This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2012) |
![]() | |
![]() | |
Former names | Memorial Stadium, Rickenbrode Stadium |
---|---|
Location | Maryville, Missouri |
Coordinates | 40°21′02″N94°53′08″W / 40.3506°N 94.885612°W |
Owner | Northwest Missouri State University |
Operator | Northwest Missouri State University |
Capacity | 6,500 |
Surface | Field Turf |
Construction | |
Opened | 1917 |
Expanded | 2003 |
Tenants | |
Northwest Missouri State University |
Bearcat Stadium (formerly Memorial Stadium and Rickenbrode Stadium) is the football stadium of the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats in Maryville, Missouri and is the oldest continuous site for any NCAA Division II school.
It has a capacity of 6,500 and had lights and FieldTurf installed in the summer of 2007.
It is part of the Ryland Milner Complex which includes Bearcat Arena in the Uel W. Lamkin Activity Center (formerly "Lamkin Gym"), which is where the college basketball team plays, Martindale Gymnasium (the original school gymnasium), and the Robert P. Foster Aquatic Center. The field is surrounded by the Herschel Neil Track (named for a university student and rival of Jesse Owens who held several NCAA track records in the 1930s). The playing field itself is called Tjeerdsma Field in honor of the school's winning football coach Mel Tjeerdsma.
The stadium originally opened in 1917 as Memorial Stadium, replacing a field on the north side of the Administration Building of the college, which had started operations in 1906.
In 1961, it was named Rickenbrode Stadium for long-time university business manager and athletic booster William Rickenbrode. Through the 1970s, the stadium with lights was the home field for the Maryville High School Spoofhounds and was used as a venue for various civic functions including the annual 4 July display.
In the 1970s, Northwest began construction of a new stadium on the west side of the campus. However, funds ran out as Northwest began competing for funding with the newly founded Missouri Western State University 40 miles south in St. Joseph, Missouri. In 1988, the State of Missouri under Governor John Ashcroft announced plans to close Northwest altogether. Following spirited opposition, the plans were reversed and Northwest found it in a position of having to aggressively find ways to differentiate it from its rival if it wanted to survive.
In 1994 Mel Tjeerdsma, who had a stellar playoff coaching reputation from his jobs at Northwestern College (Iowa) and Austin College, started coaching at Northwest. The first season on the job, his team went 0-11.
In 1996, they made it to the NCAA Division II playoffs. However because of poor conditions they were unable to play home games for which they were entitled.
In 1998 and 1999, Northwest won back-to-back Division II championships in games broadcast nationally on ESPN. Interest in the university immediately soared with the St. Louis Rams flying the team to a championship game, and the Bearcats playing one game a year at Arrowhead Stadium. Partially as a result, Missouri finally managed to finish the long-stalled plan to create a four-lane highway between St. Joseph and Maryville.
In 2000, the east visitor grandstand was completely rebuilt, funded by students of the university. Following the 2001 season, the west home grandstand was demolished (with temporary bleachers put in place for the 2002 season). In 2003, the stadium—with its new west grandstand with chairback and railback seating was unveiled. During the renovation the stadium lights were taken down (and would be ultimately put up in 2007). The new stadium has ten luxury boxes, and the scoreboard has video replay features. The video board is one of the few that offer instant replay at the NCAA Division II level. The entire $5 million overhaul was privately paid for by alumni and boosters. The stadium was renamed Bearcat Stadium in 2004 to honor the contributions of the many individuals and organizations who worked in the fundraising efforts.
On December 9, 2006, the stadium hosted the first nationally televised home game in the school's and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association's history when Northwest defeated Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in the semifinals of NCAA Division II football. The game was broadcast on ESPNU, which brought in lights (previously used by Musco Lighting at Ohio Stadium during the Michigan - Ohio State game) to illuminate the field. It was the first night game at the stadium since 1977.
During the summer months of 2007, the natural turf was replaced by artificial turf and lights were added. The new field was dedicated on August 22, 2007 during a game against Arkansas Tech University, which had to be called after two delays with 2 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter following a thunder and hail storm with Northwest leading 21-0 (it was later ruled a "no contest" by the NCAA). Tjeerdsma said afterwards:
On December 8, 2007, it hosted its second nationally televised game (with its new lights supplemented by Musco Lighting) as it defeated Grand Valley State University to advance again to the Division II championship on ESPN2 with Gary Thorne as play-by-play and Bob Davie as color analyst. It hosted ESPN2 the following year when the Bearcats hosted the University of North Alabama and CBS College Sports in 2009 for the semifinal game against California University of Pennsylvania.
Northwest Missouri State University is a public university in Maryville, Missouri. It has an enrollment of about 8,505 students. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, its campus is based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and is the official Missouri State Arboretum. The school is governed by a state-appointed Board of Regents and headed by President Dr. Lance Tatum.
Maryville High School is the public high school for Maryville, Missouri. It is the only institution to have the Spoofhound for a mascot. It is a Missouri State High School Activities Association Class III school. The present high school building on the southwest side of Maryville opened in the 1965-66 school year.
Mel Tjeerdsma is a retired American football coach and athletic director at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. He served as the head coach at Austin College in Sherman, Texas from 1984 to 1993 and at Northwest Missouri State University from 1994 until his retirement after the 2010 season. In his 27 years as a head coach, Tjeerdsma compiled a career college football record of 242–82–4. He led the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats to three NCAA Division II Football Championship titles and four additional NCAA Division II titles games.
Bearcat Arena is a 2,500 seat multi-purpose arena in Maryville, Missouri. It was completed in 1959 at a cost of $500,000 and renovated in 1993. It is the home of the Northwest Missouri State University basketball and volleyball teams.
The 2008 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on August 30, 2008, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 15, 2008, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs defeated the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, 21–14, to win their first Division II national title.
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football program represents Northwest Missouri State University in college football. They participate in Division II sports within the NCAA. The team plays their home games at Bearcat Stadium, located on campus in Maryville, Missouri.
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats are the athletic teams for Northwest Missouri State University, located in Maryville, Missouri. The Bearcats play in the NCAA Division II. Northwest is a founding member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in 1912 and has remained in the conference ever since. From their founding until 1937, they competed in the Amateur Athletic Union. From 1937 to 1957, they competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics before joining NCAA Division II. Northwest has appeared in ten Division II football title games since 1998. The men's basketball team appeared in an AAU title game in 1930. The men's basketball team won the Division II title in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022.
The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats men's basketball team represents Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri, in the NCAA Division II men's basketball competition. The team is currently coached by Ben McCollum, who has been at the helm since 2009. The Bearcats currently compete, and are one of two founding members remaining, of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). The basketball team plays its home games in the Bearcat Arena on campus.
The Missouri Western–Northwest Missouri State football rivalry between the Missouri Western Griffons football team and Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team is between two Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association NCAA Division II rivals that are less than 50 miles apart.
The 2009 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on August 29, 2009, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 12, 2009 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats defeated the Grand Valley State, 30–23, to win their third Division II national title.
The 2007 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on August 30, 2007, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 15, 2007 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Valdosta State Blazers defeated the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, 25–20, to win their second Division II national title.
Scott Bostwick was an American football player and coach. He served as the defensive coordinator at Northwest Missouri State University from 1994 to 2010 under head coach Mel Tjeerdsma, during which time the Bearcats captured three NCAA Division II Football Championships, in 1998, 1999, and 2009. In 2007, Bostwick was named the AFCA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year in 2007. He succeeded Tjeerdsma as head coach following the 2010 season, but died of a heart attack the following June.
Adam Dorrel is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma, a position he has held since 2022. Previously Dorrel was the head coach at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Missouri from 2011 to 2016, and Abilene Christian in Abilene, Texas, from 2017 to 2021. While at Northwest Missouri State he led the program to three undefeated seasons and the NCAA Division II Football Championship in 2013, 2015, and 2016.
The 2013 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team represented Northwest Missouri State University as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) during the 2013 NCAA Division II football season. Led by third-year head coach Adam Dorrel, the team finished the regular season with an undefeated 11–0 record. They won their fifth NCAA Division II Football Championship with a win over Lenoir–Rhyne in the NCAA Division II Championship Game by a score of 43–28. The Bearcats played their home games at Bearcat Stadium in Maryville, Missouri, which has been the Bearcats' home stadium since 1917.
The 2016 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team represented Northwest Missouri State University as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) during the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Adam Dorrel, the Bearcats compiled an overall record of 15–0 with a mark of 11–0 in conference play, winning the MIAA title. They won the program's sixth NCAA Division II Football Championship with a win over North Alabama in the NCAA Division II Championship Game.
The 2015 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team represented Northwest Missouri State University as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) during the 2015 NCAA Division II football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Adam Dorrel, the team finished the regular season with an undefeated 11–0 record. They won their fifth NCAA Division II Football Championship with a win over Shepherd in the NCAA Division II Championship Game by a score of 34–7. The Bearcats played their home games at Bearcat Stadium in Maryville, Missouri, which has been the Bearcat's home stadium since 1917.
The 1998 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team represented Northwest Missouri State University during the 1998 NCAA Division II football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Mel Tjeerdsma played their home games at Bearcat Stadium in Maryville, Missouri, which has been the Bearcat's home stadium since 1917. Northwest Missouri State team finished the season with and 15–0 record and won their first NCAA Division II Football Championship with a win over Carson–Newman in the title game.
The 2013 NCAA Division II Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game that determined a national champion in NCAA Division II for the 2013 season. It was played at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, on December 21, 2013, with kickoff at noon EST, and television coverage on ESPN2.
The 2009 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team was an American football team that won the 2009 NCAA Division II national championship.
The 1999 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football team was an American football team that won the 1999 NCAA Division II Football Championship.