"The Blake" | |
Location in Minnesota Location in the United States | |
Location | 161 Stadium Road Mankato, Minnesota 56001 |
---|---|
Coordinates | 44°08′38″N 93°59′42″W / 44.144°N 93.995°W |
Owner | Minnesota State University, Mankato |
Operator | Minnesota State University, Mankato |
Capacity | 7,500 |
Record attendance | 7,187 (October 10, 2015 vs. Augustana)[1] 10,000 at Vikings Training Camp |
Surface | Natural Grass |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1961 |
Opened | 1962 |
Construction cost | $80,000[2] ($805,809 in 2023 dollars[3]) |
Blakeslee Stadium is located on the southern edge of the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus. Primarily used for American football, it is the home field of the Minnesota State Mavericks—an NCAA Division II football team—and hosted the training camp for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) from 1966 to 2017.[4] Built in 1962, the stadium holds 7,000 seats and facilitates a variety of events, including marching band performances and drum and bugle corps competitions.[5] In 2022, they hosted Hockey Day Minnesota, an annual series of outdoor hockey games sponsored by the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL) and FanDuel Sports Network North.[6]
It is named after Carlyn P. Blakeslee, who served as a coach, administrator, and Health and Physical Education professor at Minnesota State from 1921 until his retirement in 1961.[7]