Northwestern Field

Northwestern Field
Map
LocationEvanston, Illinois
OwnerNorthwestern University
Capacity10,000
SurfaceTurf
Construction
Broke ground1904
Opened1905
Closed1925
Demolished1925
Tenants
Northwestern Wildcats (football) (1905–1925)

Northwestern Field was a football stadium in Evanston, Illinois. It opened in 1905 and was home to the Northwestern Wildcats football team prior to the Dyche Stadium (now known as Ryan Field) opening in 1926. It had a capacity of 10,000 people.[1] Northwestern Field was located on Central Ave, seventy-five feet east of the current stadium.[2]

After significant victories during the 1903 season drew large crowds,[3] Northwestern business manager and former Evanston mayor William Dyche lobbied the school for a new stadium, arguing that 1,000-seat Sheppard Field could no longer meet popular demand. A 12-acre (49,000 m2) lot northwest of campus was chosen for the project, with construction beginning in 1904 and ending in 1905.[4]

  1. ^ Ryan Field/Dyche Stadium, Northwestern University Library.
  2. ^ "Ryan Field/Dyche Stadium". University Archives.
  3. ^ LaTourette, Larry (2005). Northwestern Wildcat Football, Arcadia Publishing, p.15.
  4. ^ LaTourette, p.17.