| Built
in 1975, Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium was
built at a cost of roughly $ 55 million
and had a football capacity of 80,311.
Later known as the Pontiac Silverdome, the
facility was among the first to
incorporate luxury suites into its design.
The
Michigan Panthers drew the largest USFL
crowd of 1983 at the Silverdome, defeating
the Oakland Invaders 37-21 before 60,237
home fans. After winning the 1983
title, it could be argued that the
Panthers were more popular than the Lions,
who also called the Silverdome home but
were nowhere near winning a championship
of any kind. When the USFL's owners
opted to go to a fall schedule for 1986
however, Panthers owner A. Alfred Taubman
knew he'd encounter problems booking the
Silverdome and merged the team with the
Oakland Invaders.
The Silverdome continued as the home of
the Lions through 2001, after which the
team moved to a new facility. While
the building continued to be used
periodically, the number of dates the
Silverdome was booked for concerts and
other events dropped dramatically once the
Lions left, and the facility closed in
2004. The site currently stands
vacant, an empty shell with seats, waiting
for a developer to take it off the local
government's hands, either razing or
developing the property.
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PONTIAC
SILVERDOME |
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Pontiac,
Michigan |
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(shown
with surrounding parking
area) |
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