An almost ten-month wait ended on Saturday, as the new Stanford Stadium emerged from its cocoon, an ugly caterpillar transformed into a beautiful butterfly.

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Adrian Gaitan

Provost John Etchemendy, John Arrillaga, Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby, and President John Hennessy ceremonially cut the ribbon on the new stadium.

The final whistle had barely sounded on the Cardinal's season-ending 38-31 loss to Notre Dame last fall when bulldozers began tearing up the field. Since that moment, construction has proceeded at a frantic pace, with workers toiling sixteen hours a day, six days a week. The new stadium has been billed as more comfortable and intimate, with 50,000 seats, down from 85,500. With the removal of the track and fence surrounding the football field, fans were also brought 70 to 100 feet closer to the action

There were other upgrades that ranged from the big (three new tunnels and a new scoreboard) to the small (six inches of additional leg room per seat). Notably, the student section was also changed from bench to chair seating. Though the seats are more comfortable, it is harder for large groups to sit together if they arrive late.

The changes cost $90 million, and took a total of 1,209,600 man-hours. Materials included 14,000 cubic yards of concrete, 40,000 cubic yards of imported earth, and 600 tons of sand, along with 24 miles of audio/visual cable and three miles of water, sewer, and drain pipes.

If ticket sales are any indication, fan reactions to the new stadium have been positive. The Athletic Department, which sells most seats before the season starts, has sold an average of 41,425 tickets per game for this season, compared to the 13,700 average last season.

"We've put together a campaign to bring back the Stanford faithful as well as a broader Bay Area base," said Chris Hutchins, special assistant to the director of athletics. "We far exceeded our original objectives."

Hutchins said interest from Bay Area families far outstripped expectations; the Athletic Department sold the 5,700 tickets initially available under the family ticket plan, and released 2,300 more, selling those as well. "We're really pleased," she said.

Still, some students harbor reservations about the renovations.

"The new stadium is beautiful and the festivities were painstakingly choreographed, but everything felt a little too sterile," said junior Sean Arenson. "It seemed more like a professional sporting event than a college football experience, and it was simply lacking in tradition."

Other fans at the game said they were looking forward to coming back.

"It has a nice future vibe," said sophomore Jason Feng. "It's going to be fun to watch games there when our team is good."