Ladd–Peebles Stadium, Football stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
Ladd–Peebles Stadium is a 33,471-seat American football stadium in Mobile, Alabama, opened in 1948. Its FieldTurf field, installed in 2004, is marked with white yard lines and the words "GMAC BOWL". Light gray concrete bleachers rise behind a low green hedge, and a press box with dark windows and a "GMAC FINANCIAL SERVICES" sign sits at the top center.
Built in 1948 by Bender Shipbuilding with private funds from a local banker honoring Ernest F. Ladd, the stadium's first game on October 2, 1948, saw Alabama and Vanderbilt tie 14-14. Renamed Ladd–Peebles Stadium in 1997 after an $8.1 million renovation, it hosted the Senior Bowl from 1950 until January 2020.
The stadium's name honors banker Ernest F. Ladd, who died in 1941, and civic leader E. B. Peebles, added in the 1997 renaming for his work reviving the Senior Bowl. Today it hosts two HBCU classics: the Gulf Coast Challenge (Jackson State vs. Alabama A&M) and the Port City Classic (Alabama State vs. Mississippi Valley State).
The grounds offer parking for several thousand vehicles and numerous food and beverage stands throughout the stadium. Visitors should expect crowds, especially during major games, and should allow extra time for parking and entry.
The playing surface has been FieldTurf since 2004, not grass. On May 4–5, 1955, a country-and-western package tour played two nightly shows here, with a then-unknown Elvis Presley on the bill alongside Hank Snow and June Carter.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,965 contributors worldwide.