NU Home Sites:
Northwestern Field
Page Created
10/15/21

 



Northwestern On-Campus Home Game Venues #3:


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.

Click here to learn more about the construction and inauguration of Northwestern Field.


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

NU practices east of Northwestern Field, early 1920s.
[Chicago Hist. Soc. Photo]

The view of Northwestern Field from Central Street (the Central Street train tracks are visible in the foreground).
[Chicago Hist. Soc. Photo]





Venue Name: Northwestern Field
Dates Used: 1905 - 1925
First Game: Thursday, Sept. 21, 1905 vs. Evanston HS
First Intercollegiate Game: Sept. 30, 1905 vs. St. Viator College (Bourbonnais, IL)
Dedication Game: Oct. 14, 1905 vs. Beloit
Last Game: Oct. 31, 1925 vs. Indiana
NU Record at Northwestern Field:
47 Wins, 28 Losses, 3 Ties
Largest Crowd: Estimated 20,000-- 1920 vs. Notre Dame
Highlight Game(s): 1916 win over Iowa; 1917 win over Michigan




Where was this field?

Documents of Dyche Stadium's construction note that Dyche's field was to be set about 75 feet east of the old field for Northwestern Field. Maps from the time show that Northwestern Field was just a bit further to the west than that. Northwestern Field's west stands were slightly closer to Ashland than the current stadium. The image below shows where Northwestern Field and its stands were, relative to Dyche/Ryan.