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Dyche / Ryan:
The Finale Is (Likely) Saturday
Northwestern
cannot legally say it, but HailToPurple.com is not bound by such
limitations: this Saturday will almost certainly be the final game ever
played at Dyche Stadium / Ryan Field I. While it isn't clear when Ryan
Field II will open, it now seems inevitable that the 98-season history
of the current stadium will conclude with the Purdue game this week.
This is somewhat poetic, since the 1996 Purdue game was the final game
in the stadium while it was still called Dyche.
The stadium's history
has been storied. Begun as Northwestern Stadium before its dedication
as Dyche Stadium in 1926, the venue has played host to college
football, high school football, one NFL game (the Bears vs. the Eagles
in 1970), track events, graduations, concerts, at least one movie
(2008's The Express), and-- about ten years ago-- was in the running to be an Olympic stadium.
The stadium's original dedication changed its name from the generic
Northwestern Stadium to Dyche Stadium, named after William Dyche,
former Evanston mayor, Northwestern business manager, and the man who
single-handedly orchestrated two NU stadiums: 1905's Northwestern
Field, and the twin-towered stadium that will soon come down. In 1997,
NU renamed the venue Ryan Field, to honor Pat Ryan and his family.
Traditionalists howled. Alumni were divided. Who was right? No one
really cares now. If the Ryans hadn't stepped in, the Dyche name would
have remained, but the stadium would have crumbled to the ground.
Saturday's finale will be the 545th game that NU football has played in
the stadium: five games played when it was Northwestern Stadium, 371
when it was Dyche, and 169 (including Saturday) as Ryan Field. Not
including Saturday, NU's record at the venue is 257 wins, 277 losses,
and ten ties (the last coming in 1994 vs. Stanford). 540 of these games
(including this Saturday) were played on Saturday; three were played on
Friday; one (1942 vs. Great Lakes) was played on Thanksgiving Day, and
one (the 2000 season opener) was played on a non-Thanksgiving Thursday.
NU's biggest winning margin at Dyche/Ryan? A 66-0 blowout of Wabash in
1929, which is also NU's record high point total at the stadium (but
didn't reach NU's record of 97 points, scored in a game at its previous
stadium). The largest combined score? This should surprise no one: it's
105 points recorded during the epic 54-51 victory over Michigan in
2000, the only game in Dyche/Ryan history that crossed the 100-point
threshold (although the 2005 win over Wisconsin had 99 points: NU won,
51-48).
The largest crowd ever to witness anything in Evanston, Illinois, would
have been found at Dyche Stadium on October 27, 1962, when 55,752
people crammed into the stadium to watch NU dominate Notre Dame, 35-6,
and take the #1 ranking in the AP Poll. And NU also took the #1 ranking
in arguably the biggest game ever played in the stadium, when the
Wildcats defeated Minnesota on Halloween, 1936.
The stadium is past its prime. It's time to move on. But, for many
Wildcat fans, it's still difficult, and it will be bittersweet. For two
generations, I've had a special address on Central Street. My address
is Section 129, Row 51(!), Seat 24. I practically have that address
tattooed to my brain. This Saturday, I'll sit down in my home spot for
the last time.
I've watched two children grow before my eyes in the adjacent seats.
I've watched countless student athletes grow as well, on SuperTurf,
AstroTurf, and the ryegrass / bluegrass mix that opponents so loved to
insult.
It's time to move on, but it's still difficult.
Go 'Cats!
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