The University of Illinois's Memorial Stadium and Earlier Football Grounds: Establishing the Sport and Facilities as Social Anchors

WITHIN THE SOUTHWEST REGION OF THE University of Illinois's Urbana-Champaign campus, between First and Fourth Streets, stands the iconic Memorial Stadium.1 Dedicated in 1924, this structure is not only revered for its Classic Revival architectural style, but also for its historical significance to both the university and state of Illinois.2 As a testament to its importance, National Park Service historian James H. Charleton recognized Memorial Stadium as one of nine football stadiums deserving National Historic Landmark status in his highly acclaimed study titled Recreation in the United States. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) has several stadiums and athletic facilities currently listed as a National Historic Landmark and the case for Memorial Stadium is strong under the criteria set by the National Park Service.3First, Memorial Stadium importantly possesses “distinctive characteristics of type, period, or method of construction” and demonstrates “a work of mastery or is highly artistic.” Second, Memorial Stadium meets criterion B and C of the NRHP since the facility has been associated with events and people of historical significance, such as famous coaches (e.g., Robert Zuppke) and athletes (e.g., Harold “Red” Grange).4 Third, the University of Illinois Facility and Services Department also similarly supports Memorial Stadium as an important property due to its historical significance as a World War I memorial and its offering of athletic, recreational, educational, and entertainment space for millions over the last one hundred years.5Interestingly, the connections to various events, people, and a distinctive architectural style also positions football and Memorial Stadium as unique social anchors within the institution and state.6 Football and importantly athletic venues can exist as social anchors because they cultivate and nurture support for a school's fan nation. This is made possible through the regular or seasonal occurrence of cultural activities such as fundraising, celebrations, dialoguing, and tailgating that occurs among students, alumni, townsfolk, businesses, and community partners.7 According to sport management scholars Chad Seifried and Aaron Clopton, these participatory groups and their activities sustain and develop “social capital, identity (group or individual), and/or social networks.”8 Moreover, the facilities, people, and events within create conditions for place attachment to occur through the development of an interactional past and potential, criteria to realize status as a social anchor. The notion of interactional past refers to meaningful past experiences with a site and engagement with individuals or group attendees. Interactional potential includes anticipated future engagement or consumption experiences that are possible at a facility via word-of-mouth and media communications. Overall, social anchors like athletic grounds and stadia not only connect communities but they also help maintain, develop, and recruit future fan nation members.9Interestingly, the story of Memorial Stadium's ascent to social anchor status in 1924 is presently underdeveloped, although its renovation history has been well documented. The merged story of football and the rise of athletic grounds as social anchors is incomplete because little is known about the establishment of predecessor venues such as Athletic Park and Illinois Field.10 As evidence, institutional histories developed by Winton U. Solberg, Leon D. Tilton, and Thomas Edward O'Donnell, among others, do not include a focused account of the construction history of athletic playing grounds and their impact on the University of Illinois's institutional story.11 Furthermore, sport-focused publications, such as those authored by Solberg, Bob Asmussen, and Matthew Lindaman do not offer a comprehensive account of the history of athletic grounds, their impact on the university, and subsequent rise of Memorial Stadium.12To better comprehend how the University of Illinois established football and athletic grounds or stadia as social anchors, the present study examines athletic fields at the university from the creation of Athletic Park in 1891 through the dedication of Memorial Stadium in 1924.13 Each new construction and renovation of athletic fields at the University of Illinois played a critical role that ultimately made Memorial Stadium into a reality. The present study fills in gaps about the University of Illinois's history by detailing how athletic field and stadia development helped boost enrollments, enhanced alumni connections to the institution, promoted the legitimacy of the school, and improved the image of campus.Throughout the 1880s, intercollegiate athletics became a major activity on many university campuses all over the country to anchor institutions to their community and fan nation. According to Solberg, individual sport took hold based on growing cultural and institutional foci that promoted health and interest to “escape from the routine” industrialization placed upon souls. Indoor gym activities like calisthenics or gymnastics, swimming, and walking, among other activities, emerged with the development of athletic clubs. Outdoor sports like baseball, track and field, and bicycling also enjoyed significance, but football increasingly generated attention over the last quarter of the nineteenth century on university and college campuses as a sport to play and watch.14Sport and subsequently quality athletic grounds at the University of Illinois initially lacked in comparison to many Midwestern peers because there was little enthusiasm for outdoor sports prior to the 1880s. Illinois faculty, for instance, regularly discouraged athletics and even banned baseball over a two-year period from 1881 to 1882. Field days, which were popular outdoor recreational events mainly supporting track and field throughout the Northeast and Midwest, were also prohibited in the 1880s until a proper athletic association capable of managing sport could be formed.15 In response, Illinois students organized their first athletic association in April 1883 through a merger of existing campus baseball and burgeoning football groups. To support their interest in sport, students organized the University's first field day at the Champaign Country and and of football played on the University of Illinois campus but in in of to or This style of football and the sport not support from the or university for The also and discouraged the play of football based on like to or the the development of football and athletics at the University of Illinois at this is because the sport was increasingly played in the at other and and and of the University of Thomas subsequently the 1880s to other in and that health was for the In the similarly Illinois to do to in the Northeast the of of The new was for of all like many athletics be as could as a to and in of like of and of were to the The in the recreational play of football and baseball to from students, faculty, and alumni for an athletic field and improved campus This the university its first of intercollegiate in under the of their for and the University of Illinois football played its first intercollegiate football in Illinois University at the The football was to play at the because was of a by the of which an and other track and field, and The first campus football in over also Illinois Illinois's first the of football and athletics a of the athletic association in 1891 because athletics a hold in the with the of various faculty, and alumni athletic were in the nineteenth a to which helped the of or fields for play and and support as a the University of Illinois of established the new University of Illinois Athletic with an of which and of the alumni and that became to of the Illinois students were the to the athletic which mainly to the school's field day and the of the the athletic association also the and of sport, of the first of the athletic association to a campus athletic field from and other potential The of in a a to at and grounds, which a new athletic The athletic association space on the of campus to the first Athletic Park in 1891 the of for not campus The of for of the grounds as Athletic Park on the of an campus which the and to a proper on the The on Athletic Park is important to because helped from the of the field and developed in of the and their and to develop a a from campus and a that the grounds, which a baseball and of both and Champaign to of for construction and for the track the field were by Champaign a by at the Athletic Park on one of the field, the to and the field, in upon the of construction of the Athletic Park that a of events, activities, and to was athletics under to help the his with a to the campus or institutional by supporting and athletics as capable of the of students and for the the on the of Moreover, developed a to help the image of the university the this support for athletics ultimately helped the University on the as in The also athletic association has this institution and all the other of the University of football also the was better and a of made the institution In of this they the of athletics and football improved between and students, the of the institution, and social Moreover, the development of athletics the University of Illinois to be associated with the institutions in the through and As evidence, the university in and that in the of the known as the Illinois to playing only students of the the of the athletics to a within the of the The and of athletics to but also and to the facility as football were from Athletic even with The university and the athletic association regularly about on but they were also with a fan and image as peers in the and the were in their sport and the to the of Athletic Park and to the legitimacy of the athletic association and the of made to the grounds in Athletic Park into Illinois In with a the of and grounds a to the field for athletics and recreational Illinois Field lacked the and at other in the As by Illinois of Thomas Edward and Illinois Leon D. Tilton, the Illinois Field was to be due to its and field for the also they the university to a facility for a The students were not in this as the growing fan for better to the growing the University of Illinois of the of to Illinois an the the of the track was and a new set of was a period of the University of Illinois a facility that to in the but was that to Illinois Field to as college football facilities the in and instance, several as and their athletic Furthermore, other like and also existing grounds and a new was at Illinois Field in capable of hundred also the to football generated for its the of the sport the University of Illinois at a of the that football was a activity that to the and other at state that football and and not for for not even with these and his peers the of football and recognized as an activity that people of all on his recognized the potential for football to for the university through its and that and as a to students to to and to or in the and Midwestern of over for in Moreover, football was for its of and this in University of Illinois the was strong for football in the state not only for but also at the and and athletic Illinois in the sport as the and became the for or of the a for the Illinois football that to support one and a were that both and could from the also at various institutions for not football and only its the that could from the throughout the United established connections between the or play of football and which helped boost the such for football recognized the in the and of of and the development of with to help over or other of football promoted the sport as because of its on and the of organized athletics and football helped the and development of Illinois the of the of a to the and of Illinois and were banned by the at this because not only the and their of but also the for to a to develop a new set of the to were in to To the of were also in to that a better of the the an was to to To the the university the a that in interest in football the state of Illinois and the conditions to the Illinois Field the to Illinois the university could only in about the was at In venues at the University of the University of and other could in their athletic The of Illinois Field also increasingly the that Illinois could other at and other due to the of their could This ultimately the of the university to legitimacy or their status in the of as a institution of for a new athletic facility were as in the and the of established a as a on campus in the Department of and emerged in to campus possible athletic field The athletic the Department of and and or status for Illinois Field in the campus over other at this H. a of the developed the campus for to the University of which importantly a new for the of the James campus in and a to a of the Illinois in a new University of Illinois's by the of the Illinois Field was for the growing and alumni fan Illinois was not in its a new athletic facility with to alumni and on the such as and construction of new and a of those and institutions to be important or the was the first to a new with their for for which construction in such as and were also in the of their venues to or their The development of a new Illinois athletic facility was critical to the as a of the which by the its place as a athletic that Illinois and on the athletic field and in of a new the Athletic Department they the to play those and in the like the of and of Illinois Field and from institutions were not the only instance, the university developed a and athletic in due to for Athletic in and and to and athletic management as a deserving of proper This football and helped cultivate a which in into football The of the Athletic Department also mainly on by football at this interest on how to According to historian Matthew the of the interest and ultimately into or athletic not for athletics but and as of the alumni also that Illinois Field was in of and the World War I to the development of a memorial to of the was for the construction of a new athletic facility as a was to the university in their new by alumni and many an athletic such as a and As the were to a a of the to support for a new The support from the also the to his of the as that university be enhanced with a new support from the and the university the athletic to develop a for a new in the the university for a of Illinois Field to and a for helped boost football to and the Athletic to the athletic under the of athletic from the of to for a new The Stadium be the first to support for a major was a strong for the construction of a new to the that the of Illinois was and deserving of a new and other were that events like could a of at Illinois and that the facility could be for other popular events, such as the The also for a new because construction in Illinois such that a of was within a from the of the to a for a new of the in the a to students, alumni, and about the of this the creation of an the university to the based on their and with the Robert of the of was to as of the a and the of was of the a and as for the and to a into groups their on a in Illinois in to state in the In were established to the and develop the which with the the university other to in the as well as the football Robert the as popular associated with Overall, and the other of the their as a method to help between students, alumni, and people of the upon students and alumni to their and to the institution by to their were about were in supporting the institution and that alumni a to their and that and support for the was an for alumni to the institution and their to and future of students, faculty, and was by the alumni association and of the were to with the for Memorial The with activities, and the of campus and the their been on a the could through their students were to create about the new This was a in April that over to the and to the helped that that “a of students with one to for and from made the first a of that helped by In this is that by students and their to students and their and to the also to from alumni and people in the the of Illinois and there was a to a memorial for the people of Illinois and were World War This was by many other institutions throughout the country and within the as the of in Overall, this of facility construction new stadiums and from through the new as a World War I a group of and in of which and this group a to the Illinois Department of the for the to be recognized as a state this was and the of alumni and athletic association the in the of the the to with or that to the University of Illinois athletic alumni, and those to the of World War The first by the university was the of dedication for their The of was to through The of with the on of the In the of the the were at the were at this be as a was that individuals those the of to a in the his as a Robert of to Memorial this for could a on a the of a the like to their on a was a for those not been to a but to support the The university set for these In those in the for or for for or for the to to other of the potential to the of and the the creation of these the established a of As the and established and the that for to set the for the his by and a titled The Memorial Stadium these were to to the potential the the for the new and about the of The first a on the to and upon to in to a of and among Moreover, a new for and to help Illinois realize the of to the not only as a for University of Illinois athletics but as a social anchor and of the of Illinois people could and support and also throughout the country to like and to with various and and about the for a in the United and the of to in the in a of of the were for the of the could been made to they proper in a new Illinois set a throughout the state and the United for within Edward and and also the based on alumni support and the the was a Furthermore, that the as a potential for to develop and and as a of to was by many other state also their of a new As an the state of Illinois's O'Donnell, that was in of such a such support the that the state of they a to the university or the of a new over students, alumni, and of the to to the a of for Memorial was for the and university to the construction for a campus that nine of the and were by the of to be the James as the was a architectural with in the construction the for Park Stadium as well as University's the site was on a on the by Fourth on the by on the by First and the by university and their for the new site by space for the facilities the and into the and an at the architectural to the of in The were by and they from to other and that the University of Illinois could a of their The the but and to study how they the hundred memorial within the To in their of to to was in the was for throughout the United that of the architectural style that was for Memorial and a which support the of those were to be in Memorial construction of Memorial Stadium was not a that the took In to the proper construction of the the of to be the were not a to the they in to Illinois Field in to other on campus, and the As and to work was on Memorial Stadium in for the to Memorial Stadium one of a among its from the the and field, the a unique that for sports and from other or The also for the of a track to the field and a for and as well as an track and were to be under the stands within the facilities to not only the football but also the of and at the of over construction and to the of the and throughout the to the construction of the athletic grounds, the construction for Memorial Stadium an in the of both the and the to the In to Illinois which was of and As by the in 1924, about and of were Memorial Stadium's construction also of over of and of a of Memorial Stadium was set to in the construction and the an of the of Memorial Stadium over the and with a of The also the that been the This was not within the historian Matthew that the University of also to for their new to the of the athletic association was to of their as well as from the and National to help the This the athletic association to all from past as well as those in the future to the by the construction of Memorial the of the university to an incomplete Memorial Stadium in because its and were and better those of Illinois the the the University of The of the in even helped boost the of existing and generated new to of the the was a of the of which to the to be since the as an of the The football the first in Memorial a of This the potential of the the athletic by a of in its by with a of The first of football in the the university to in to the and also help the construction of throughout the campus, not only athletics but the the university was with in by football and the and of the dedication for the Memorial Stadium was for 1924 as of the by the of the The of the Robert as of for the dedication due to his role in the and creation of Memorial to the the a from the campus to the site of the dedication took of the the as a memorial to those in World War I and the as a space based on the and upon which was the dedication to a the the was not The 1924 dedication the University of and the University of into this not of its and Illinois over took on in be the by the to in college football The was due not only to the of the but also the of a throughout Memorial As to the the quality of the was with one that even the of Illinois for in set the space the space in the made the of the the generated from other that has been from the was the to to the Second, about and took positions between Memorial Stadium and to help potential or in the and the of people to help the was Memorial Stadium the which Illinois Harold “Red” create history by on the as well for a helped the to a The Memorial Stadium as a because the to a college football to that and the to a University of Illinois on present study that the development of Memorial Stadium and football as social anchors was a of the of the sport and in due to the by Memorial Stadium's predecessor athletic although to support by at the University of the to the and potential that the sport could to the The of in athletics was by to construction activity at other institutions in the were established with those and was recognized that between sports and athletic grounds at those were important to students and alumni with to institutional The first Athletic was initially to support a of but is that football interest and that the of the The that Athletic Park and was in the of a fan nation and the subsequent of the athletic grounds and the of both interactional past and potential within future athletic Athletic Park into an important for the university and its fan there was a that athletic facilities were capable of or the legitimacy of the institution among its This promoted the development of Illinois this period, Illinois Field improved (e.g., and a that the of a fan nation and established the place as a social anchor place to and the of football in the and the creation of the placed Illinois Field the to the and for and the for a that among its peers in the and support from and alumni the of a for Memorial critical groups (e.g., the fan and also recognized the for a new facility both to their to the state and as an to the of World War as there were in the state of Illinois at this The that the and construction throughout the state and fan nation played a role in the status as a social anchor even to the historical events, people, and activities that place over its Moreover, the to and the media on the development of the property and the and of the individual and groups the of place attachment to Memorial by all in the dedication that for both as well as for college new state with also ultimately the fan nation to Memorial as a for the state of The to and to the coaches and on the field in the of all and of the structure as a place to Stadium also in the status of the campus at the University of Illinois through to new campus Moreover, as both an space but also as place for This of the institution and among all groups with educational, athletic, recreational, and entertainment activities by the to as a social anchor. the construction and (e.g., also set the facility and as the for future construction the of construction in the United States. as Memorial Stadium its one the structure a critical social anchor for the university, the and fan nation. is important to that its played a role in the development of athletics and ultimately Memorial Stadium through their events, and the university regularly the role those facilities played in a alumni and