Blakeslee Stadium
"The Blake" | |
 | |
 View of the stadium in 2016 | |
 | |
| Address | 161 Stadium Road Mankato, MN United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°08′38″N 93°59′42″W / 44.144°N 93.995°W |
| Owner | Minnesota State University, Mankato |
| Operator | Minnesota State University, Mankato |
| Type | Stadium |
| Capacity | 7,500 |
| Record attendance | 7,187 (October 10, 2015 vs. Augustana)[3] 10,000 at Vikings Training Camp |
| Surface | Natural Grass |
| Current use | American football |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1961 |
| Opened | 1962 |
| Construction cost | $80,000[1] ($805,809 in 2023 dollars[2]) |
| Tenants | |
| Minnesota State Mavericks football | |
| Website | |
| msumavericks.com/blakeslee-stadium | |
Blakeslee Stadium is an American football stadium located on the southern edge of the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus. Primarily used for American football, it is the home field of the Minnesota State Mavericks football —an NCAA Division II team— and hosted the training camp for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) from 1966 to 2017.[4]
History
[edit]Overview
[edit]
Built in 1962, the stadium holds 7,000 seats and facilitates a variety of events, including marching band performances and drum and bugle corps competitions.[5]
It is named after Carlyn P. Blakeslee, who served as a coach, administrator, and Health and Physical Education professor at Minnesota State from 1921 until his retirement in 1961.[6]
In 2022, the stadium hosted Hockey Day Minnesota, an annual series of outdoor ice hockey games sponsored by the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL) and FanDuel Sports Network North.[7]
Renovation and replacement plans
[edit]Plans for replacing the more than 55-year-old structure have been discussed by Minnesota State University.[8][9]
References
[edit]- ^ "MSU Buildings Management". March 15, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Minnesota State Football Recordbook 2016" (PDF). June 1, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ "Blakeslee Stadium – Campus Tour – Minnesota State University, Mankato". Mnsu.edu. October 22, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
- ^ "Minnesota State Mavericks - Blakeslee Stadium". Msumavericks.com. September 8, 2009. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
- ^ "Minnesota State Mavericks - Hall of Fame". Msumavericks.com. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
- ^ "Hockey Day Minnesota". Minnesota Wild. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ Courrier, Chad (September 4, 2015). "Courrier: Time for Blakeslee Stadium to get some love - Mankato Free Press: Columns". Mankato Free Press. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
- ^ MSU-Mankato Athletics Master Plan (PDF). MSU-Mankato Athletics. January 20, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Blakeslee Stadium at Wikimedia Commons
