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Johnny Unitas Stadium

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Coordinates: 39°23′18″N 76°36′57″W / 39.388462°N 76.615936°W / 39.388462; -76.615936
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Johnny Unitas Stadium
Map
Former namesMinnegan Field (1978–1982)
Towson Stadium (1983–2001)
Location7500 Osler Drive
Towson, Maryland 21252
OwnerTowson University
OperatorTowson University
Capacity11,198
SurfaceFieldTurf
Construction
Broke ground1976
OpenedSeptember 9, 1978[1]
Renovated2002
Construction cost$32 million
ArchitectEllerbe Becket (renovation)
Tenants
Towson Tigers (NCAA) (1978–present)
Field hockey, football, men's & women's lacrosse, track & field, cross country
Baltimore Bayhawks (MLL) (2004–2006)

Johnny Unitas Stadium at Minnegan Field is a multi-purpose sports stadium in Towson, Maryland, United States.

History

The stadium opened in 1978 as Towson Stadium when the Towson Tigers were in their 9th year of collegiate play and their final year of Division III. The new, lighted facility had 5,000 seats. The name of the stadium was changed to Minnegan Stadium in 1983 to honor former Towson coach and athletic director Donald "Doc" Minnegan.

The sports complex began a $32 million renovation beginning in 1999. The renovations, which were completed in 2002, added 6,000 seats, artificial turf, an entry-level plaza, concession stands, new restrooms, ticket booths, a four-tier press box, a field house, and a promenade that connects the northside and southside seating areas.[2]

The stadium is named for the Baltimore Colts' Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas, who had taken a job trying to find a corporate sponsor for the stadium with Towson University weeks before his death in 2002. In fact, Unitas threw his last public pass at the re-opening of the facility (as Towson Stadium) just a few days before his death.[3] His widow, Sandy, felt it appropriate to honor him by having the stadium named for him instead, with fund-raising in his name taking the place of the money that a corporate naming would have supplied.

In 2008, the Unitas Stadium scoreboard was replaced with a 16:9 full video scoreboard. The new scoreboard stands where the previous scoreboard was placed. The old incandescent light scoreboard was recycled and a new smaller LED scoreboard was installed in the opposite endzone.

In May 2012, new "Fieldturf Revolution" was installed in the Stadium.

Tenants

New Unitas Stadium Scoreboard

It is the home field for the Towson Football, Men's & Women's Lacrosse, and the Women's Track and Field team. The annual Fall Pep Rally is held at the stadium.

In addition to Towson events, the stadium has also been used for high school football and lacrosse events, the Under 19 World Lacrosse Championship, Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Lacrosse Championships, several NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championships as well as competition in the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championships.

The Baltimore Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse used Johnny Unitas Stadium as their home stadium from 2004 to 2006.

The 2008 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Final Four and Championship were held in Johnny Unitas Stadium, where Northwestern University defeated the University of Pennsylvania 10-6, giving the Wildcats their fourth NCAA title in a row in the sport.

The 2009 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Final Four and Championship were held in Johnny Unitas Stadium where Northwestern University defeated University of North Carolina 21-7. This was the Wildcats fifth title in a row in Women's Lacrosse.

The 2010 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Final Four and Championship were held in Johnny Unitas Stadium where University of Maryland defeated Northwestern University 13-11. This was the Terps 10th NCAA title in Women's Lacrosse.

The Under Armour All-American Lacrosse Game for High School Athletes has been played at Unitas since 2006, its inaugural year.

Field house

On April 26, 2003 the final renovations to the stadium were completed with the construction of the four-story, 48,000-square-foot (4,500 m2) field house located in the stadium's west end zone area. The field house features offices, meeting rooms, locker rooms, class rooms, a film editing room an athlete learning center, an athletic training room and an equipment room. The rooftop patio treat guests to a view of athletic contests.

The Minnegan Room

The Minnegan room on the third floor of the field house is named after longtime faculty member, athletic director and coach "Doc" Minnegan. It is a multipurpose room that has a top view of the action on the field as well as the stadium. The Minnegan room can accommodate up to 200 guests.

Ford-Vetter Athletic Sports Medicine Facility

This is an area that serves the student-athletes' medical needs. This 3,000-square-foot (280 m2) facility includes separate taping, treatment, rehabilitation, and hydrotherapy areas. The state-of-the-art hydrotherapy and rehabilitation areas include the Swimex system and Biodex training equipment. The facility also includes a physician exam room, conference room, and staff offices.

See also

References

  1. ^ "archives - baltimoresun.com - Terps, Tigers at home today in grid openers". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Towson University Athletics - Johnny Unitas® Stadium". Towsontigers.com. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-08-24. Retrieved 2007-07-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

39°23′18″N 76°36′57″W / 39.388462°N 76.615936°W / 39.388462; -76.615936

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