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Pro Player Stadium
We pledge a commitment to excellence in service for our guests, sponsors, tenants, partners, employees and media. We are dedicated to creating a fun and rewarding experience during every visit to the facility. Pro Player Stadium is enthusiastically striving to achieve and maintain the undisputed recognition as the "Best Stadium in the Americas."
Now in its 18th year of operation, the 75,000 seat, 115 million dollar, state-of-the-art, open-air facility, originally called Dolphin Stadium, was the first of its kind to be constructed entirely with private funds. The late Joe Robbie led the financing campaign to build "Joe Robbie Stadium" for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. JRS revolutionized the economics of professional sports when it opened in 1987. Inclusion of a Club Level, along with Executive Suites, helped to finance the construction of the stadium. Season ticket holders committed to long term agreements and in return they received first-class amenities in a state-of-the-art facility which is still used as a model for new facilities across the country.
On March 7, 1990, H. Wayne Huizenga, then Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Blockbuster Video and Huizenga Holdings Inc., agreed to purchase fifty percent of Joe Robbie Stadium and became the point man in the drive to bring Major League Baseball to South Florida. That effort was rewarded in July of 1991, when South Florida was awarded a National League expansion franchise. On January 24, 1994, Mr. Huizenga acquired the remaining fifty percent of the stadium to give him 100% ownership. Since 1991, several million dollars have been spent to upgrade and renovate the stadium. The improvement and revitalization of the building under Huizenga allowed the stadium to remain the finest sports and entertainment facility in the United States.
On August 26, 1996, Pro Player, the sports apparel division of Fruit of the Loom, sponsored the renaming of Joe Robbie Stadium as Pro Player Stadium. This industry leader, which specializes in licensed sports apparel, became the first sports marketing and products company to entitle a stadium or arena.
The first football game in Joe Robbie Stadium was held on August 16, 1987, when the Miami Dolphins met the Chicago Bears in a preseason battle. The game also marked the 22nd anniversary of the Dolphins franchise. The stadium hosted the National Football League's premier game, Super Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989. It marked the return of the Super Bowl to South Florida after a ten year absence. A second Super Bowl was hosted when Super Bowl XXIX was played in the facility on January 29, 1995. The Super Bowl returned to Pro Player Stadium on January 31, 1999, when the facility hosted Super Bowl XXXIII.
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