Dolphin Stadium

The Miami Dolphins played their first game at Joe Robbie Stadium on August 16, 1987. Joe Robbie Stadium was a major upgrade from the Orange Bowl. The state of the art facility has 75,000 orange and teal seats that enclose the field. With its many circular ramps and escalators accessibility to any seats is easy. Two video boards are located above the rim of the upper deck of each end zone. In 1990, in an effort to bring MLB baseball to Florida, Wayne Huizenga purchased 50% of Joe Robbie Stadium, the site that baseball could be played. In 1991, MLB awarded the area a team, the Florida Marlins, that begin playing in 1993. Joe Robbie Stadium now became a multipurpose facility. When the stadium was built for the Dolphins, Joe Robbie insisted on a rectangular grandstand layout that was wider than needed for football, believing that baseball would one day come to Miami. The seats in the lower level on the north side of the stadium become retractable so the field can be configured for baseball. The first Florida Marlins game played at the stadium was on April 5, 1993. In 1996, Joe Robbie Stadium was renamed Pro Player Stadium, after the company bought the naming rights to the stadium. In January 2005, owner of the Dolphins, Wayne Huizenga announced that Pro Player Stadium would be renamed Dolphin Stadium. Furthermore it was announced that the stadium would be renovated and enlarged. To be completed in three phases over several years the project is expected to cost $300 million. The project includes remodeling of the club level and luxury suites, new scoreboards, additional parking, and eventually a dome or retractable roof. Dolphin Stadium has been the host to two World Series in 1998 and 2003, and three Super Bowls in 1989, 1995 and 1999. It is scheduled to host the Super Bowl in 2010.