen lost 7 to 35. What a disappointment that was.
Anyway.. . When I came to this stadium, I was impressed by the capacity and visibility offered by the semi-​Colosseum design of having a steep elevation of seats (or benches, rather). The design is very efficient, with a big screen and camera crew equipped to display the highlights of any game after each play. The field and track appeared to be well maintained and appropriate for collegiate sports, and the scoreboard is easy to read, though disproportionately small.
My primary qualm with the stadium is the availability of parking. The stadium itself may accommodate 33,941, but the parking arrangement verges on ineptitude. We scoured the entire campus, having been turned away by road guards at multiple parking lots until we finally arrived at one a 20-​minute walk away from the stadium. It’s so easy to get lost on a campus like this with no major landmarks for visitors to recognize, and indeed we did get lost. Between the three of us, we somehow managed not to note where we parked. Fortunately, one of us did eventually remember, but it would have been quite a dazzling journey to find anything on that campus on our own.
I did enjoy the scenery however, while in the beginning the three of us each pretended we weren’t really lost. The campus itself is beautiful, with so many structures contributing to the historic feel of the almost bicentennial institution. If only the stadium design also reflected this somehow. As I said, the design is very efficient, but efficiency alone is bland.

It looks and feels like an oversized high school stadium. I mean, it seemed nice and all, but it didn’t feel like college football.
Prices of things aren’t too shabby. Otherwise, it’s not as cool as Kenan Stadium.
The steps are a good workout, though.
Also, are Duke football and the Washington Redskins sharing secondaries? I’m just wondering.

At this point the «historic» nature of Wallace Wade has run its course.
We parked in a lot and were harassed by campus police for the exact same thing that everyone else in our parking lot were doing: Tailgating. Ahh, the joy of being a visiting fan. Oh well.
The walk to the stadium was nice and scenic. It was clear that there were plenty of Duke students were unsure that there was any sort of athletic event occurring that day.
Once we got the stadium, it was the same old Wallace Wade. Just a bowl. 60% empty. None of the seats have backs. There is a track around the field so you feel really far away from the game.
The game day atmosphere is just boring. I feel like the fans aren’t even sure when to cheer. I will say that the employees at the stadium that I encountered were very friendly.
The concessions are all fair food, so if that’s your kinda thing, you’ll be in heaven. They have updated some of the restrooms which is a nice upgrade.
They need to do some work to make the stadium look like the rest of the campus. It feels totally out of place and just isn’t a great venue for football.

I went here to see my first college football game in person. Duke lost to the Miami Hurricanes in a awesome, crazy game in 2006. The stadium has nice, high school football feel to it. Of course, it’s bigger than a high school stadium. On visitor side they have, no seats, just bleacher benches. Im not sure what they have on the home side. There really isn’t a bad seat, in the house. The Duke football fans were pretty respectful. The Duke band put on a nice show. I would love to come back here.

3.75 stars. First and foremost, the stroll through campus to reach Wallace Wade Stadium is enjoyable for reasons outside of the confidence that follows Crimson Tide fans whenever visiting the opposition’s campus. Duke has a legitimately beautiful campus, and it was soothing to soak in the lush greens and aesthetically pleasing architecture during the walk.
The next pleasantry came in the form of security check. Instead of a cadre of angry individuals diligently searching for hidden alcoholic beverages, we had our tickets checked and a friendly «Welcome to Duke.» While part of this might be explained by the fact that Tide fans desperate for tickets actually bought season tickets and by Duke’s penchant for losing football games, I thought it was a nice touch.
Surrounding the stadium are a number of vendors who sell items one would generally find at a country fair. However, the major issue that we had with the vendors is that only one of them would take a card for water. Given the heat index on this glorious day, that was a slight problem.
The actual stadium is pretty weak. I muttered that I had been to larger high school stadiums in Texas, and my old high school’s stadium in Alabama actually appeared to be a higher quality facility. The bleacher seats are somewhat uncomfortable, and it became painfully obvious that Duke is not used to sellouts.
One of the most amazing parts of the experience was laughing at the stupid Duke football players dancing montage that the announcer (also hilarious in his own right) played at every third down (we experienced our first one in the second half). When your team is down forty points, you are probably just embarrassing them by playing these clips. Just a thought.
While I certainly would not travel out of my way to go to Wallace Wade, it is a better than average destination for a college football game.

Home of Duke «football.» I had been drinking most of the afternoon, so I thought at first that we wandered into a high school field by mistake. We asked around and discovered that we were, in fact, at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Everything about this joint was pretty amateur. First off, there’s no superstructure: it’s just a bowl dug into the ground with some stands and a field dropped in. When you enter on «ground level,» you are at the top row of the seats. Second, it’s all bleacher seating, in a horseshoe shape, for only about 31,000. Third, their concessions were 100% county fair. There were trailers and shacks for funnel cakes, sausage sandwiches, ice cream, etc. Fourth, their men’s restrooms were wretched and I had to walk one-​quarter of the way around the perimeter to find them. Maybe not remote-​state-​park wretched, but way worse than they should be at a civilized football «stadium.»
General admission tickets are $ 12 but we paid $ 4 because nobody wants to come here. We travelled to North Carolina to see Northwestern play Duke. We had a good time tailgating in the parking lot. Apparently it’s only $ 5 to park or free with a Duke ID. Nobody came by to chastise us for drinking, making noise, or blocking the parking spots with the beanbag game (there were plenty of other tailgaters anyway). As a bonus, they allow you to leave at halftime and come back in with a hand stamp. Thus, we were able to fortify ourselves for the second half back at our cars.
Duke stinks, so nobody was particularly rabid about their team; we never felt terribly unwelcome, either in the parking lot or during the game. We did our best to heckle the players, mascot, and band, but we left the fans alone and they did the same for us. Well, mostly.
We sat towards the bottom of the GA section (in the end zone), and the only other fans occupying the bottom five rows were little kids. The stands were only about one-​third full. Lame!
One more thing – they shot off some terrible fireworks after the game which not only bored us to tears, but sent sulphur smoke flooding through the stadium. Polluters!