Memorial Stadium (University of Minnesota)
Encyclopedia
Memorial Stadium, also known as the "Brick House," was an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota
in Minneapolis
. It was the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers
football
team for 58 seasons, from 1924 until 1981. Before moving to Memorial Stadium in 1924, the Gophers played at Northrop Field
. Starting in 1982, the Gophers played their home games in the new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
, and Memorial Stadium was demolished a decade later. After 27 seasons indoors, the Gophers returned to campus in 2009 at the new TCF Bank Stadium
, a block from the site of Memorial Stadium.
, which ended six years earlier. The stadium sat on approximately 11 acres (45,000 m²).
During that span the team won six national championships including three consecutive (1934-1936). The championship years were 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, and 1960. The official capacity
of the stadium during the 1970s was listed as 56,652. The stadium seated approximately 66,000 people with additional temporary bleachers, although many of the seats were far away from the field. The stadium's attendance record was 66,284, set in 1966 against Purdue
on November 18th.
Memorial Stadium also served as the university's track and field venue, and was an occasional back-up venue for professional football and soccer. In
1969
, the NFL
's Minnesota Vikings
played a regular season game against the Green Bay Packers
at Memorial Stadium, due to a conflict with a Minnesota Twins
playoff game at Metropolitan Stadium
. The Vikings also played a 1971 pre-season game at Memorial. The Minnesota Kicks
of the NASL
played one game at Memorial Stadium, which was also their last. They played a 1981 playoff game there on September 6th against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and lost 3-0. The game was moved due to a schedule conflict with the Minnesota Twins
at Met Stadium.
Memorial Stadium served as the anchor for Stadium Village, a small commercial area at the southeast portion of the Twin Cities campus.
cited the advantages of recruiting by playing in a new NFL venue. Also, the attendance was expected to go up in the late fall with protection from harsh weather. The stadium had been neglected by this time, and was badly in need of renovation. New coach Lou Holtz
gave an impassioned speech when the time came in 1984 to decide whether to remain at the Metrodome, and declared that "athletes want to play at the Dome."
that would extend into the field at the open end of the horseshoe and ensure that there could be no return to Memorial Stadium. After legal challenges to halt construction of the natatorium failed, the Aquatic Center opened in 1990 and the stadium was torn down two years later. The original brick entrance arch was preserved, and when the McNamara Alumni Center
was built on the same site it was installed in the interior atrium over the entrance to a small museum.
On May 20, 2006, the Minnesota state legislature passed a bill providing funding for a new stadium on the university
campus, to be named TCF Bank Stadium
and completed in the fall of 2009. The original Memorial Stadium site could not be used, due to the construction of the aquatic and alumni centers. The new stadium is located about a block from where the old stadium once stood, and was designed so that the alumni center on the old site is visible through the open end of the horseshoe.
44.9754093°N 93.228575°W
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. It was the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are the college sports team for the University of Minnesota. The university fields both men's and women's teams in basketball, cross country, gymnastics, golf, ice hockey, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Men's-specific sports include baseball, football, and...
football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team for 58 seasons, from 1924 until 1981. Before moving to Memorial Stadium in 1924, the Gophers played at Northrop Field
Northrop Field
Northrop Field was the on-campus stadium of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team from 1899 to 1923. The original field had seating of around 3,000 and was named for University President Cyrus Northrop. After the 1902 season, the playing field was moved and new seating was added that allowed...
. Starting in 1982, the Gophers played their home games in the new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
, and Memorial Stadium was demolished a decade later. After 27 seasons indoors, the Gophers returned to campus in 2009 at the new TCF Bank Stadium
TCF Bank Stadium
TCF Bank Stadium, sometimes referred to as either "The Bank" or "The Gopher Hole," is the football stadium for the Minnesota Golden Gophers college football team at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
, a block from the site of Memorial Stadium.
History
The stadium opened on October 14, 1924. It was dedicated to 3527 students, graduates, and workers who served in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, which ended six years earlier. The stadium sat on approximately 11 acres (45,000 m²).
During that span the team won six national championships including three consecutive (1934-1936). The championship years were 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, and 1960. The official capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of the stadium during the 1970s was listed as 56,652. The stadium seated approximately 66,000 people with additional temporary bleachers, although many of the seats were far away from the field. The stadium's attendance record was 66,284, set in 1966 against Purdue
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
on November 18th.
Memorial Stadium also served as the university's track and field venue, and was an occasional back-up venue for professional football and soccer. In
1969
1969 NFL season
The 1969 NFL season was the 50th regular season of the National Football League, and the last one before the AFL-NFL Merger. To honor the NFL's 50th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season.As per the...
, the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
played a regular season game against the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
at Memorial Stadium, due to a conflict with a Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
playoff game at Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The area where the stadium once stood is now the site of the Mall of America...
. The Vikings also played a 1971 pre-season game at Memorial. The Minnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks were a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League. The team had relocated to Minnesota after having been based in Denver, Colorado as the Denver Dynamos...
of the NASL
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
played one game at Memorial Stadium, which was also their last. They played a 1981 playoff game there on September 6th against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and lost 3-0. The game was moved due to a schedule conflict with the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
at Met Stadium.
Memorial Stadium served as the anchor for Stadium Village, a small commercial area at the southeast portion of the Twin Cities campus.
Move to Metrodome 1982
Pressured by downtown Minneapolis business interests and athletic boosters, the school elected to move out of the stadium to the new Metrodome, about two miles (3 km) away, during the spring of 1982. Athletic director Paul GielPaul Giel
Paul Robert Giel was a football and baseball player from Winona, Minnesota.Giel attended the University of Minnesota, where he was a star quarterback for the Gophers. His career totals were 2,188 yards rushing, 1,922 yards passing...
cited the advantages of recruiting by playing in a new NFL venue. Also, the attendance was expected to go up in the late fall with protection from harsh weather. The stadium had been neglected by this time, and was badly in need of renovation. New coach Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
gave an impassioned speech when the time came in 1984 to decide whether to remain at the Metrodome, and declared that "athletes want to play at the Dome."
University Aquatic center
Following the move, the University of Minnesota proposed a new natatoriumNatatorium
A natatorium is a term given for a building containing a swimming pool. In Latin, a cella natatoria was a swimming pool in its own building, although it is sometimes also used to refer to any indoor pool even if not housed in a dedicated building...
that would extend into the field at the open end of the horseshoe and ensure that there could be no return to Memorial Stadium. After legal challenges to halt construction of the natatorium failed, the Aquatic Center opened in 1990 and the stadium was torn down two years later. The original brick entrance arch was preserved, and when the McNamara Alumni Center
McNamara Alumni Center
The McNamara Alumni Center, also known as the Gateway Building, at the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis, Minnesota is one of the more architecturally-unique buildings in the area. Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction began the complex in March 1998 and completed...
was built on the same site it was installed in the interior atrium over the entrance to a small museum.
Aftermath
The move to the Metrodome proved to be disappointing in the long run, as the home games lost the charm of being on a college campus. The Gophers had the lowest priority in scheduling, behind the Twins and Vikings, and had to move games if the Twins were in the baseball playoffs. The university also gave up most concession and parking revenue, although their portion of the rent was the lowest of the three Metrodome tenants.On May 20, 2006, the Minnesota state legislature passed a bill providing funding for a new stadium on the university
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
campus, to be named TCF Bank Stadium
TCF Bank Stadium
TCF Bank Stadium, sometimes referred to as either "The Bank" or "The Gopher Hole," is the football stadium for the Minnesota Golden Gophers college football team at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
and completed in the fall of 2009. The original Memorial Stadium site could not be used, due to the construction of the aquatic and alumni centers. The new stadium is located about a block from where the old stadium once stood, and was designed so that the alumni center on the old site is visible through the open end of the horseshoe.
Attendance
| Year | Total | Games | Season highest | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 139,772 | 6 | Illinois (35,341) | 23,297 |
| 1925 | 193,707 | 7 | Notre Dame (49,009) | 27,672 |
| 1926 | 156,032 | 5 | Michigan (58,362) | 31,206 |
| 1927 | 166,848 | 5 | Wisconsin (48,443) | 23,126 |
| 1928 | 146,185 | 5 | Chicago (53,016) | 29,237 |
| 1929 | 204,083 | 6 | Michigan (58,160) | 34,014 |
| 1930 | 167,728 | 6 | Northwestern (50,225) | 27,955 |
| 1931 | 115,631 | 5 | Wisconsin (48,443) | 23,126 |
| 1932 | 113,956 | 5 | Northwestern (52,426) | 43,557 |
| 1933 | 164,301 | 6 | Iowa (41,177) | 27,384 |
| 1934 | 192,922 | 5 | Michigan (59,362) | 38,584 |
| 1935 | 217,785 | 5 | Northwestern (52,426) | 43,557 |
| 1936 | 247,653 | 5 | Iowa (61,172) | 49,531 |
| 1937 | 254,188 | 5 | Notre Dame (63,237) | 50,838 |
| 1938 | 237,000 | 5 | Michigan (54,212) | 47,400 |
| 1939 | 229,954 | 5 | Northwestern (52,372) | 45,991 |
| 1940 | 234,990 | 5 | Michigan (61,976) | 46,998 |
| 1941 | 239,227 | 5 | Northwestern (61,784) | 47,845 |
| 1942 | 231,307 | 6 | Michigan (52,351) | 38,551 |
| 1943 | 182,779 | 7 | Purdue (38,709) | 26,111 |
| 1944 | 179,979 | 6 | Northwestern (39,997) | 29,997 |
| 1945 | 246,931 | 6 | Ohio State (55,789) | 41,155 |
| 1946 | 328,003 | 6 | Michigan (59,037) | 54,667 |
| 1947 | 289,612 | 5 | Purdue (61,087) | 57,922 |
| 1948 | 308,556 | 5 | Purdue (65,549) | 61,711 |
| 1949 | 305,200 | 5 | Wisconsin (63,139) | 61,040 |
| 1950 | 267,015 | 5 | Iowa (60,312) | 53,403 |
| 1951 | 224,759 | 5 | Nebraska (54,573) | 45,152 |
| 1952 | 270,292 | 5 | Iowa (60,376) | 54,058 |
| 1953 | 293,313 | 5 | Michigan (62,795) | 58,663 |
| 1954 | 347,555 | 6 | Iowa (65,464) | 57,926 |
| 1955 | 305,581 | 5 | USC (64,074) | 61,116 |
| 1956 | 372,654 | 6 | Iowa (64,235) | 62,109 |
| 1957 | 314,769 | 5 | Purdue (64,629) | 62,954 |
| 1958 | 282,230 | 5 | Iowa (63,726) | 56,446 |
| 1959 | 256,039 | 5 | Michigan (56,082) | 51,208 |
| 1960 | 342,199 | 6 | Iowa (65,292) | 57,033 |
| 1961 | 361,929 | 6 | Purdue (66,284) | 60,322 |
| 1962 | 368,200 | 6 | Iowa (65,061) | 61,367 |
| 1963 | 286,797 | 5 | Michigan (61,817) | 57,759 |
| 1964 | 268,908 | 5 | Iowa (62,514) | 53,782 |
| 1965 | 302,747 | 6 | Michigan (58,519) | 50,458 |
| 1966 | 248,248 | 5 | Iowa (62,631) | 49,600 |
| 1967 | 237,798 | 6 | Michigan State (56,334) | 39,633 |
| 1968 | 312,806 | 6 | USC (60,820) | 52,134 |
| 1969 | 272,449 | 6 | Ohio State (52,972) | 45,417 |
| 1970 | 225,468 | 5 | Nebraska (52,539) | 45,093 |
| 1971 | 207,662 | 6 | Michigan (44,412) | 34,610 |
| 1972 | 222,079 | 6 | Iowa (44,196) | 37,013 |
| 1973 | 252,917 | 6 | Nebraska (56,782) | 42,153 |
| 1974 | 226,127 | 6 | Ohio State (45,411) | 37,688 |
| 1975 | 220,081 | 7 | Wisconsin (37,578) | 31,440 |
| 1976 | 262,878 | 6 | Iowa (53,222) | 43,813 |
| 1977 | 247,118 | 7 | Michigan (44,165) | 35,303 |
| 1978 | 231,411 | 6 | Ohio State (52,209) | 38,569 |
| 1979 | 241,952 | 6 | Purdue (47,281) | 40,325 |
| 1980 | 265,105 | 6 | Iowa (58,158) | 44,184 |
| 1981 | 301,248 | 7 | Michigan (52,875) | 43,035 |
External links
44.9754093°N 93.228575°W