Bank of America Stadium
The ground beneath Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, once held the Good Samaritan Hospital. This location was chosen for the stadium after the Panthers organization considered several other sites. One alternative sat near NASCAR's Charlotte Motor Speedway and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Another option existed at the intersection of I-85 and US 74 in western Gaston County. A popular idea placed the facility near Carowinds amusement park with the fifty-yard line on the state border between North Carolina and South Carolina. The final decision rested on the center city site where the hospital stood. As part of the preparation for the 2019 Equal Justice Initiative Community Remembrance Project, Charlotte historian Michael Moore determined this specific plot was significant. It marked the location of the city's first known lynching in 1913. The historical weight of the land added a layer of complexity to the construction plans that began in the mid-1990s.
Stadium officials opened the venue on the 3rd of August 1996, under the name Ericsson Stadium. Swedish telecom company LM Ericsson purchased the naming rights in a ten-year agreement worth twenty-five million dollars. Former Panthers president Danny Morrison later called it a classic American stadium due to its bowl design. In 2004, Charlotte-based financial services company Bank of America purchased the naming rights again. This new deal spanned twenty years and cost one hundred forty million dollars. Since then, many fans now refer to the stadium as BOA or The Bank. The original name Carolinas Stadium remains in use for certain events such as FIFA matches. The transition from Ericsson Stadium to Bank of America Stadium reflects decades of corporate sponsorship agreements spanning multiple generations of ownership.
Three huge main entrances incorporate the team colors of black, process blue, and silver into the architecture. Arches connecting column supports on the upper deck resemble the shape of half a football. Several acres of numerous trees and landscaping surround the building. The stadium's architecture has been compared to that of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Soldier Field. It received mentions for externally resembling a fortress instead of a typical stadium. Each entrance is flanked by two larger-than-life bronze panther statues named Indomitable Spirit. These six statues were installed in 1996 and depict crouching, snarling panthers with green eyes. They are the largest sculptures ever commissioned in the United States. Names of the team's original PSL owners are engraved into each statue's base. Six light domes sit over a hundred feet in the air above the main entrances. Originally they simply glowed process blue every night before LED systems replaced the aging technology during renovations.
The Panthers played their inaugural season at Clemson University's Memorial Stadium while construction continued. On the 3rd of August 1996, the stadium hosted its first professional football game as the Panthers took on the Chicago Bears. Carolina won thirty points to twelve. The stadium's first regular season game took place on the 1st of September 1996, against division rival Atlanta. The Panthers won twenty-nine to six. In 1996, the team defeated the defending Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys in the first playoff game the stadium hosted. Carolina has had over one hundred fifty consecutive sellouts starting with the 2002 season. The largest crowd to ever attend a football game was on the 9th of September 2018, when seventy-four thousand five hundred thirty-two people watched the Panthers defeat the Dallas Cowboys sixteen to eight. The facility has hosted seven playoff games including victories over the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.
During the 2014, 2017 renovation period, the stadium underwent multi-phase efforts totaling two hundred fifty million dollars. In January 2014, the Panthers began the most significant renovations to the stadium in its eighteen-year history. Two two-hundred-foot by fifty-six-foot HD video boards replaced previous scoreboards. Four ribbon boards from Daktronics became the tallest in the NFL. Escalators were installed for the upper deck making access easier for fans. A new surround sound system included speakers placed around the perimeter of the bowl doubling as flagpoles. Four covered open-air sections called fan plazas were added to the upper deck. LED-enhanced glass domes were installed along with new external signage above the main entrances. By 2015, all one hundred fifty-eight existing luxury suites were renovated or replaced. Almost one hundred full-body scanners replaced traditional pat-downs at the main entrances during the 2016 phase. The final major renovation updated the lower-level concourse with new signage and refurbished concessions.
Bank of America Stadium does not serve as the primary home stadium for any college football team yet has hosted many games since 1996. The ACC Championship Game pits the top two teams against each other on the first Saturday in December. Prior to 2024, the game was played between division winners and held at the stadium from 2010 to 2015. The Duke's Mayo Bowl takes place annually in late December featuring teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference against SEC or Big Ten opponents. Major League Soccer awarded an expansion team to Charlotte that started play in 2022 as Charlotte FC. The stadium saw its first MLS-related action when it hosted matches between academy teams on the 31st of October 2020. The team made their home debut on the 5th of March 2022, in front of seventy-four thousand four hundred seventy-nine spectators. This set a new MLS record for stand-alone match attendance. Most matches only use the lower bowl and club level capping capacity at thirty-eight thousand.
Concerts were a rarity for many years until David Tepper bought the Panthers and stadium in 2018. On the 10th of October 1997, The Rolling Stones performed during the Bridges to Babylon Tour with fifty-four thousand four hundred thirty-six attendees. A four-day Billy Graham crusade was held at the stadium in 1996. The closing night of the 2012 Democratic National Convention was scheduled for the 6th of September 2012 but relocated due to thunderstorms. On the 9th of August 2023, Beyoncé headlined the Renaissance World Tour drawing fifty-three thousand six hundred twelve fans. This event became the highest-grossing boxscore report in the stadium's history. It marked the first female act and black artist to headline a concert there. Metallica performed on the 31st of May 2025 as part of the M72 World Tour. The stadium also hosted the Savannah Bananas on June 6 and 7, 2025 where both events sold out completely.
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Common questions
What was the original name of Bank of America Stadium when it opened in 1996?
Stadium officials opened the venue on the 3rd of August 1996, under the name Ericsson Stadium. Swedish telecom company LM Ericsson purchased the naming rights in a ten-year agreement worth twenty-five million dollars.
Why is the location of Bank of America Stadium historically significant to Charlotte historians?
Charlotte historian Michael Moore determined this specific plot marked the location of the city's first known lynching in 1913. The historical weight of the land added a layer of complexity to the construction plans that began in the mid-1990s.
How many bronze panther statues flank the main entrances at Bank of America Stadium and what are they named?
Each entrance is flanked by two larger-than-life bronze panther statues named Indomitable Spirit. These six statues were installed in 1996 and depict crouching, snarling panthers with green eyes.
When did Bank of America purchase the naming rights for the stadium and how much did the deal cost?
In 2004, Charlotte-based financial services company Bank of America purchased the naming rights again. This new deal spanned twenty years and cost one hundred forty million dollars.
What MLS record was set when Charlotte FC played their home debut at Bank of America Stadium on March 5th 2022?
The team made their home debut on the 5th of March 2022, in front of seventy-four thousand four hundred seventy-nine spectators. This set a new MLS record for stand-alone match attendance.