 | |
| Location | 39°11′12″N 96°35′04″W / 39.186770°N 96.584331°W |
|---|---|
| Owner | Kansas State |
| Operator | Kansas State |
| Capacity | Approximately 1,500[1] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | April 15, 1911 |
| Closed | 1922 |
| Construction cost | $10,000[1] |
| Tenants | |
| Kansas State Wildcats | |
Ahearn Field was the first on-campus athletic field for Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.[2] It was utilized from 1911 to 1922 by the football team, baseball team, and track team. The field was named in honor of former coach Mike Ahearn.
The field was inaugurated with a high school track competition on April 15, 1911.[3]
Prior to the establishment of Ahearn Field, Kansas State's athletic teams played in an open public square in Manhattan at Bluemont Avenue and 8th Street, informally known as Athletic Park.[1] In 1906, a covered wooden grandstand and a small locker room were constructed at Athletic Park.[1] These structures were relocated to Ahearn Field in 1911.[1] The grandstand was situated at the south end of the field, facing north, approximately where the K-State Alumni Center currently stands.[1]
In 1922, Memorial Stadium was opened at the same location, prompting a reorientation of the football field from east–west to north–south and the removal of the old grandstand.[4] As late as 1938, Memorial Stadium was still referred to as Ahearn Field at Memorial Stadium.[4]
The pronunciation of "Ahearn" as "a-HEARN" is based on the family's preference for a short "a" sound.[5]
- ^ a b c d e f Willard, Julius T. (1940). History of Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science. Kansas State College Press. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
- ^ Stallard, Mark (2000). Wildcats to Powercats: K-State Football Facts and Trivia. Addax Publishing Group. ISBN 1-58497-004-9.
- ^ Royal Purple. Kansas State. 1911. p. 190.
- ^ a b Miller, Luman, ed. (1938). Royal Purple. Kansas State. pp. 22–23, 30.
- ^ "The 'a-HEARN' Story". Kansas State University Athletics. April 8, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2023.