Fans take the field

Image 11 of 12

(Image: Fans take the field, 1970s) By the 1970s, the Stadium held a simulator for the OSU diving squad and indoor basketball courts. It had hosted the Junior Olympics, the Special Olympics and the Browns-Bengals game. Pink Floyd, replete with inflated hog, played the stadium in 1988; the University's Board of Trustees, however, quashed concert proposals by the Rolling Stones and the Who. In 1992, a 40-year-old Columbus man leapt to his death from a portal on C-deck; the University began employing sitters to keep "wanderers" out of harm's way. On November 1, 1993, fans rushed the field after a victory over Penn State, attempted to take down the south goalpost, failed, turned to the north goalpost, and were met by a cloud of mace uncorked by state troopers. After failed bids for the Olympics and the collapse of the World League of American Football, the city of Columbus reeled in a professional sports franchise: Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew opened the 1996 season that April 13 in Ohio Stadium against the D.C. United. Responding to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, no bags or containers of any kind were allowed into the Stadium for the Northwestern game of October 6. Ohio Stadium has prepared itself for riot, suicide, terrorism and rock 'n' roll, and has weathered it all.