Campus Alert Archive
UW-Madison

70 Rows of Students Became 40 at the Chain-Link Fence That Changed Stadium Design Forever

WIevacuationemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On October 30, 1993, after Wisconsin beat Michigan 13-10 in Camp Randall Stadium, students rushed the field and were trapped against a chain-link fence at the field's edge, crushing 69 people in a bottlenecked stampede, including 10 who were rendered unconscious and pulseless. Paramedics from across Dane County responded, and all 69 injured were treated at area hospitals; remarkably, no one died. The incident became a landmark case for stadium safety design, leading UW-Madison to add aisles to the student section and remove the field-level fence.

Alerts
3
Response
5 min
Killed
0
Injured
69
Institution
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public R1 · WI
~41,000 studentsNone (pre-mass-notification era; PA system only)
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPA System
Approximate reconstruction135 chars
[Fans are urged to remain in their seats. Do not attempt to rush the field. Emergency personnel are responding in the student section.]

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The PA announcements came too late to prevent the crush; students in upper rows continued pushing forward as those below were already pinned against the chain-link fence
In 1993 UW-Madison had no SMS, email, or digital mass-notification system; the PA and radio broadcasts at Camp Randall were the only real-time communication tools
The game ended approximately 3:05 PM CST; the crush developed within seconds of the final whistle as students in the general-admission student section surged downhill toward the single fence
UPDATEPA System
Approximate reconstruction231 chars
[Medical emergency in the student section. Please clear the lower rows and allow emergency personnel access. Anyone requiring medical attention should remain in place. Fans who are able should move to the upper sections and exits.]

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Camp Randall crush brought paramedics from throughout Dane County; the University of Wisconsin and Madison General Hospital treated the most seriously injured
Ten of the 69 injured were found pulseless and not breathing when EMS arrived; paramedics performed CPR and resuscitated all 10
The student section at the time had 70 unbroken rows of general-admission seating without a single aisle, meaning the entire student section compressed toward the fence simultaneously
ALL CLEARPA System
Approximate reconstruction262 chars
[The medical emergency in the student section has been addressed. Emergency personnel have treated those requiring assistance. Fans may now exit the stadium through all available exits. The university will provide further information regarding today's incident.]

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

By late afternoon, all 69 injured had been removed from the stadium and transported to University of Wisconsin Hospital and Madison General Hospital
Seven people remained in intensive care late Saturday night, with neurological and orthopedic injuries; all ultimately survived
No fatalities occurred despite 10 cardiac arrests on-site; the rapid EMS response from Dane County agencies was credited with preventing deaths
Context

Background

The 1993 Camp Randall Stadium crush is one of the most consequential crowd-safety incidents in US college athletics history, because it happened without any structural failure: a fence, a crowd, and a design that left no escape route. On October 30, 1993, Wisconsin defeated Michigan 13-10 in Camp Randall Stadium -- the first Badger win over Michigan since 1981. When the final whistle blew, the UW student section surged toward the field. The student section at the time consisted of 70 unbroken rows of general-admission seating without a single aisle, sloping downhill to a chain-link fence at the field perimeter. Students in the upper rows pushed forward while those at the bottom were already pinned against the fence; the section compressed from 70 rows into approximately 40 in seconds. Sixty-nine people were crushed or trampled; ten were found pulseless and not breathing. Paramedics from across Dane County converged on Camp Randall and resuscitated all ten cardiac arrests on-site. Seven people remained hospitalized in intensive care that evening with neurological and orthopedic injuries; remarkably, none of the 69 injured died. In the aftermath, courts found UW-Madison and security contractor Per Mar Security Services liable for the crush, and the university redesigned the stadium: aisles were added to the student section and the field-level chain-link fence was removed. The 1993 Camp Randall crush became a mandatory case study in stadium crowd-management research and directly influenced general-admission policies at college venues across the country. It is one of the clearest examples of how architectural design, absent any external threat, can turn celebration into mass casualty in seconds.
Analysis

Key Findings

Sixty-nine people were injured when UW-Madison students surged toward the field after the final whistle of a 13-10 win over Michigan on October 30, 1993
Ten students were found pulseless and not breathing when EMS arrived; all ten were resuscitated on-site with no fatalities
The student section's design -- 70 rows of general-admission seating without a single aisle, sloping downhill to a chain-link fence -- created the bottleneck
In 1993 UW-Madison had no SMS or digital mass-notification system; PA announcements were the only real-time alert tool available
Courts found UW-Madison and Per Mar Security Services liable; Camp Randall was redesigned with aisles and the field fence was removed
Outcome
69 people injured, with 10 found unconscious and pulseless; all survived after emergency treatment. Courts found UW-Madison and security contractor Per Mar Security Services liable. Camp Randall was redesigned with aisles in the student section and the field-level chain-link fence was removed. The university settled lawsuits totaling several million dollars.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    The Camp Randall Stadium stampede, 25 years later - The Bozho
    thebozho.com
  2. News
    Revisiting the 1993 Camp Randall stampede - Capital Times
    captimes.com
  3. News
    Looking back: 29 years since the Camp Randall stadium rush - WKOW
    wkow.com
  4. Source
    Study of Camp Randall Stampede - University of Wisconsin Law Blog
    wisblawg.law.wisc.edu
  5. News
    Camp Randall crush remembered as frightening call for stadium changes - Wisconsin State Journal
    madison.com
Tags
crowd-crushfield-stormingstadium-safetymass-casualtypre-modern-alertinglandmark-casewisconsinpublic-r1historicalfootballdesign-failure
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion