Texas high school football stadiums are a different breed. Here are DFW's most impressive, ranked.
1. Eagle Stadium — Allen, TX
- Capacity: 18,000
- Cost: $60 million (yes, really)
- Features: Video scoreboard, turf field, luxury boxes
- Fun fact: Had structural issues and was closed for repairs in 2014. Fixed and reopened. Allen went undefeated again.
2. AT&T Stadium — Arlington (UIL State Championships)
- NFL stadium hosts the Texas state football championships
- 80,000+ capacity for the biggest high school games in America
- Nothing else in the country compares to this
3. McKinney ISD Stadium
- Capacity: 12,000
- Shared between McKinney and McKinney North
- Modern design, excellent sight lines
4. Dragon Stadium — Southlake Carroll
- Capacity: 11,500
- Home of one of the most dominant programs in Texas history
- Friday nights here are an EVENT — the entire city shows up
5. Buddy Echols Field — Coppell
- Capacity: 9,000
- Beautiful facility for a smaller school district
6. Clark Stadium — Plano
- Capacity: 17,000
- One of the oldest big-time HS stadiums in DFW
- Plano East vs. Plano Senior rivalry games fill it up
Why Texas HS football is different:
- Total investment in HS football facilities across Texas exceeds $3 BILLION. Source: Houston Chronicle investigation.
- UIL State Championship weekend at AT&T Stadium draws 100,000+ fans across all divisions
- Texas produces more Division I college football players than any other state. Source: 247Sports
- Some DFW HS coaches make $150K+. Source: Texas Tribune public salary database.
Source: District bond documents, MaxPreps, UIL, 247Sports recruiting database
The coaching salaries are wild. Head coach at a top 6A program in DFW makes more than most college assistant coaches. Because winning state is THAT important here.