Francis G. Welch Stadium

Francis G. Welch Stadium
Welch Stadium
Location	Emporia, Kansas
Owner	Emporia State University
Operator	Emporia State University
Capacity	7,000
Surface	RamTurf
Opened	1937
Tenants
	Emporia State football ; Emporia High School football

Last updated April 08, 2024

Francis G. Welch Stadium, also known as Jones Field at Welch Stadium or Welch Stadium, is a sport stadium in Emporia, Kansas. The facility is primarily used by the Emporia State University football and track & field teams and Emporia High School football. It is named to honor long-time Emporia State coach and athletic director Fran Welch.^[1] The facility was one of the first on the NCAA Division II level to offer enclosed skyboxes and is still one of only a few across the nation.^[2]

Stadium history

The first football game at Welch Stadium came on Armistice Day in 1937. The Hornets tied St. Benedict's College by a score of 20-20. More than 6,000 fans saw the first game in the facility. The largest crowd on record for a football game was the 1973 game against Northern Colorado. The record crowd of 10,000 saw the Hornets to a 10–0 victory as the Hornets vaulted to a No. 3 ranking in the NAIA.^[2]

Top crowds at Welch Stadium

**Highest attendance at Welch Stadium**
Rank	Attendance	Date	Game result
1	10,000	1973	Emporia State 10, Northern Colorado 0
2	9,200	1998	Emporia State 38, Pittsburg State 28
3	9,000	1969	Emporia State 34, Pittsburg State 21
4	8,064	1987	Emporia State 9, Pittsburg State 35
5	8,000	1926	Emporia State 6, College of Emporia 0
6	7,640	1992	Emporia State 38, Pittsburg State 49
7	7,305	2000	Emporia State 10, Fort Hays State 16
T-8	7,000	1979	Emporia State 4, Missouri Western 31
T-8	7,000	1980	Emporia State 7, Missouri Western 14
Source: Emporia State Hornets Football Oct. 31, 2015 Game Notes

Other uses

The stadium is used by the local high school for games, college and community events, Special Olympics and other sporting events. The stadium currently hosts the Kansas State High School Activities Association Class 5A state championship game, Emporia High School Football games and the Kansas Shrine Bowl all-star game every four years (the site currently rotates between Emporia, Pittsburg, Manhattan, and Hays).

Welch Stadium served three times as the site for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.^[3]

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The 2014 Emporia State Hornets football team represented Emporia State University in the 2014 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets played their home games on Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium, in Emporia, Kansas as they have done since 1937. 2014 was the 121st season in school history. The Hornets were led by head coach Garin Higgins, who finished his 14th overall season, and eighth overall at Emporia State. Emporia State is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

The 2015 Emporia State Hornets football team represented Emporia State University in the 2015 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets played their home games on Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they have done since 1937. 2015 was the 122nd season in school history. The Hornets were led by head coach Garin Higgins, who finished his fifteenth overall season, and ninth at Emporia State. Emporia State is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

The 2016 Emporia State Hornets football team represented Emporia State University in the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets played their home games on the newly-renovated Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they have done since 1937. 2016 was the 119th season in school history. The Hornets were led by head coach Garin Higgins, finished his 15th overall season, and 10th overall at Emporia State. Emporia State has a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association since 1991.

The 2017 Emporia State Hornets football team represented Emporia State University in the 2017 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets played their home games on Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they have done since 1937. 2017 was the 120th season in school history. The Hornets were led by head coach Garin Higgins, who finished his 16th season overall, and 10th season at Emporia State. Emporia State has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since 1991.

The 2018 Emporia State Hornets football team represented Emporia State University in the 2018 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets played their home games on Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they have done since 1937. 2018 was the 121st season in school history. The Hornets are led by head coach Garin Higgins, who is in his 17th season overall, and 12th season at Emporia State as head coach. Emporia State has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since 1991.

The 2019 Emporia State Hornets football team represents Emporia State University in the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets play their home games on Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they have done since 1937. 2019 is the 122nd season in school history. The Hornets are led by head coach Garin Higgins, who is in his 18th season overall, and 13th season at Emporia State as head coach. Emporia State has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since 1991.

References

↑ Hanschu, Steven (2013). Emporia State University. ISBN 9780738598741 . Retrieved August 18, 2016.
1 2 Emporia State University Athletics Facilities Guide, Welch Stadium
↑ The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, "Witten Track/Welch Stadium to host event for third time"

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[1] Hanschu, Steven (2013). Emporia State University. ISBN 9780738598741 . Retrieved August 18, 2016.

[emporia.edu-2] 1 2 Emporia State University Athletics Facilities Guide, Welch Stadium

[3] The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, "Witten Track/Welch Stadium to host event for third time"

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v t e Emporia State Hornets football
Venues	Jones Field at Welch Stadium (1937–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Washburn
Culture & lore	Corky the Hornet Timeline of college football in Kansas
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1893 1894 1895 1896 1897–1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023