McLane Stadium is Underrated and I’m Tired of Pretending It’s Not
Let me tell you about McLane Stadium.
I went to the Baylor-TCU game there a few years ago. Drove down from Stillwater, didn’t know what to expect, figured it would be some random stadium in Waco that nobody cared about.
The stadium sits RIGHT on the Brazos River. Like, directly on it. You can see boats docked outside. People literally tailgate on the water. There’s a walking bridge that goes from campus over the river directly into the stadium.
It’s one of the coolest settings in college football and nobody talks about it.
The design is really smart too. It’s built into a hillside on one side, which creates this natural bowl effect. The upper deck hangs over the lower level, which keeps the noise in. It’s only 45,000 seats but it gets LOUD.
The night games are special. The lights reflecting off the river. The bridge lit up. The whole thing has this atmosphere that bigger stadiums don’t have.
And here’s the thing — it was built in 2014. It’s new. It’s modern. Everything works. The sightlines are great from every seat. The concourses aren’t cramped. The amenities are actually good.
Compare that to some of the 80-year-old concrete monstrosities that other programs play in. Give me McLane every time.
Jake’s note: I’ve been to McLane once for a Tech game. We lost so I have mixed feelings. But yeah, the stadium is genuinely nice. The boat thing is wild. I watched a guy fall in the river trying to get off his boat. Made my whole day.
The Waco game day experience overall is underrated. The city has come a long way. There’s actually stuff to do now. The Silos from that Magnolia show are apparently a thing people care about (I don’t get it but whatever). Downtown isn’t dead anymore.
Baylor has invested a lot of money into that stadium and that campus and it shows. If they can get the on-field product consistently good, they could build something special.
For now, I’ll just say: if you get a chance to see a game at McLane, do it. It’s better than you expect. Way better.
— Mike