From mid-January to summertime, the open, grassy space between the Frank M. Moody Music Building on the campus of The University of Alabama and Arby’s on University Boulevard appears deserted. The only signs of prior life are the faded yard lines that outline a 100-by-50-yard football field and a white tower on the front sideline of the field. The lines on the field are deeply engrained in the dirt and create a grid of 42 parallel lines from end zone to end zone and 21 parallel lines from sideline to sideline with holes wherever the lines intersect. A sign on one side of the white tower denotes the space as “Butler Field – Home of the ‘Million Dollar Band’ – The University of Alabama.” A sign on the side of the field beside University Boulevard reads “Butler Field – Named in Honor of Col. Carleton K. Butler Director of ‘The Million Dollar Band’ 1935-1969” and further signifies the purpose of the place. Butler Field is part of a rich history and tradition that has been around for 100 years – The University of Alabama Million Dollar Band.



Butler Field has not been a field for long, according to Dr. Robert Mellown, a professor emeritus of art history at the University. “The area was originally a subdivision. The University of Alabama acquired the area in the early 1970s, demolished the houses and stores, and redeveloped the area.”