Ryan Field (stadium)

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Ryan Field

Former names	Dyche Stadium (1926-1997)
Location	1501 Central St, Evanston, IL 60201
Coordinates	42°3′56″N 87°41′33″W / 42.06556°N 87.6925°W / 42.06556; -87.6925Coordinates: 42°3′56″N 87°41′33″W / 42.06556°N 87.6925°W / 42.06556; -87.6925
Opened	1926
Owner	Northwestern University
Operator	Northwestern University
Surface	Grass
Construction cost	original: unknown 1996 renovation: US$20M
Architect	James Gamble Rogers
Capacity	47,130
Tenants
Northwestern Wildcats (NCAA) (1926-present)

Ryan Field is a stadium in Evanston, Illinois, United States. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Northwestern University Wildcats football team. The field opened in 1926 and holds 47,130 people. Prior to 1997, the stadium was named Dyche Stadium, for William Dyche, Class of 1882, former Evanston mayor and overseer of the building project. The naming rights to the field were sold in 1997, for $8 million, to Pat Ryan, who was the chairman of the school's board of trustees at the time. The rights were sold without an agreed upon term.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Transportation 3 In popular culture 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

The stadium originally consisted of two semi-circular grandstands on either sideline, with the west (home) sideline having a small, curved upper deck whose 2 ends abut in matching concrete towers. Endzone seating was later added in the south endzone, and in 1952 McGaw Memorial Hall was built beyond the north endzone.

The stadium had an artificial turf surface from 1973 to 1996. Prior to the 1997 season, natural grass was installed and the playing surface was lowered approximately five feet to improve sight lines from the lowest rows of the grandstands, and to prevent students from rushing the field to tear down the goalposts.

The Chicago Bears hosted their first home game of the 1970 season at Dyche Stadium as an experiment; the NFL had demanded that the Bears move out of Wrigley Field because Wrigley's seating capacity was under 50,000. After Evanston residents petitioned city officials to block the team from moving there permanently, the Bears ended up moving to Chicago's Soldier Field the following year.

[edit] Transportation

The closest transit stations are Metra commuter railroad's Central Street station and Chicago Transit Authority's Central station on the Purple Line.

[edit] In popular culture

Parts of the The Express, an 2008 film about Syracuse University Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis starring Rob Brown (Finding Forrester} as Davis, and Dennis Quaid (The Rookie) as Davis' Syracuse coach, Ben Schwartzwalder, were filmed at Ryan Field^[2].

Parts of Four Friends, a 1981 film directed by Arthur Penn, were filmed at Ryan Field.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Ryan Field History, Northwestern University Archives, Evanston, Illinois

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v • d • e Football stadiums of the Big Ten Conference Beaver Stadium (Penn State) • Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin) • Kinnick Stadium (Iowa) • Memorial Stadium (Illinois) • Memorial Stadium (Indiana)  • Michigan Stadium (Michigan) • Ohio Stadium (Ohio State) • Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue) • Ryan Field (Northwestern) • Spartan Stadium (Michigan State)  • TCF Bank Stadium (Minnesota)

v • d • e College football venues in Illinois Division I FBS Big Ten Memorial Stadium (Illinois) • Ryan Field (Northwestern) MAC Huskie Stadium (Northern Illinois) Division I FCS Missouri Valley Hancock Stadium (Illinois State) • Hanson Field (Western Illinois) • McAndrew Stadium (Southern Illinois) OVC O'Brien Stadium (Eastern Illinois) Division III CCIW Augustana Stadium/Ericson Field (Augustana) • Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium (North Central) • Frank M. Lindsay Field (Millikin) • Holmgren Athletic Complex (North Park) • Illinois Wesleyan Stadium (Illinois Wesleyan) • Langhorst Field (Elmhurst) • McCully Field (Wheaton) Midwest Bobby Woll Memorial Field (Monmouth) • England Field (Illinois College) • Farwell Field (Lake Forest) • Knox Bowl (Knox) Northern Cougar Stadium (Concordia) • Sam Greeley Field (Rockford) • Spartan Stadium (Aurora) • Sports Complex at Benedictine University (Benedictine) SLIAC Blackburn Stadium (Blackburn) • Clark Field (Principia) • Francis Field (Greenville) • Freesen Field (MacMurray) • McKinzie Field (Eureka) UAA Stagg Field (Chicago) NAIA Mid-States Bruce R. Deaton Memorial Field (Saint Xavier) • Joliet Memorial Stadium (St. Francis) • Leemon Field (McKendree) • Leslie A. Fraizer Field (Trinity International) • QU Stadium (Quincy) • Tiger Stadium (Olivet Nazarene)

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