NU Home Game Sites | HailToPurple.com

First intercollegiate game: November 11,1882 vs. Lake Forest

Last game: Likely vs. Beloit, November 15, 1890

NU Record at Deering Meadow:
Estimate (official games only): 6 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie

Largest Crowd (Estimated): Approx. 200 -- Nov. 14, 1889 vs. Notre Dame

Highlight: December 1888 win over Lake Forest

II. Sheppard Field
[used 1891-1904. 1891-1892: called "North Campus Field"; 1892-1904: called Sheppard Field]

The field, located where the fraternity quads now stand, started as the unnamed north campus field in 1891. NU's first permanent stands had 750 seats. In 1892 the stadium was dedicated (at the October 15, 1892 Beloit game) as Sheppard Field, and it soon had 1,000 seats.

The original grandstands. Photo: NU Archives

The Purple readies a snap during a 1901 game vs. Naperville
at Sheppard Field. Photo from Chicago Hist. Soc.. Note horses and carriages in background.
Even in those days parking was expensive: $2.00 for a spot.

First game: Before dedication -- likely Sept. 30, 1891 vs. Evanston HS;
As Sheppard Field -- Oct. 15, 1892 vs. Beloit

Last game: Nov. 12, 1904 vs. Illinois

NU Record at Sheppard Field:
69 Wins, 17 Losses, 10 Ties
[North Campus Field: 3-0-0; Sheppard: 66-17-10]

Largest Crowd: Unknown (over 2,200)

Highlight: 1901 game vs. Notre Dame

III. Northwestern Field
[used 1905-1925]

Planned by William A. Dyche, Northwestern Field moved NU's football field northwest from the fraternity quads to Central Street. The new wooden stands held 13,000 fans, and the field was dedicated Northwestern Field on October 14, 1905 during a game with Beloit. With the later addition of wooden stands on the east side, the stadium's capacity increased to nearly 20,000.

Fans on the west side enjoy a game. Photo: NU Archives

NU practices east of Northwestern Field, early twenties. Photo from Chicago Hist. Soc.
The 1905 original west stands are in the background. Midground are the east stands, added later.

First game: Sept. 21, 1905 vs. Evanston HS.
Dedicated Oct. 14, 1905 vs. Beloit

Last game: October 31, 1925 vs. Indiana

NU Record at Northwestern Field:
47 Wins, 29 Losses, 3 Ties

Largest Crowd (estimate): Over 20,000 -- 1920 vs. Notre Dame

Highlight: 1917 game vs. Michigan

IV. Dyche Stadium / Ryan Field
[used 1926-Present. 1926: called Northwestern Stadium; 1926-1997: called Dyche Stadium; 1997-Present: called Ryan Field]

By 1925 the old wooden stands of Northwestern Field had become decayed and had been dwarfed by other stadia, and by the popularity of NU football. William Dyche, NU's business manager who had overseen the construction of Northwestern Field, proposed a replacement, a stadium of steel and mortar.

THE EVOLUTION OF DYCHE / RYAN:

Here is an early plan for Northwestern Stadium. The new stadium was built on the same Central Street location as old Northwestern Field, so the actual playing location would be unchanged. The stadium was designed to mimic the new Soldier Field, and to serve as a "Grant Park Bowl" for the North Shore. As the stadium went over budget, William Dyche's vision had to lose its east-side towers and much of the east-side facade.

Below is Northwestern Stadium, upon construction in 1926. The east towers, after being scrapped from the stadium plans, were to be added later-- they never were. Note the addition of north and south temporary bleachers, which increased the stadium's capacity from 45,000 to 49,000. During the final home game of the 1926 season, the stadium was christened Dyche Stadium.

An enclosure was built in 1949 for the south end zone, converting Dyche Stadium into a horseshoe. Including the north bleachers (when used), Dyche's capacity swelled to over 50,000. Below is an aerial shot from a game sometime in the early sixties. The north bleachers were removed for good in the mid-seventies, and Dyche's capacity fell to 49,256. The university installed artificial turf at Dyche Stadium prior to the 1973 season.

After decades of decay, Dyche Stadium was fully renovated after the 1996 season. The artificial turf was ripped out, the playing field was lowered almost five feet, and natural grass was seeded. NU built a new press area, concessions area, and locker facility, and renamed the stadium Ryan Field. With its reconfigured seats, Ryan Field now seats 47,130.

First game: As Northwestern Stadium-- Oct. 2, 1926 vs. S. Dakota;
As Dyche Stadium-- Nov. 13, 1926 vs. Chicago;
As Ryan Field-- Sept. 13, 1997 vs. Duke

Last game: As Dyche Stadium -- Nov. 16, 1996 vs. Purdue

NU Record at Dyche / Ryan:
(As of Dec. 2007) 198 Wins, 234 Losses, 10 Ties
[Northwestern Stadium: 4-1-0;
Dyche Stadium: 162-199-10;
Ryan Field (As of Dec. 2007): 32-34]

Largest Crowds: Here are some of the largest crowds at Dyche Stadium:

1. 55,752 -- 1962 vs. Notre Dame (on campus home record)
2. 55,682 -- 1960 vs. Notre Dame
3. 55,356 -- 1966 vs. Notre Dame
4. 55,282 -- 1959 vs. Wisconsin
5. 55,155 -- 1972 vs. Notre Dame
6. 54,821 -- 1949 vs. Michigan
7. 54,301 -- 1974 vs. Notre Dame*
8. 52,333 -- 1983 vs. Illinois (last game ever at Dyche Stadium with over 50,000)
9. 52,062 -- 1964 vs. Illinois
10. 52,000 -- 1951 vs. Illinois
11. 51,782 -- 1960 vs. Illinois
12. 51,102 -- 1958 vs. Ohio State
13. 51,039 -- 1953 vs. Illinois
14. 51,028 -- 1964 vs. Wisconsin
15. 51,000 -- 1949 vs. Wisconsin
16. 50,049 -- 1970 vs. Notre Dame
17. 50,000 -- 1951 vs. Wisconsin
18. c50,000 -- 1929 vs. Notre Dame

(There were several other games at Dyche that topped 50,000. *1974 Notre Dame game attendance is given as 50,290 in some NU sources and c55,000 in Notre Dame sources.)

The largest crowd for Ryan Field is 47,130:

2006 vs. Ohio State
2005 vs. Michigan
2004 vs. Ohio State
2000 vs. Michigan

Here is a list of every sellout game at Dyche / Ryan since 1974:

1974 vs. Notre Dame (54,301)
1983 vs. Illinois (52,333)
1995 vs. Wisconsin (49,256)
1995 vs. Penn St. (49,256)
1995 vs. Iowa (49,256)
1996 vs. Michigan (48,187)
1996 vs. Illinois (48,187)
1997 vs. Wisconsin (47,129. 1st sellout at Ryan Field)
1997 vs. Michigan St. (47,129)
1997 vs. Penn St. (47,129)
1998 vs. Michigan (47,129)
1998 vs. Ohio State (47,129)
2000 vs. Michigan (47,130)
2004 vs. Ohio State (47,130)
2005 vs. Michigan (47,130)
2006 vs. Ohio State (47,130)

Night Games: A total of 11 night games have been played by NU at Dyche/Ryan.

October 5, 1935—7-0 loss to Purdue
September 25, 1943—14-6 win vs. Indiana
September 3, 1988—31-21 loss to Duke
September 16, 1989—48-31 loss to Air Force
October 4, 1997—26-26 loss to Wisconsin
October 17, 1998—12-6 loss to Michigan (Homecoming)
August 31, 2000—35-17 win vs. Northern Illinois
October 5, 2002—27-16 loss to Ohio State
October 2, 2004—33-27 (OT) win vs. Ohio State
October 29, 2005—33-17 loss to Michigan (Homecoming)
September 15, 2007—20-14 loss to Duke

(Several recent games have started in the late afternoon and have extended into the evening, and used the same temporary lighting that a night game would. These include the 1995 Penn State, 2000 Michigan, and 2006 Ohio State games. These, however, are not considered night games.)

Highlights: Dyche Stadium -- 1936 game vs. Minnesota, 1962 game vs. Notre Dame, 1996 game vs. Michigan; Ryan Field -- 2000 game vs. Michigan

NU Football Off-Campus Home Sites

I. Cubs Park (0-0-1) -- NU played one home game at the Chicago Cubs ballpark (two ballparks prior to Wrigley Field) in 1891, a 0-0 tie with Lake Forest. Attendance unknown.

II. Wrigley Field (0-1-0) -- One home game played at Wrigley Field, a 29-0 loss to Illinois on Oct. 27, 1923. Attendance was over 32,000.

Illini great Red Grange can be seen crossing over the goal line
for a touchdown vs. NU, in a photo taken Oct. 27, 1923, at Wrigley Field.

III. (Old) Cleveland Stadium (0-1-0) -- Strange as it seems, NU did host a "home" game vs. Ohio State at Cleveland Stadium on Oct. 19, 1991. Ohio State won 34-3. For strictly financial reasons, NU moved its home game with OSU and drew 73,830 (mostly Buckeye) fans. The game, derisively called the "Art Modell Bowl," is technically Northwestern's home game attendance record holder.

IV. White Sox Park (39th Street Grounds) (0-1-2) -- Not Comiskey Park, as NU's records used to indicate. Comiskey had not been built when NU played here, in 1903. Toward the end of a very successful season, in order to handle crowds that Sheppard Field could not accommodate, NU hosted the following games at the White Sox playing grounds:

Nov. 14, 1903: Tie with Notre Dame 0-0
Nov. 21, 1903: Tie with Wisconsin 6-6
Nov. 26, 1903: Loss to Carlisle 28-0

NU hosts Notre Dame at Sox Park, Chicago.
Photo by Chicago Hist. Soc.

V. Soldier Field (2-5-1) -- The closest NU has to a regular off-campus home site, the Wildcats have hosted the following eight games at Soldier Field:

Nov. 22, 1924: Loss to Notre Dame 13-6 (First football game of any kind played at Soldier Field. 45,000 in attendance.)
Oct. 24, 1925: Loss to Tulane 18-7
Nov. 7, 1925: Win over Michigan 3-2
Oct. 7, 1933: Loss to Iowa 7-0
Oct. 14, 1933: Tie with Stanford 0-0
Sept. 5, 1992: Loss to Notre Dame 42-7 (attendance: 64,877)
Sept. 3, 1994: Loss to Notre Dame 42-15 (attendance: 66,946)
Aug. 23, 1997: Win over Oklahoma 24-0 (Pigskin Classic: Northwestern hosted)

In addition to the eight games listed above, Northwestern has played two other games at Soldier Field, but not as the home team. On October 10, 1931 Notre Dame moved its home game with NU from Notre Dame Stadium to Soldier Field. The move was tied to Depression relief efforts. NU and the Irish fought to a 0-0 tie. Also in 1931, and also to help Great Depression-related charities, NU and Purdue played a special post-season game at Soldier Field. On November 28 NU lost to the Boilermakers 7-0. The field was considered neutral.

Coach Gary Barnett addresses the media after the 'Cats hosted their last game
at Soldier Field, beating Oklahoma. NU Sports Photo.

VI. 25th Street Field, Chicago (1-0-0) -- Little is known about this athletic field in Chicago, where NU first hosted the University of Michigan in 1892. NU's win over the Wolverines was its biggest victory to date, and over 1,000 fans attended.

VII. Marshall Field (0-2-0) -- The University of Chicago used Marshall Field for its home games; NU played there as a visiting team on several occasions. In addition, NU's official records list one Northwestern home game played at Marshall Field, on November 22, 1924, against Notre Dame. However, every contemporary source places this game, instead, at Soldier Field (including The Tribune, The Syllabus, and Tale of the Wildcats.

However, NU did play two home games at Chicago's Marshall Field, against Minnesota. At the beginning of the 20th Century Minnesota was a powerhouse, and Sheppard Field could not handle the large crowds. NU hosted Minnesota at Marshall Field in 1901 and 1904.

VIII. Chicago Stock Pavilion (0-1-0) -- During the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, Northwestern hosted the Denver Athletic Club at Chicago's World's Fair Livestock Pavilion. It was a night game, possibly the first night football game ever played in Chicago, and kicked off at 9:00 pm, October 4, 1893.