MINNEAPOLIS -- For the University of Minnesota, this has been a long time coming.
In 1981, the Gophers played their last football game at Memorial Stadium. The decision was made to move home games to the Metrodome, which isn't terribly far from campus but is definitely not a "typical" college football stadium. By 2002, the university was looking into the feasibility of an on-campus stadium. In the spring of 2005, funding was finally approved. On Sept. 12, 2009, the dreams of many Gopher football supporters became a reality.
As TCF Bank Stadium opens with a game against Air Force, much history is being made. The Gophers are the first Big Ten team since 1960 (Indiana) to open a new stadium. Most Big Ten football facilities originally opened in the 1920s, though all have undergone some sort of expansion and/or renovation since then.
This, however, is a first of its kind. A truly modern college football stadium housing a Big Ten school. While it's modern in amenities, its look is decidedly retro. There is a large plaza overlooking the stadium and nearby Williams Arena, where the Gophers play basketball. The horseshoe shape of the stadium gives fans a chance to see downtown Minneapolis from their seats.
When the stadium studies began, talk was that the NFL's Minnesota Vikings would share this facility. Many years after those talks broke off, the Vikings are still seeking funding for their own stadium, while the university's dream has been realized.
One of the reasons those talks never got past the exploratory stage was parking. In traveling to the site, it's easy to see why there were concerns. If this facility were to house both the Gophers and Vikings, it would easily have in the area of 65,000 seats, as opposed to the 50,000 this stadium has. Even with 15,000 fewer seats than it could have had, parking is an absolute mess. There are fans parking in the area of two miles from the stadium, and then riding shuttle buses to the site. Only those with season tickets have access to ramps and lots that are a reasonable walking distance away.
On the bright side, this situation appears to have been handled very well by the university. Plenty of staff and buses are awaiting those looking for a ride, and they operate starting four hours before games.
If the rest of the season goes more smoothly than the first game has, fans should have little to complain about.
There is worry about the action on the field, though. Air Force is a pretty good team, and they come from a conference (Mountain West) brimming with confidence. The Falcons and their triple-option attack could prove troublesome for a Gopher defense that struggled mightily defending Syracuse last week.
The sold-out crowd should be in for a good show. If nothing else, the stadium they walk into is a lot nicer than anything the Big Ten has seen in a long time.
