Memorial Stadium (University of Minnesota)
| "The Brick House" | |
Original entrance, now inside
the McNamara Alumni Center |
|
| Location | University Ave SE Minneapolis, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°58′30″N 93°13′41″W / 44.975°N 93.228°WCoordinates: 44°58′30″N 93°13′41″W / 44.975°N 93.228°W |
| Owner | University of Minnesota |
| Operator | University of Minnesota |
| Capacity | 56,652 (1970–81) 52,809 (1924–69) |
| Surface | Natural grass (1977–1981) Tartan Turf (1970–1976) Natural grass (1924–1969) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | March 6, 1924 |
| Opened | October 4, 1924 |
| Closed | November 21, 1981 |
| Demolished | 1992, 25 years ago |
| Tenants | |
|
Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA) (1924–1981) |
|
Memorial Stadium, also known as the "Brick House", was an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. It was the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team for 58 seasons, from 1924 through 1981. Prior to 1924, the Gophers played at Northrop Field.
Starting in 1982, the Gophers played their home games in the new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, and Memorial Stadium was demolished a decade later. After 27 seasons indoors, the Gophers returned to campus in 2009 at the new TCF Bank Stadium, a block from the site of Memorial Stadium.
Opened on October 14, 1924, the stadium was dedicated to the 3,527 students, graduates, and workers who served in World War I, which had ended six years earlier. It sat on approximately 11 acres (4.5 ha).
While Memorial Stadium was its home, the football team won six national championships including three consecutive (1934–1936). The championship years were 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, and 1960. The official capacity of the stadium during the 1970s was listed as 56,652. The stadium seated approximately 66,000 people with additional temporary bleachers, although many of the seats were far away from the field. The stadium's attendance record was 66,284, set in 1961 against Purdue on November 18.
Memorial Stadium also served as the university's track and field venue, and was an occasional back-up venue for professional football and soccer. In 1969, the NFL's Minnesota Vikings played a regular season game on October 5 against the Green Bay Packers at Memorial Stadium. It was due to a conflict with a Minnesota Twins playoff game at Metropolitan Stadium, game three of the 1969 American League Championship Series the following day. The Vikings also played a pre-season game at Memorial in 1971, its second season with artificial turf. The artificial Tartan Turf was removed after seven seasons and returned to natural grass in 1977.
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