Former names | Old College Field (1902–1969) |
---|---|
Location | East Lansing, Michigan |
Owner | Michigan State University |
Operator | Michigan State University |
Capacity | 4,000 |
Field size | Center Field - 400 ft Right Field - 301 |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1900 |
Opened | April 18, 1902 [1] |
Renovated | 2006 April, 2009 |
Construction cost | $4.3 million (2009 reconstruction) |
Tenants | |
Michigan State Spartans baseball team |
Drayton McLane Baseball Stadium at John H. Kobs Field is a college baseball stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. The stadium holds roughly 4,600 people. It is located on a floodplain on the inside of a bend in the Red Cedar River known traditionally as Old College Field (opened in 1902) [2] and is the home field for the Michigan State University Spartans college baseball team. The facility received a $4.3 million renovation in 2009. The field itself is named after former MSU baseball coach John Kobs (named for him in 1969), and the stadium facility is named after former Houston Astros owner and Michigan State alumnus Drayton McLane Jr., whose donation in 2008 allowed for the renovation of the new facility.
The first official game in the newly renovated stadium was played on April 4, 2009. Spartan pitcher Nolan Moody threw a no-hitter against Northwestern University. It marked MSU's first no-hitter in 16 years.
In the summer of 2015, McLane Stadium at Kobs Field had a new electric field heating system installed by Sports Fields, Inc., becoming the first baseball field in the world with the state-of-the-art system.
The numbers of five former players have been honored by the Spartans and hang on the right field fence: No. 36 Robin Roberts, No. 30 Kirk Gibson, No. 10 Steve Garvey, No. 5 Tom Yewcic and No. 13 Mark Mulder. Also honored are No. 25, worn by coach John Kobs and No. 1 worn by coach Danny Litwhiler.
High school and amateur baseball games also take place at Kobs Field. It was the largest baseball stadium in the Lansing area until the completion of Oldsmobile Park.
Prior to the 2005 renovation, seating at Kobs Field consisted of wooden bleachers with capacity of about 2,000, dating from shortly after World War II. Considerable open space outside the foul lines allowed standing room crowds in excess of 5,000 on isolated occasions.
Sparty is the mascot of Michigan State University. Sparty is usually depicted as a muscular male Spartan warrior/athlete dressed in stylized Greek costume. After changing the team name from "Aggies" to "Spartans" in 1925, various incarnations of a Spartan warrior with a prominent chin appeared at university events and in university literature. In 1943, MSU art professor Leonard D. Jungwirth designed a statue for the university, which had to be cast in terra cotta because of World War II rationing. In 2005, the university replaced Jungwirth's original statue with a bronze replica, moving the original indoors to protect it from the elements.
Robin Evan Roberts was a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who pitched primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies (1948–1961). He spent the latter part of his career with the Baltimore Orioles (1962–1965), Houston Astros (1965–66), and Chicago Cubs (1966). Roberts was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. After his playing days, he coached the NCAA's South Florida Bulls baseball team for nine seasons, leading them to six conference titles.
Spartan Stadium , opened in 1923 in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Michigan State University Spartans. After the addition of luxury boxes and club seating in 2004–2005, the capacity of the stadium grew from 72,027 to 75,005—though it has held more than 80,000 fans—making it the Big Ten's sixth largest stadium. It has been nicknamed "The Woodshed".
Jackson Field is a baseball stadium in Lansing, Michigan, home field of the Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball team. The Michigan State Spartans college baseball team also plays select home games at Jackson Field. The stadium is situated in downtown Lansing in the Stadium District on a relatively narrow strip of land between and below Larch and Cedar streets.
Jenison Fieldhouse is a 10,004-seat, later reduced to 6,000-seat, multi-purpose arena in East Lansing, Michigan. The arena opened in 1940 and was named for alumnus Frederick Cowles Jenison, whose estate, along with PWAP funds, funded the building. It was home to the Michigan State University Spartans basketball team before they moved to Breslin Center in the fall of 1989. Previously Michigan State College (MSC) basketball had played home games at Demonstration Hall and the IM Circle buildings.
The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white. The university participates in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision for football. The Spartans participate as members of the Big Ten Conference in all varsity sports. Michigan State offers 11 varsity sports for men and 12 for women.
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University (MSU) in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Spartans are members of the Big Ten Conference. Michigan State claims a total of six national championships, including two from major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll. The Spartans have also won eleven conference championships, with two in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and nine in the Big Ten.
The Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents Michigan State University (MSU). The team plays at the Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan, on the MSU campus. The current head coach is Adam Nightingale, who took over coaching duties on May 3, 2022, after Danton Cole was fired. Michigan State currently competes in the Big Ten Conference.
David Grewe is the former head baseball coach at Michigan State University and former associate head baseball coach at Louisiana State University, and former head baseball coach at Milligan College, and former assistant baseball coach at Notre Dame, Central Michigan and University of Chicago. He won the 2009 National Championship in Omaha, Nebraska with the LSU Tigers.
John Farrell "Big John" Macklin was an American football player, coach of football, basketball, baseball and track and field, and a college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Michigan Agricultural College, now Michigan State University from 1911 to 1915. With a five-year record of 29–5, he has the highest winning percentage of any football coach in Michigan State history. Macklin coached the Michigan State Spartans football team to its first ever victories over Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Penn State. He was also the athletic director at Michigan Agricultural and coached the school's basketball, baseball, and track and field teams. Macklin tallied marks of 48–38 as head basketball coach (1910–1916) and 52–27 as head baseball coach (1911–1915).
Old College Field is an area on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The school broke ground in 1900 to provide a place for the varsity baseball team to play. Today, the area includes facilities for baseball, soccer, and softball. It is located on a floodplain on the inside of a bend in the Red Cedar River. The "New Life for Old College Field" campaign, which began in 2006, was to enhance the sports programs which played on the Field.
Kobs is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Lyman L. "Frim" Frimodig was an American athlete, college basketball coach and athletics administrator. He was the only athlete in the history of Michigan State University to receive ten varsity letters, four each in basketball and baseball and two in football. He held the school's single-game scoring record in basketball for 35 years. He was the head coach of the school's basketball team from 1920 to 1922 and subsequently served the school until 1960 as a professor of health and physical education, assistant athletics director, ticket sales manager, and athletics department business manager. He also served four years as the mayor of East Lansing, Michigan, from 1933 to 1937.
John H. Kobs was an American athlete and coach. He was the head baseball coach at Michigan State University from 1925 to 1963 where he compiled a career record of 576–377–16. He also coached men's basketball (1924–1926) and ice hockey (1925–1931) at Michigan State. He has been inducted into both the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame.
The Michigan State Spartans baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. The team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I and are members of the Big Ten Conference.
The 1980 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University in the 1980 Big Ten Conference football season. The Spartans finished in ninth place in the Big Ten Conference, compiled a 3–8 overall record, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 278 to 221. The team's .273 winning percentage was the worst in program history since the winless 1917 season. The team played its home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
The 2019 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan, and competed as member of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by head coach Mark Dantonio in his 13th and final season at MSU.
The 2021 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans competed as members of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. This was the program's second season under head coach Mel Tucker.
The 2022 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Spartans were led by third-year head coach Mel Tucker. The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
The 2023 Michigan State Spartans baseball team represents Michigan State University in the 2023 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Spartans are led by head coach Jake Boss in his fifteenth-season, are a member of the Big Ten Conference and play their home games at Drayton McLane Baseball Stadium at John H. Kobs Field in East Lansing, Michigan.