Memorial Stadium (University of Minnesota)
Memorial Stadium also known as the "Brick House" was the home of
Minnesota Golden Gophers football from
1924 until
1981. During that span the team won six national championships including three consecutive 1934-1936 the only team in NCAA Division I-A history to do so. The championship years were 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941 and 1960[
1]. The stadium seated approximately 66,000 people, although many of the seats were far away from the field; the
official capacity of the stadium during the
1970s was listed as 57,000. The school elected to move out of the stadium to the
Metrodome about two miles away during the spring of
1982. The stadium was torn down 10 years later.
On May 20th, 2006, the Minnesota state legislature passed a bill providing funding for a new stadium on the
University campus. The projected completion date for the new stadium will be fall of 2009. The original Memorial Stadium site could not be used for the new stadium because of new construction including an aquatic center and the
McNamara Alumni Center, so the new stadium site will be located about 3 blocks from where Memorial Stadium once stood. When built the new stadium will called the
TCF Bank Stadium.
The
NFL's
Minnesota Vikings played a
1969 regular season game against the
Green Bay Packers at Memorial Stadium due to a conflict with a
Minnesota Twins playoff game.
The stadium opened on
October 14,
1924. The stadium was dedicated to 3527 students, graduates, and workers who had served in
World War I. The stadium sat on approximately 11 acres (45,000 m²). Prior to playing in Memorial Stadium the Gophers had played at
Northrop Field.
