Bearcat Stadium

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Bearcat Stadium is the football stadium of the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats in Maryville, Missouri and is the oldest continous site for any NCAA Division II school.

It has a capacity of 7,500 and is natural turf. It is part of the Ryland Milner Complex which includes the Bearcat Arena in the Uel W. Lamkin Activity Center (formerly "Lamkin Gym") which is where the college basketball team plays, Martindale Gymnasium (the original school gymnasium), and Robert P. Foster Aquatic Center. The field is surrounded by the Herschel Neil Track (named for a university student and rival of Jesse Owens who held several NCAA track records in the 1930s).

The stadium originally opened in 1917 as Memorial Stadium which replaced a field on the north side of the Administration Building of the college which had started operations in 1906.

In 1961 it was named Rickenbrode Stadium for long time university business manager and athletic booster William Rickenbrode. Through the 1970s the stadium which had lights was the home field for the Maryville High School Spoofhounds and was used as a venue for various civic functions including the annual 4th of July display.

In the 1970s Northwest began construction of a new stadium on the west side of the campus. However funds ran out as Northwest began competing for funding with the newly founded Missouri Western State University 40 miles south in St. Joseph, Missouri. In 1988 the State of Missouri under Governor John Ashcroft announced plans to close Northwest altogether. Following spirited opposition, the plans were reversed and Northwest found it in a position of having to aggressively find ways to differentiate it from its rival if it wanted to survive.

In 1994 Mel Tjeerdsma who had a stellar playoff coaching reputation from his jobs Northwestern College and Austin College started coaching at Northwest. The first season his team went 0-11.

In 1996 they made it to the NCAA Division II playoffs. However because of poor conditions they were unable to play home games for which they were entitled.

In 1998 and 1999 Northwest won back to back Division II championships in games broadcast nationally on ESPN. Interest in the university immediately soared with the St. Louis Rams flying the team to a championship game and the Bearcats playing one game a year at Arrowhead Stadium. Missouri finally managed to finish the long stalled plan to create a four-lane highway between St. Joseph and Maryville.

In 2000 the east visitor grandstand was completely rebuilt funded by students of the university. Following the 2001 season the west home grandstand was demolished (with temporary bleachers put in place for the 2002 season). In 2003 the stadium with its new west grandstand with chairback and railback seating was unveiled. The new stadium has 10 luxury boxes and the scoreboard is has video replay features. The video board is one of the few that offers instant replay at the NCAA Division II level. The entire $5 million overhaul was privately paid for by alumni and boosters. As part of the overhaul, the lights were taken down. The stadium was renamed Bearcat Stadium in 2004 to honor the contributions of the many individuals and organiztions who worked in the fundraising efforts.

On December 9, 2006, the stadium hosted the first nationally televised home game in the school's and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association's history when Northwest defeated Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in the semifinals of Division II football. The game was broadcast on ESPNU which brought in lights (previously used at Ohio Stadium during the Michigan - Ohio State game) to illuminate the field. It was the first night game at the stadium since 1977.