Clemens Stadium

Last updated
Clemens Stadium
"The Natural Bowl"
Clemens Stadium looking North.jpg
Clemens Stadium in October 2007, as viewed from the south stairway entrance built in 1939
USA Minnesota relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Clemens Stadium
Location in Minnesota
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Clemens Stadium
Location in the United States
Former namesSaint John's Field (1908–1932)
Saint John's Stadium (1933–1996
LocationCollegeville, MN 56321
Owner Saint John's University
Operator Saint John's University
Capacity Official: 7,482 (since 2007)
Record attendance17,327 (vs. St. Thomas, September 26, 2015)
SurfaceSprinTurf
Construction
Opened1908
ArchitectSam Chute (1908)
Ellerbe Becket (1997 renovation)
Tenants
Saint John's University (NCAA)
Saint John's Preparatory School (MSHSL)

Clemens Stadium is a football stadium located in Collegeville, Minnesota. The stadium serves as the host stadium to Saint John's University football, track and field teams and other intramural activities. Saint John's Preparatory School's football and track and field teams also use Clemens Stadium as their home facility.

Contents

Popularly referred to as "The Natural Bowl," Clemens Stadium was named one of ten Sports Illustrated "College Football Dream Destinations" in 1999 for its natural beauty and large crowds.

"The Natural Bowl"

Clemens Stadium is built into a horseshoe-shaped hillside, surrounded on three sides by many trees, thus giving the stadium its natural beauty and nickname. The hills not built over with concrete or metal stands are almost always occupied with fans who bring blankets to sit on. Because of the hillsides and other space inside the stadium, the venue can accommodate more spectators than the official fire code-defined seating capacity allows, up to 2½ times the official listed number.

History

The unique, natural bowl configuration of Clemens Stadium is actually the result of artificial design. The bowl was shaped by Saint John's monks who were building brick structures in the 1860s and 1870s. Clay in the soil northeast of campus was dug out of a hill and fired in a nearby kiln to produce bricks for the new Abbey Church (now Great Hall) and Quadrangle. After the buildings were completed, the chasm was filled with water and used as a cranberry bog for the monastery, university and preparatory school.

As athletics gained popularity among colleges across the United States, Saint John's was in need of an adequate field for football. The cranberry bog was drained and in 1908 the new field was ready for football. The field however was not large enough for a regulation-size football field and in 1922 the field expanded to the north to alleviate the problem.

In 1933, the first concrete stands were completed. The black metal tube railing, located on the southwest hill, still remains from this original construction. Six years later, an arched stadium entrance, ticket booth, two stairways and circular field entrance were built using fieldstone. The circular field entrance was inspired by Syracuse's Archbold Stadium. The two stairways and the southwest half of the circular field entrance remain today.

A press box was added in 1943.

After John Gagliardi took over as head coach, crowds increased and in 1957 the concrete stands were expanded to accommodate 3,000. Aside from basic field, stand and press box upgrades, the stadium remained unchanged for forty years.

The fieldstone stadium entrance and ticket booth were demolished to make way for the Alcuin Library and road access to a parking lot in the 1960s.

Renovation and renaming

With a large gift from Saint John's alumnus William E. and Virginia Clemens, Saint John's Stadium received a significant renovation in 1997.

The southeast and southwest hills were excavated for a regulation-sized eight-lane track. The wood bleachers on the east side were replaced with new metal bleachers. A new concrete grandstand was built with both bench seats and reserved chair seats. The press box, concession stands and restroom facilities were also reconstructed. The seating capacity grew to 5,500.

In addition to the renovations, the open north end of the horseshoe was closed off in 1997 with the addition of the McNeely Spectrum fieldhouse.

In honor of the Clemens gift, Saint John’s Stadium was renamed Clemens Stadium.

Recent improvements

Starting in 2002, Clemens Stadium has gone through significant improvements.

SprinTurf

In 2002 the grass field was replaced with SprinTurf to cut down on chemicals and water used to maintain the grass field, and to help prevent student-athlete injuries as a result from wet and muddy fields.

Reserved seating

Reserved seating was expanded in 2003 and 2005 to accommodate almost 1,000 season ticket holders.

General admission bleachers

General admission bleachers were added to the north end zone in 2004. The bleachers were expanded again in 2007 to bring the stadium seating capacity to 7,482.

Press box and suites

The press box had another level added in 2009. The addition included five new suites, two bathrooms, elevator, expanded radio, coaching, and press boxes and a "Legends Room."

Lights

The Donald McNeely Foundation has donated money to add lights and they will be installed before the beginning of the 2012 season. Saint John's has said though that they don't plan on hosting any night intercollegiate games in the near future, but instead the lights will be installed for high school games, intramurals, and use by the school's ROTC program.

Record crowds

Clemens Stadium is known for some of the largest crowds in NCAA Division III football. For 11 of the past 15 seasons, Saint John's has led Division III in either per-game average or total season attendance. The largest crowd ever for NCAA Division III football was recorded on Sep 26, 2015, when the Johnnies hosted 17,327 fans in a loss of 14-35 to the University of Saint Thomas. On November 8, 2003, Clemens Stadium hosted a then-NCAA Division III record 13,107 fans for a game against Bethel, for John Gagliardi's record-breaking 409th career victory.

Highest attendance at Clemens Stadium
RankAttendanceDateGame result
117,327Sep 26, 2015Saint John's 14, St. Thomas 35
216,922Oct. 13, 2018Saint John's 40, St. Thomas 20
316,421Oct. 2, 2010Saint John's 26, St. Thomas 27
414,286Sept. 15, 2012Saint John's 21, St. Thomas 43
513,161Oct. 22, 2022Saint John's 41, Gustavus 27
613,107Nov. 8, 2003Saint John's 29, Bethel 26
712,903Oct. 17, 2009Saint John's 20, St. Thomas 17
812,339Oct. 6, 2007Saint John's 30, St. Olaf 29
912,221Sept. 24, 2011Saint John's 31, Augsburg 32
1012,123Oct. 27, 2007Saint John's 51, St. Thomas 34

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Stadium</span> Demolished stadium in Florida, USA

Tampa Stadium was a large open-air stadium located in Tampa, Florida, which opened in 1967 and was significantly expanded in 1974–75. The facility is most closely associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League, who played there from their establishment in 1976 until 1997. It also hosted two Super Bowls, in 1984 and 1991, as well as the 1984 USFL Championship Game. To meet the revenue demands of the Buccaneers' new owners, Raymond James Stadium was built nearby in 1998, and Tampa Stadium was demolished in early 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan-Hare Stadium</span> Stadium in Auburn, AL, US

Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium is an American football stadium in Auburn, Alabama on the campus of Auburn University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Auburn Tigers football team. The stadium is named for Ralph "Shug" Jordan, who owns the most wins in school history as a head coach, and Cliff Hare, a member of Auburn's first football team as well as Dean of the Auburn University School of Chemistry and President of the Southern Conference. On November 19, 2005, the playing field at the stadium was named in honor of former Auburn coach and athletic director Pat Dye, giving the venue the moniker Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bleacher</span> Stands for spectators, e.g. in stadiums

Bleachers, or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a row of benches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amon G. Carter Stadium</span> American Football stadium in Fort Worth, TX

Amon G. Carter Stadium is an open-air football stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. It is the home stadium of the TCU Horned Frogs football team. It is named after Amon G. Carter, a prominent Fort Worth businessman, newspaper publisher, and city booster. Amon G. Carter stadium has several popular nicknames, the most popular being "The Carter" and "Hell's Half Acre".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nippert Stadium</span> Football stadium at the University of Cincinnati

James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Primarily used for American football, it has been the home field of the Cincinnati Bearcats football team in rudimentary form since 1901 and as a permanent concrete stadium since 1915, making it the fourth-oldest playing site and fifth-oldest stadium in college football, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Stadium (Lincoln)</span> Stadium in Nebraska, United States

Memorial Stadium, nicknamed The Sea of Red, is an American football stadium located on the campus of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska. The stadium primarily serves as the home venue for the Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Ten Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross–Ade Stadium</span> American football stadium on the Purdue University campus in W. Lafayette, IN, US

Ross–Ade Stadium is a stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, on the campus of Purdue University. It is the home field of Purdue Boilermakers football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lane Stadium</span> American football stadium on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, VA, US

Lane Stadium is a college football stadium in the eastern United States, located on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. The playing surface of the stadium is named Worsham Field. The home field of the Virginia Tech Hokies of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), it was rated the number one home field advantage in all of college football in 2005 by Rivals.com. In 2007, it was ranked #2 on ESPN.com's "Top 10 Scariest Places To Play." The stadium is named for Edward Hudson Lane, a former student, local businessman, and Virginia Tech booster, while the playing surface is named for Wes Worsham, a university donor and booster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dix Stadium</span> American football stadium in Kent, Ohio

Dix Stadium is a stadium in Kent, Ohio, United States. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Kent State Golden Flashes football team. In addition, since 2016 the stadium is also home to the Kent State women's soccer team and since 2019 to the women's lacrosse team. Previously, it was home to the Kent State field hockey team from 1997 to 2004 and served as a secondary home for the KSU men's soccer team in the 1970s. It opened on September 13, 1969 and was named in 1973 after Robert C. Dix, former publisher of the Record-Courier and a member of Kent State's Board of Trustees for more than three decades. It was built as an expansion and relocation of Memorial Stadium, with all of Memorial Stadium's main seating areas used at the current stadium in a new configuration. During soccer games, the playing surface is known as Zoeller Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaVell Edwards Stadium</span> Stadium at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, United States

LaVell Edwards Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, on the campus of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the BYU Cougars, a member of the Big 12 Conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Opened as "Cougar Stadium" in 1964, its seating capacity is 62,073. Following the 2024 departure of Oklahoma and Texas for the Southeastern Conference, it is the largest permanent stadium in the Big 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Stadium (Albuquerque)</span> Stadium at the University of New Mexico

University Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in the western United States, located on the south campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is the home field of New Mexico Lobos football, which competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium</span> Football stadium of Brown University

Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium is a football stadium located in Providence, Rhode Island. It is the home of Brown University's football and outdoor track teams. The athletic teams at Brown University, known as the Bears, compete in the Ivy League. Brown was the last Ivy stadium with a grass playing field until the installation of a FieldTurf surface in 2021. The field is named for Richard I. Gouse '68, the primary donor of the turf field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware Stadium</span> Multi-purpose stadium in Newark, Delaware

Delaware Stadium is an 18,500-seat stadium in Newark, Delaware, and is home to the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football and men's and women's lacrosse teams. The stadium is part of the David M. Nelson Athletic Complex, which includes the Bob Carpenter Center, Fred P. Rullo Stadium, the Fred Rust Ice Arena and the Delaware Field House.

Crump Stadium is a sports stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, built in 1934 and significantly downsized in 2006. It was built as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project with a capacity of 7,500. In 1939 it was enlarged to hold 25,000 spectators. In 1948 and 1949 it staged the Delta Bowl, a college football bowl game. In 1947 the Arkansas–Texas football game was played there. The annual Ole Miss–Tennessee game was also held there in the 1960s. Memphis State University home football games were played there until the completion of Memphis Memorial Stadium in 1965. The stadium was named for the late Memphis political boss E. H. Crump. It is now home to Central High School.

Alfred A. McKethan Stadium at Perry Field was the college baseball stadium of the University of Florida, serving as the home field for the Florida Gators baseball team until being replaced by Condron Ballpark in 2020. McKethan Stadium was located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, in close proximity to the university's indoor sports arena, the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, and its football stadium, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field</span> Sports field

Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field, commonly known as simply Rooney Field, is a 2,200-seat multi-purpose facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Situated on the campus of Duquesne University, Rooney Field is the home field of the Duquesne Dukes football, soccer and lacrosse teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Beaver Field</span> Stadium in Pennsylvania, US, 1909–1959

New Beaver Field was a stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. It served as the third home of the Penn State University Nittany Lions football team, hosting the team until they moved in 1960 to Beaver Stadium. It was built to replace the original Beaver Field (1892–1908), retroactively called Old Beaver Field, which had a capacity of 500 and stood between present-day Osmond and Frear Laboratories. Prior to this, the team played on Old Main Lawn, a grassy area outside the main classroom building of the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherman Field</span>

Sherman Field at Kearly Stadium is a football stadium on the campus of Michigan Technological University, in Houghton, Michigan. It is the home of the Michigan Tech Huskies NCAA football team and the soccer team. It regularly seats 3,000 fans. The surface of the field was grass until 2008, when MTU announced that turf was being installed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maverik Stadium</span> Utah State University football stadium

Maverik Stadium, also known as Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium, is an outdoor college football stadium in Logan, Utah, located on the campus of Utah State University. It is the home of the Utah State Aggies of the Mountain West Conference. The stadium opened in 1968 as "Romney Stadium"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderson Stadium</span> Historic football stadium in east Austin, Texas

Anderson Stadium, also known as Yellow Jacket Stadium, is a historic football and track and field facility in East Austin, Texas. The stadium was built in 1953 as the football facility on what was then the campus of L.C. Anderson High School, Austin's only public high school open to African Americans under racial segregation. Closed in 1971 as part of a school integration plan and restored in the 1990s, Anderson Stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.

References

    45°34′58″N94°23′30″W / 45.582735°N 94.391721°W / 45.582735; -94.391721