Originally known as Cougar Stadium, the stadium was renamed with the retirement of legendary head football coach LaVell Edwards at the conclusion of the 2000 season.
Edwards Stadium was built in 1964 with a seating capacity of 45,000 (including temporary bleachers placed at each of the end zones). As a result of increased seating demands, BYU made another renovation in 1982, adding stands to the north and south end zones, lowering the field eight feet and removing the track surrounding the field (home to the 1967 and 1975 NCAA Track and Field Championships).
The stadium expansion increased the seating capacity to over 65,000. The crowd of 64,253 that gathered for BYU's first game in the expanded stadium on September 25, 1982 was reported at the time as "the largest gathering ever in Utah history."
Since its expansion in 1982, the stadium has consistently ranked among the nation's top 25 in attendance.
Some of the stadium's well-known features include a box-bowl seating configuration, a grass playing surface and a four-level press box.
After various seating renovations and accomodations, current capacity is 62,073.
2024 UPDATES
For the 2024 season, BYU installed new natural grass for the playing surface and replaced the field turf in the team bench areas and surrounding sidelines. New LED lighting and light fixtures were installed. Suites also received remodels and numerous seating areas were updated with new seats and club level areas to enhance the LaVell Edwards Stadium experience. A new addition to the post-game media area as also completed for the fall of
2024 NEW VIDEO BOARDS, LED RIBBONS AND SOUND SYSTEM
In 2021, new video boards, LED ribbon boards and a new sound system were installed. The project was funded completely by Nu Skin, a longtime partner and corporate sponsor of BYU Athletics. Both video boards at the north and south ends of the stadium were replaced. The old dimensions were 34 by 50 feet, the new dimensions of the south board will be 48 by 131 feet and the north board is 36 by 72 feet. New LED ribbon boards were also be installed on the north and south ends of the stadium to match the current ribbon board on the east side of the stadium. The north and south ribbon boards are now eight-foot ribbon boards. A new single point sound system replaced the old sound system in the north end zone, which significantly enhanced the audio experience for those in attendance.
2019 UPGRADES & IMPROVEMENTS
Structural sections at the four corners of the stadium were added for the 2019 season that connect the existing four independent stadium stands at the mezzanine level. The upgrades improve accessibility, safety and the overall patron experience at BYU football games, allowing fans to walk between stands without having to return to ground level and increasing the number of services and restrooms in the stadium with women’s, men’s and family-friendly facilities being added on the north and south mezzanine levels. In 2022, BYU added more corporate sponsorship areas and Club 22, a hosting area inside the stadium.
WI-FI AND DAS
In 2018, BYU became the first college football program in the country to implement a full-stadium, high-density Wi-Fi offload solution used in many NFL stadiums. BYU partnered with Verizon Wireless and Extreme Networks to install new state-of-the-art Wi-Fi and distributed antenna system (DAS) in Edwards Stadium. The cutting-edge system provides BYU fans and vendors the ultimate large-venue mobile connectivity experience.