Colorado Is Home to the Highest Football Stadium on Earth

Colorado's Empower Field at Mile High Stadium is usually the first place that comes to mind when people think of football in the Centennial State. Home to the Denver Broncos since 1960, the stadium sits at an elevation of 5,280 feet.

While this is the highest stadium in use today in the NFL, another Colorado team boasts an even more impressive elevation, and some would say an even better view.

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Mountaineer Bowl at Western Colorado University

The highest football stadium in the world is right here in Colorado, but it does not belong to the Denver Broncos. It belongs to the Western Colorado Mountaineers and is located in Gunnison, Colorado. The Mountaineers have won 20 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships in football since 1954.

Elevation and Capacity

The Western Colorado Mountaineers play at an elevation of 7,771 feet. The stadium holds more than 4000 fans, with room for more on the hillsides that surround the field. The view from Gunnison includes several Colorado 14er mountains, and fans can also spot the Curcanti National Recreation Area and Blue Mesa. It's a magical setting for Colorado football fans.

The Mountaineers won their first home game at Mountaineer Bowl in 1948, defeating the Colorado School of Mines by a score of 20-0

Higher Than Mile-High

The Mountaineer Bowl sits 2,491 feet higher than Mile High Stadium. The conditioning it takes to play football at that elevation would probably make most NFL players switch jobs to competitive eating.

LOOK: 25 Fun Colorado High School Mascots That Totally Stand Out

Check out these 25 unique Colorado High School mascots across Centennial State. Some of these mascots are a perfect fit for Colorado, while others seem as if the school just ran out of names. Please scroll through the mascots below and help us decide which one is most unique. Open our station app to suggest even more mascots to add to the list.

Gallery Credit: Wes Adams

MORE: What Is Colorado's Unwritten Rule For Being A Denver Broncos Fan?

Football season is right around the corner, and Broncos Country is getting ready to get rowdy at Mile-High Stadium once again this fall. If you are new to Colorado you may want to become familiar with the unwritten rules of being a Bronco fan before you buy your first orange foam finger. Keep scrolling to learn some tips about being a true Broncos fan.

Gallery Credit: Wesley Adams

KEEP GOING: Robert Grant Photos - Classic Images of Western Colorado Football

After years of collecting and digitizing Western Colorado photographer Robert Grant's prints, it was thought they had all been turned over to Grand Junction's Museum of the West. Well, after a little housekeeping over the Labor Day weekend, three more boxes of prints were found.

Today's subject: Western Colorado Football. Since it's almost autumn, why not look back on images of Western Colorado high school and college Football?

These are random images by late Daily Sentinel photographer Robert Grant. I regret that little information was provided, so for the most part, no names or dates are available.

Gallery Credit: Waylon Jordan

Filed Under: Colorado, Colorado Mountains, Gunnison Colorado, Social

Categories: Colorado Local, Colorado News, Colorado Outdoors, Colorado Sports