Northwestern Off-Campus Home Game Venues #1:

While Ryan Field II is being built, Wrigley Field is one of the alternate home sites that NU will use for some of its larger Big Ten games.

Here is the history of Wrigley Field as an NU home site for football. Spoiler alert: it's not pretty.

1923:

The first two NU home games played at Wrigley Field were losses to Illinois.  The first NU home game played at Wrigley Field (at the time called Cubs Park) was a 29-0 loss to the Illini on Oct. 27, 1923.  Attendance was over 32,000, a sellout. It was, at the time, the largest attendance ever for an NU home game, on or off campus.

Facing Red Grange and the Illiini was one of the featured moments of the Bears' season (yes, NU was-- for part of one season only-- the Bears in 1923, but the nickname and mascot did not catch on, and the team went quickly back to the Purple. It would get its Wildcats nickname the following season). To prepare, NU scrimmaged against its freshman team the previous Tuesday, and it was a practice for the ages: several freshman left beaten and bloody, one lost two teeth, and at least one had to be dragged unconscious from Northwestern Field. A Thursday practice at Cubs Park, however, was less dramatic, and it worried NU's coaches, who thought the team looked weak.

Illinois came into the game a heavy favorite, but both teams quickly exhausted their share of tickets the week before.

The game was a lopsided effort: Grange and the Illini trounced NU, with Grange playing only in the first quarter. Grange surprised the Purple by taking direct snaps from the center and pounding behind an unbalanced line. NU responded by pulling its secondary up to reinforce its line, which opened up the Illini passing attack.

Despite the loss, NU students enjoyed a dance later that night at Chicago's Drake Hotel.

2010:

The 'Cats again hosted Illinois at Wrigley Field on November 20, 2010. 







The buildup to NU's return to Wrigley Field was huge. ESPN televised its College GameDay show from outside of Wrigley that week, only the second time that an NU home game played host to GameDay.

The game, a 48 to 27 Illinois blowout, made history because only one goal was used, due to the field dimensions. The NCAA allowed a one-time change to the rules, permitting only one direction for both teams.



In early 2013 Northwestern and the Cubs announced a major partnership deal would have resulted in at least five more NU football home games played at Wrigley Field in future seasons. The Cubs renovated the stadium, adding seating sections that can be moved to allow for the proper dimensions for a modern college football venue.

Evanston, apparently concerned about the lost revenue to the city that could come from losing more home games, worked out a deal with the university that will limit Wrigley games to seasons with seven home games, so that six games will always be played at Ryan Field.  Additionally, only games that aren't "guaranteed sellouts" will be played at Wrigley, seemingly eliminating games with Ohio State or Michigan.

A scheduled game against Wisconsin on November 7, 2020 was scrubbed due to the pandemic. Instead, NU played the Badgers at Ryan Field on November 21, with no fans in attendance.


2021:

What had been called the Allstate Wrigleyville Classic is now officially the Wildcats Classic at Wrigley Field. NU and the Cubs had made arrangements for Northwestern to host several games at the baseball stadium during the next decade. First up under the new arrangement: NU hosted Purdue on November 20, 2021.


The photo above, taken a couple of weeks before the 2021 Purdue game, shows the reconfigured seating arrangement. The "Wildcats" endzone now has sufficient room to be used properly.


The 2021 event, a 32-14 Purdue win, was an overall success for the NU-Wrigley arrangement. Attendance was 31,500-- strong, considering NU's record at the time, but not sold out.


2023:

For its second game under the current agreement with Wrigley, NU hosted Iowa at Wrigley Field on November 4, 2023. The game was notable because it set an FBS record for the lowest over/under ever (29.5). However, that record-setting U/A proved way too high: the Hawkeyes beat NU 10-7 on a last-minute 52-yard field goal.

The game was, as expected, a defensive chess match, with the teams knotted at zero at halftime. Iowa managed a touchdown in the third quarter, and NU had a chance to tie, getting a first-and-goal within five yards of the Iowa end zone. However, NU could not convert on that drive. While the 'Cats did eventually get a touchdown, it wasn't enough.




2024-2025:

While Ryan Field II is under construction, NU will play most of its home football games on the lakefill, at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. However, several of the 'Cats' bigger home will be staged off-campus, including a couple at Wrigley Field. NU is hosting OSU and Illinois at Wrigley in November 2024.

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