University of Detroit Stadium
University of Detroit Stadium, also known as U of D Stadium, Titan Stadium, or Dinan Field, was a stadium in Detroit, Michigan on the campus of the University of Detroit. The stadium opened in 1922, on land that had been acquired for the university's proposed new McNichols campus (the university moved its main campus there in 1927). The stadium's main tenant was the University of Detroit Titans football team, who played their home games there from the time it opened until the university dropped its football program following the 1964 season.
| |
| Location | Detroit, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Owner | University of Detroit |
| Capacity | 25,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1922 |
| Demolished | 1971 |
| Tenants | |
| Detroit Titans (NCAA) 1922–1964 Detroit Wolverines (NFL) 1928 Detroit Lions (NFL) 1934–1937 Detroit Cougars (USA) 1967–1968 Michigan Arrows (CFL) 1968 | |
Location
The stadium stood on 6 Mile Road (later also known as McNichols Road) just west of Fairfield St. in the northeast corner of the campus. It was built with the field on a north-south axis, with stands on the east and west sides of the field, which was encircled by a running track. It had a capacity of 25,000 people at its peak. In addition to football, it was also used for track meets, concerts, and other university-related and public events. One rather unusual aspect of the stadium were its lighting towers, which stood between the stands and the field.
Tenants
University of Detroit Stadium was the home field for the NFL's Detroit Lions from 1934 to 1937, and again in 1940.[1] The Lions also played several early season home games there in 1938 and 1939. The stadium was also home to the Detroit Wolverines for their only NFL season in 1928. U of D stadium was the site of the 1935 NFL Championship Game, won by the Lions over the New York Giants, 26–7.[2]
The Detroit Cougars professional soccer club played several games here in the summers of 1967 and 1968 whenever their regular home field, Tiger Stadium had a scheduling conflict. One such match on June 14, 1967 against the Houston Stars ended in an infamous player riot.[3][4][5][6][7]
The Michigan Arrows of the fledgling Continental Football League used the stadium (which then had a capacity of 20,000) for the 1968 season. Unfortunately, the Arrows drew just 4,240 fans per game en route to a 1-11 season. The Arrows moved to Midland to become the Tri-City Apollos in 1969, then folded with the rest of the league.
Demolition
The stadium was demolished in 1971 and was replaced by a parking lot. For many years thereafter, the stadium's lighting towers remained standing in order to provide lighting for the lot. The location is currently occupied by a multi-purpose turf field north of Calihan Hall.
Gallery
English Blitz Scouts at the stadium in 1942
The University of Detroit's athletic field in 2008
References
- "Ballparks". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media.
From 1934 (the beginning of the Lions) through 1937, the football team's home was at the University of Detroit Stadium, a facility that they returned to for one season in 1940.
- "Championship - New York Giants at Detroit Lions - December 15th, 1935". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- "Baltimore Afro-American - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-14. Retrieved 2014-04-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- "SUMMER WITH THE COUGARS". IBWM.
- "Detroit Cougars (1967-1968)". Archived from the original on July 20, 2012.
| Preceded by Universal Stadium |
Home of the Detroit Lions 1934 – 1937 |
Succeeded by Tiger Stadium |