“Ray, people will come, Ray. They will come to Evanston for reasons they don't even understand.”
I like to imagine Derrick Gragg taking a walk. He likes to clear his head after a full day's work. He has to step up. He loves cold air.
In my mind's eye, I pictured a Northwestern athletic director walking across Martin Stadium on a crisp winter night, staring out over a dark sky at Lake Michigan. I heard a voice.
If you build it, he will come.
On April 10th, Northwestern got its dream field. The school plans to build a temporary stadium on the lakefront to host home football games during the two years it takes to build the new Ryan Field. I'm not entirely sure about the details of how this happened. All I care about is that it might have been Gulag, or maybe it was a disembodied voice coming from above Kellogg.
The point is, there will be two unexpected years of campus football played in what will likely be one of the coolest and most unique venues in the country. And if anything, compared to many of the proposed alternatives, especially SeatGeek Stadium, a soccer-only venue 50 minutes from the Evanston campus that at one time tended to be a very depressing transit station. It's also a major upgrade.
Here are three reasons to love Northwestern football by the lake.
1. Evanston Football for Student-Athletes
The lakeside stadium means a lot to Northwestern's football players, who joined the program knowing the uncertainty surrounding the home field situation. That's a big deal for a freshman who could spend his first two years in the program playing 12 virtual away games in front of Purple Free crowds scattered throughout Chicago and the Midwest. is. Instead, they will begin their careers on Northwestern's campus, hopefully in a stadium filled with 15,000 Wildcat fans.
For upperclassmen, the new stadium means a little more. West Lott Pirates summed it up nicely:
Perhaps the best thing about this is that it's a gift to a person. @NuFBFamily senior students and their families.
They are making the sacrifice of playing away from Ryan Field, knowing the new building will never suit them.
From now on they will always share this special thing
— Westlot Pirates (@westlotpirates) April 10, 2024
The lakeside stadium is a hard-won relief for a group hoping to revive the program after a 1-11 record and a tumultuous offseason. These players need a noisy home environment and a stadium worthy of a football team that goes 8-5 and wins bowls. It's beyond cool that they'll end their college careers playing on their own campus rather than as a parade troupe collecting cash from away fans.
And when it comes to recruiting, I think it would be much easier for David Brown to bring players to Evanston with the promise of at least eight true home games on campus. Northwestern quickly goes from “Library” to “Lake Show” (if lacrosse is to borrow that nickname for football). The family environment is important in college football, and telling kids they can start the season in their own backyard rather than in the home of the Chicago rugby team is more effective.
An underappreciated aspect of the new venue is its impact on other sports. Northwestern lacrosse and soccer will both play in lakefront stadiums, with hopes of breaking their respective attendance records in the process. The lakeside stadium also won't encroach on Northwestern field hockey's territory, keeping the national championship runner-up team home.
2. One of the most unique venues in college football
The lakeside stadium quickly puts Evanston on the list of must-see destinations for college football fans. There's nothing like Big Ten football with Lake Michigan and especially the Chicago skyline in the background. I would argue that from a pure scenic standpoint, a well-appointed Martin Stadium is comparable to Washington's Husky Stadium, Army's Mitchie Stadium, BYU's LaVell Edwards Stadium, etc. For a Northwestern team that has always been neglected, a lakeside stadium adds a layer of authenticity and relevance. Can you tell me about the sunset over Lake Michigan over all of them?
The lakefront was also built for college football. The last time College GameDay came to Evanston in 2013, ESPN set up shop there. This is where Kendrick Lamar, Offset and Playboi Carti headlined Dillo Day. It's made for big stages and national audiences. Northwestern should have no problem filling its 15,000-seat stadium. Students will also participate. The stadium is a 2-minute walk from North Campus. The novelty of Lakeside football should bring Evanston a strong crowd and healthy alumni. Northwestern has also already announced that season ticket holders will have first priority for seats, which could suggest the school expects tickets to sell out.
3. Tailgating on campus
Perhaps the biggest winners of this whole thing are the Northwestern students. Lakeside Northwestern football should energize the campus. Please allow tailgating in the Martin Stadium parking lot and on campus in the Flat Quad. Give me the goalposts for Lake Michigan. Give me a Monaco Grand Prix-style sailgate. Take the Ryan family on board the yacht.
As of now, it appears Northwestern will play only a few games next season with students back on campus at Lakeside Stadium. The Sept. 14 game against Eastern Illinois and the Oct. 5 game against Indiana are likely to be floodgates on the lake. However, the remaining home football games will likely be played at a combination of Wrigley Field and Lambeau Field. This may be due to the quarter system, as there are two home games before students arrive in Evanston (August 31st vs. Miami, Ohio State and September 7th vs. Duke).
But in a time of transition for Northwestern football, these few games are a gift to a student body that has shown the ability and desire to pack a student section. As much as you want to make fun of “library,” the old Ryan Field student section was never a problem. Students create an environment in a limited-capacity stadium that boasts one of the best views in college football.
