Memorial Stadium hasn’t always been the home of Nebraska Cornhusker football. Between 1909 and 1922, the team played at Nebraska Field, which was more or less at the same location as present-day Memorial Stadium. The field ran east-west instead of north-south.
The photo above is a detail of this one:
Final game at Nebraska Field, November 30, 1922. NSHS RG2758-105-10
Nebraska Field held 16,000 fans… at least, that’s the reported attendance at the stadium’s final game, a 14-6 Nebraska victory over Notre Dame on November 30, 1922. Today, getting good seats at Memorial Stadium involves paying a lot of money. At Nebraska Field, it was more a matter of creativity and determination, as revealed by the above photo. Notice the fans on rooftops, ladders, and makeshift scaffolding (see details below).
Telephone poles also provided a good view.
So did a tree just outside the stadium.
By comparison, the top of the stadium awning was a veritable luxury box. But how did they get up there?
A different photo from the same game provides a clue. See detail below. NSHS RG2758-102-740
What is the purpose of the boards nailed to the back corner post? They appear to be a crude ladder to the awning.
All that for a better view of this. NSHS RG2758-734
Coming in Part 2 of this post: In 1923, Notre Dame returns to Lincoln to play in brand-new Memorial Stadium.
—David Bristow, Associate Director for Research & Publications
Since moving to NE 6 years ago, I’ve heard stories from several folks claiming one of the 1920s-era UNL-ND football game also drew a Ku Klux Klan rally outside, or around the stadium. The story goes that the Klan rallied/marched outside the game in a display of anti-Catholic sentiment aimed at ND. Some say that is why ND did not return to Lincoln for a game for many years after. I know the Klan was active in the state and region during that era and that anti-Catholicism was its core issue in these parts, so the story seems plausible, but I have never seen any actual evidence about the Klan-at-the-game story.
Does anyone at the Society know anything about this story? Is there any truth to it? Or is it a myth?
Thanks,
Patrick
I don’t know about a Klan rally outside the stadium, but it’s true that the Klan had a strong presence in Lincoln, and that Notre Dame cited a display of anti-Catholic sentiment as the reason for canceling the series after the 1925 season. Part two of this post, which will go up next week, will address that very issue.
—David Bristow, Associate Director for Research & Publications