Ryan Field (stadium)
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| Ryan Field | |
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| Location | 1501 Central St Evanston, IL 60201 |
| Opened | 1926 |
| Owner | Northwestern University |
| Operator | Northwestern University |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction cost | $20,000,000 USD 1996 Renovation |
| Architect | James Gamble Rogers |
| Former names | Dyche Stadium (1926-1995) |
| Tenants | Northwestern Wildcats (NCAA) (1926-Present) |
| Capacity | 47,130 |
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 A. 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 dollars, to Patrick 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].
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 in 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.
The Chicago Bears hosted their first home game of the 1970 season as an experiment due to the NFL demanding the Bears move out of Wrigley Field because the seating capacity was under 50,000. The Bears ended up moving to Soldier Field.
The closest transit stations are Metra commuter railroad's Central Street station and Chicago Transit Authority's Central station on the Purple Line.
Parts of the The Express, an upcoming 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]
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