Glidden Field

Glidden Field
Tenants
Location	Lucinda Ave. and Gilbert Way DeKalb, IL 60115
Coordinates	41°56′9″N 88°45′43″W / 41.93583°N 88.76194°W / 41.93583; -88.76194Coordinates: 41°56′9″N 88°45′43″W / 41.93583°N 88.76194°W / 41.93583; -88.76194
Owner	Northern Illinois University
Operator	Northern Illinois University
Capacity	5,500 (final; 1965)
Surface	Natural Grass
Opened	1903
Closed	October 9, 1965
Northern Illinois Huskies (NCAA) (1903-1965)

Glidden Field in DeKalb, Illinois was the home field of the Northern Illinois University Huskies. It opened in 1903 and was primarily used for American football and track and field.

Location

Glidden Field was located on the east end of the campus, bordered Lucinda Avenue to the north, Gilbert Way (along with Gilbert Hall and Still Gym) to the west, and the Kishwaukee River providing a natural border to the east.

About

Glidden Field dated back to Northern Illinois University's origins, as the site originally was used as a harness racing track for the annual DeKalb Agricultural Fair. Joseph Glidden, a prominent farmer in the area and community benefactor, donated the land to help the institution expand. It was quickly put to use as a recreational field for the university's sports teams. Early iterations of the field included a covered grandstand boasting "400 strong" supporters in a 1904 football game. During the 20's the field was encircled by a cinder track, and even more bleachers were added after World War II.

Northern Illinois' football accomplishments, such as winning three consecutive Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and a national title, in the late 50's and early 60's prompted not only over capacity crowds (some as large as 10,000), but also talks of a new stadium to accommodate the team's needs. In 1964, construction began on Huskie Stadium for use at the start of the 1965 football season, but constant delays with the construction crew, and prolonged cold weather from the previous winter, kept the Huskies using Glidden Field for the first three games of the 1965 season. Once Huskie Stadium was complete, the bleachers and track were removed from Glidden Field, and it became a public park.^[1]

Currently, the site of old Glidden Field is now shared by the Jack Arends Visual Arts Hall and the Boutell Memorial Music Hall.

References

↑ "2005 Northern Illinois University Football" (PDF). NIU Athletics. August 1, 2005. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

Northern Illinois Huskies football

Venues	Glidden Field (1903–1965) Huskie Stadium (1965–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Ball State (Bronze Stalk Trophy)

Culture & lore	"Huskie Fight Song" Huskie Band

People	Head coaches NFL draftees

Seasons	1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

National championship seasons in bold

Northern Illinois University

DeKalb, Illinois

Academics	College of Law

Campus	Huskie Stadium Convocation Center Chick Evans Field House Ralph McKinzie Field

Athletics	Football Basketball Men's Women's Soccer Men's Women's Mid-American Conference

Media	Northern Star Northern Illinois University Press Northern Public Radio

Miscellaneous	Northern Illinois University shooting List of Northern Illinois University people

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