Gopher Football: Back to Campus in 2009!
"In 2009, TCF Bank Stadium, the soon-to-be home for Golden Gopher football, opens its doors to Minnesota and the world."
Imagine you are walking through campus on a crisp fall Saturday, down historic Northrop mall, and you feel the pulse of a drumline. As you continue on, you see the Minnesota Marching Band parading down University Avenue past thousands of screaming Gopher fans. The smells of cookouts fill the air as you join the crowd and walk toward a brand new on-campus football stadium.
For University of Minnesota students and alumni, these sights, sounds, and smells of tradition will return to campus in 2009 as TCF Bank Stadium, the soon-to-be home for Golden Gopher football, opens its doors to Minnesota and the world.
Since 1982, the Gophers have played their games at the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis, about a mile away from campus. Though the Metrodome has provided numerous lasting memories, the on-campus stadium will give students and alumni a whole new college experience.
"It gives students a sense of ownership," says Assistant Athletics Director Phil Esten. "When we've got an on-campus stadium, it's our turf."
From 1924-1981, the Gophers played in an on-campus arena called Memorial Stadium. Minnesota played 12 undefeated seasons in the stadium, dubbed "The Brickhouse," and it housed the team through all six of their national championships.
The new 50,000-seat TCF Bank Stadium will offer a new gathering point on college football Saturdays, but will also provide many benefits for students.- The stadium will give more space to the recreational sports department.
- It will provide a new facility for the University's 300-member marching band.
- The planned "club room" will provide an area for job fairs or large meetings
- The stadium could also be used for convocation and a University-wide graduation.
For many Gopher supporters, the stadium represents much more than football. It represents a return to campus and, a "chance to create campus memories," Esten says, "The stadium provides an identity for campus, for Gophers."
For more information on the new stadium, visit http://www.umn.edu/stadium
Keep track of Gopher athletics at http://www.gophersports.com
