It was a smooth opening to the 2004 college football season at FedExField on Saturday night, as the Washington Redskins' home stadium hosted USC and Virginia Tech in the 2004 Black Coaches Association (BCA) Football Classic.
The two teams kicked off in front of a packed house--a record sell-out crowd of 91,665 at FedExField. During the 2004 offseason, 5,000 new seats were installed at FedExField, making it the largest stadium in the NFL by more than 11,000 seats.
Parking lots filled early with well-appointed tailgaters supporting both the Hokies and Trojans, flying their school colors across the grounds of FedEx Field.
Tailgaters filled the 25,000 on-site parking spots, and took advantage of an additional 6,000 spaces in the cash lots nearby. Enthusiastic fans were able to pack into the stadium before kickoff and gave their teams a rousing welcome as they took the field.
The game was broadcast by ESPN. In addition, ESPN2 produced a simulcast behind-the-scenes look at the entire game production, with ESPN2 cameras moving throughout the stadium and grounds, giving viewers a birds-eye view of what it takes to put together the live production: on-the-field, in the production trucks, from the studio, along the sidelines, in the tunnels, from the rafters and all-around the concourses and grounds of the NFL's largest stadium.
The BCA Football Classic is the first of two college games to be played at FedExField this fall.
The contest between Southern Cal and Virginia Tech will be followed up by the Prince George's Classic on Sept. 18, featuring Howard University and Alcorn State.
FedExField hosts a number of special events throughout the year.
In addition to the college games, the stadium has hosted high profile concerts including The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and Metallica's Summer Sanitarium Tour, as well as special Redskins events, including the team's annual Draft Day Party and the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation's 4th and Life High School Football Forum each fall.
