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 November 27, 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]

Related Research Articles

Emporia State University is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States. Established in March 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third-oldest public university in the state of Kansas. Emporia State is one of six public universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RCA Dome</span> Former stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana

The RCA Dome was a domed stadium in Indianapolis. It was the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons (1984–2007).

Bill Snyder Family Stadium is a stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. It is used for American football, and is the home field of the Kansas State University Wildcats football team. It is named after the family of head coach Bill Snyder. Over the past 31 seasons – from 1990 through the 2022 season – K-State is 169–51–1 (.767) at home.

Fred Anderson Field at Hornet Stadium is a 21,195-seat college football and track stadium on the campus of California State University, Sacramento. it is the home field of the Sacramento State Hornets of the Big Sky Conference. The field is named after local businessman and owner of the Sacramento Surge, Fred Anderson.

Bridgeforth Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The stadium is home to the James Madison Dukes football team. The playing surface is named Zane Showker Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cessna Stadium</span> Stadium at Wichita State University in Kansas, U.S.

Cessna Stadium is a stadium on the campus of Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It opened in 1946 and served as the home of the football team until the program was discontinued in 1986. It is currently home of the Wichita State Shockers track and field team. The Kansas Board of Regents approved demolition of the stadium in April 2020. Only the east stands were demolished. The rest of the stadium is supposed to be demolished after the 2024 track and field season.

Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium is an athletic stadium located in Commerce, Texas. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the East Texas A&M University Lions football team, Texas A&M-Commerce Men's and Women's Track and Field, and the Commerce High School Tigers Football team of the Commerce Independent School District. Prior to 1996, the stadium was named "East Texas State Memorial Stadium, and until the end of the 2017 season, it was known as Texas A&M-Commerce Memorial Stadium." The stadium was built in honor of the 78 Texas A&M-Commerce alums and students who fought and died during World War II. The stadium was renamed Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium was formally changed in November 2017 in honor of longtime Lion football coach Ernest Hawkins.

Carnie Smith Stadium is the football stadium for Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. The stadium is nicknamed "The Jungle", or "The Pitt."

Garin Higgins is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Emporia State University, a position he has held since 2007. Higgins previously served as the head football coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University from 2000 to 2004. His Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers finished as runners-up in the NAIA Football National Championship in 2000 and 2003. Higgins worked as co-offensive coordinator at Minnesota State University, Mankato and offensive coordinator at Northeastern State University in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fran Welch</span> American football coach (1895–1970)

Francis George Welch was an American football player and coach, track and field coach, and college athletics administrator. He was of the first three coaches to be selected for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Track and Field Hall of Fame and is a member of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

The Emporia State Hornets are the athletic teams that represent Emporia State University (ESU). The women's basketball and softball teams use the name Lady Hornets. The university's athletic program fields 15 varsity teams in 11 sports all of whom have combined to win 50 conference championships as well as three national championships. Corky the Hornet serves as the mascot representing the teams, and the school colors are black and gold. Emporia State participates in the NCAA Division II and has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since 1991.

The Emporia State Hornets football program is a college football team that represents Emporia State University. The team competes as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), which is a conference in the NCAA Division II. The program began in 1897 and has fifteen conference titles. On December 15, 2006, former Hornets quarterback Garin Higgins became the team's 24th head coach, following the resignation of Dave Wiemers. Home games are played on Jones Field at Welch Stadium, located on the Emporia State University campus in Emporia, Kansas. In August 2017, Hero Sports named Emporia State the "best football team in Kansas, regardless of division".

The Sacramento State Hornets is the team that represents California State University, Sacramento in intercollegiate athletics.

The Sacramento State Hornets football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the California State University, Sacramento located in Sacramento, California. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Big Sky Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1954. The team plays its home games at the 21,195-seat Hornet Stadium.

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 represented Emporia State University in the 2019 NCAA Division II football season. The Hornets played their home games on Jones Field at Francis G. Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas, as they had done since 1937. 2019 is the 122nd season in school history. The Hornets were led by head coach Garin Higgins, who was 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. Arcadia. ISBN 9780738598741 . Retrieved August 18, 2016.
1 2 Emporia State University Athletics Facilities Guide, Welch Stadium
↑ The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association Archived November 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine , "Witten Track/Welch Stadium to host event for third time"

38°25′01″N96°10′47″W / 38.417015°N 96.179642°W / 38.417015; -96.179642

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Hanschu, Steven (2013). Emporia State University. Arcadia. 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 Archived November 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine , "Witten Track/Welch Stadium to host event for third time"

[1]

[2]

[3]

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 2024