Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium

The Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium is an American football stadium in Brookings, South Dakota, United States, on the campus of South Dakota State University. It is the home venue of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team. The stadium, which was constructed in phases on the previous Coughlin-Alumni Stadium site, seats 19,340 spectators. The stadium was funded through private gifts and long-term revenue streams, including expanded club seats, loge boxes, and a premium suite level. Lead gifts totaling $12.5 million from Sioux Falls banker Dana Dykhouse and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford were announced in October 2013. The stadium opened in 2016.

Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
Location1396 Stadium Road, Brookings, South Dakota
OwnerSouth Dakota State University
OperatorSouth Dakota State University
Capacity19,340
Record attendance19,371
SurfaceAstroTurf
Construction
Broke ground2014
Opened2016[1]
Construction cost$65 million
Tenants
South Dakota State Jackrabbits (NCAA) (2016–present)

The stadium project was approved by the state Legislature during the 2014 session and signed into law by Governor Dennis Daugaard. Construction began in the fall of 2014 with the east and south stands completed in August 2015. The remainder of the project was finished by the next football season in August 2016.[2] Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium replaced old Coughlin–Alumni Stadium.

History

The first event opening the stadium was the Jacks Bash concert which featured country music artists Lee Brice, Little Big Town, and Luke Bryan on September 8, 2016. Two days later the football team opened up the stadium with a 56–28 win against the Drake Bulldogs. South Dakota State would go on to post a 6–1 record at home during the 2016 season including a playoff win against the Villanova Wildcats. South Dakota State has posted a 12–2 record at Dana J Dykhouse Stadium through two years and has outscored its opponents by 217 points in that time. South Dakota State is set to host its fourth playoff game (3rd at Dana J Dykhouse Stadium) on December 9th, 2017 against New Hampshire.

Crowds

Top 10 crowds
  1. 19,371 -- October 26, 2019 vs North Dakota State
  2. 18,130 -- November 4th, 2017 vs North Dakota State
  3. 17,730 -- October 22nd, 2016 vs Youngstown State
  4. 16,887 -- September 17, 2016 vs Cal Poly
  5. 15,806 -- September 16, 2017 vs Drake
  6. 15,345 -- November 12, 2016 vs South Dakota
  7. 15,155 -- September 10, 2016 vs Drake
  8. 14,347 -- October 14th, 2017 vs Northern Iowa
  9. 14,155 -- October 1st, 2016 vs Western Illinois
  10. 12,891 -- October 7th, 2017 vs Southern Illinois

Student Section

The Student section for South Dakota State sits on the south end of the stadium with the band centered in the middle. The student section often fills the end zone and helps to create a loud environment inside of Dana J Dkyhouse Stadium. On August 31, 2017, South Dakota State broke a student attendance record when 4,251 students packed the stands against Duquesne in the stadiums first ever Thursday night game. South Dakota State won the game 51-14.

South Dakota State's student section has an official student organization called the Barnyard Cadets. This group organizes a student gathering on campus before each Jackrabbit home game before the whole student body walks toward the stadium from the south.

See also

References
  1. http://www.gojacks.com/news/2016/9/7/general-dana-j-dykhouse-stadium-gameday-information.aspx
  2. "The Official Site of South Dakota State Athletics". www.gojacks.com. Retrieved 2017-04-13.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.