Fireworks erupt as the new, renovated Michigan Stadium is dedicated before the Woverine's 2010 season opener Saturday.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

The roar of the crowd swept up from the field as Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson juked a defender and sprinted toward the end zone.

The sound flowed in through the open suite window, where Adam Kasha broke out in a wide grin.

“It’s a whole new experience,” he said. “It’s amazing. They did a great job of really tying it into the whole stadium. It really feels like you’re part of the community.”

Kasha and others who filled the suites lining the two sides of Michigan Stadium got to watch a game in a way that’s never been seen before in the stadium’s history.

Saturday marked the rededication of the renovated stadium and the opening of the new luxury boxes and club seats. It also brought in a record crowd of 113,090.

It also brought the Wolverines their first win of the season as they triumphed over the University of Connecticut, 30-10.

The day was filled with ceremonial ribbon-cuttings, two airplane flyovers, an inspirational walk across the field and, of course, plenty of football.

Michigan junior slot receiver Martavious Odoms and sophomore safety Brandin Hawthorne celebrate in the stands with the students after Michigan's 30-10 win.

Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com

Athletic Director Dave Brandon said after he game he wanted to give fans a great ceremony to mark the first major rededication of the stadium since it opened in 1927.

“I said, ‘If we can have one flyover, why not have two? Why not have pyrotechnics?’” he said.

Brandon said his marketing team spent several months planning the day. And fans appreciated the effort.

“The stadium looked great, it felt like a fall day, and we won,” said longtime fan Lynn Estel. “What more could you ask for?”

U-M announced in 2006 it would spend the next several years rebuilding the iconic stadium. The university spent more than $220 million on the renovations.

The biggest additions were luxury seats and boxes.

Kasha’s suite featured two rows of soft stadium-style seating in the front, for a total of 14 seats.

Large windows were open at the front of the suite, allowing the sounds to wash in from the band, which was seated down in the stands under the suite.

Several bar-style seats ran along a counter immediately behind the seats. A large television was playing the game over a kitchen area, which was filled with catered food. Another, smaller flat-screen TV hung in front of the suite.

Large glass windows separate each suite, allowing people in them to see all the way down the row.

In the large hallways, couches and chairs were scattered in various nooks.

“The suite is so much better than I anticipated,” Kasha said.

Kasha is the president of Ann Arbor-based Akasha, which rented the suite.

Suites come with an annual price tag of up to $85,000. Club level chair back seating was also added and costs $2,500 to $4,000 a season.

To support the suites, two large towers were added, creating large concourses underneath. The east one was named after former athletic director Bill Martin during a ceremony Saturday before the start of the game. Martin was AD when the project started, and he retired earlier this year.

Michigan students get the wave in motion during fourth quarter action.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

The east concourse features photographs of star players from previous years, while the west concourse holds team photos of various U-M football teams over the years.

“It looks great,” said fan Mary Ires as she waited in line for some pizza. “I didn’t know if I was going to like it, but they really did a good job with it.”

Players said the structures, which were up during last year’s season but didn’t have all the glass in, helped to make the stadium louder.

Junior tight end Kevin Koger said he noticed a difference.

“It was definitely louder. You could definitely tell a difference,” he said. “Even when you're in there by yourself, you can hear stuff echoing, you can definitely tell. We had some walkthroughs over here and you hear people yelling, and you could hear it bounce off the windows. You can definitely tell it was loud in here today.”

The physical look of the stadium wasn’t the only change. The university made a few other rules changes for the season, including banning water bottles being brought into the stadium.

Before the game, some worried about possible long lines for the free cups of water the university promised instead. But the combination of cool temperatures and plenty of water made it a moot issue.

Tina Ralston walked right up to a “hydration station” during halftime and grabbed a cup off a large table.

“I’ve gotten a couple of cups so far (in the game) and it hasn’t been a big deal,” she said. “It takes longer to get out of the stands back here than to actually get the water.”

The renovations allowed the university to pack the most people ever to watch a football game in one stadium, in either the college or professional ranks. It also eclipsed the Michigan stadium record of 112,118, set in 2003 for the 100th game between Ohio State and Michigan.

Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez said during his post-game press conference that he normally doesn’t pay attention to the announcement of the crowd size, but heard it today because the game was pretty much in hand by then. He said the crowd impressed him, and he was glad his team could deliver a victory.

“It was a great day for Michigan football,” Rodriguez said.

AnnArbor.com sports reporter Michael Rothstein contributed to this story. David Jesse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at davidjesse@annarbor.com or at 734-623-2534.