Initially the plan was to write about football stadiums yesterday, but things got a bit off track. Today, we're doing this. No real intro, beyond this little bit. No chance to meander. Maybe a small disclaimer, if you want to call it that. I've only been to five Division III stadiums: Wabash, DePauw, Franklin, Illinois Wesleyan, and Wisconsin-Whitewater. I've driven around Marietta's, but never been inside it. I have been inside a locker room at Oberlin's football stadium to shower after a disc tournament (I'm not exactly sure we were supposed to). My dad and I have talked about making the relatively short trip to Springfield to watch Wabash play Wittenberg, but we still haven't done it. Maybe next year (as that game is home this year). Here we are, presented in the order I found them on Google Maps. The stadia of the North Coast Athletic Conference. All pictures are shown with north at the top, so you can get a sense of the alignment. Wabash College Little Giants Hollett Little Giant Stadium -Crawfordsville, IN -Built in 1966 -5,000 seats -Artificial Turf -Great view of field from inside Allen Center -Joined NCAC in 2000, 6 Conference championships (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011) DePauw University Tigers Blackstock Stadium -Greencastle, IN -Built 1941 -4,000 seats -Natural Grass -This stadium just had major renovations for this season. I haven't seen this stadium to really know what renovations have been made, so it's possible it now has artificial turf. If so, it's not indicated on the DePauw or D3Football websites. -Joined NCAC in 2012. No conference championships (though I suppose you can't hold that against them yet) Wittenberg University Tigers Edwards-Maurer Field -Springfield, OH -Built in 1921 -Artificial Turf -All seating on one side of the field. Doesn't quite seem fitting for the winningest program in Division III. -Founding NCAC member. 10 Conference championships (1992, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012) Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops Selby Field -Delaware, OH -Built in 1929 -9,100 seats (easily largest in NCAC) -Artificial Turf -Founding NCAC member. 2 Conference championships (1989, 2012) College of Wooster Fighting Scots Papp Stadium -Wooster, OH -Construction date not listed anywhere I could find -4,500 seats -Artificial Turf -All permanent seating on one side, but stadium is built in a natural bowl, and hillside seating is greatly encouraged -They bring a single bagpipe player on the road. I'm sure the display at home games is a little grander given their old Coke commercial. -Founding NCAC member. 2 Conference championships (1997, 2004) Denison University Big Red Piper Stadium -Granville, OH -Built in 1922 -5,000 seats -Artificial Turf -Steve Carrell's alma mater. That's cool, right? -Founding NCAC member. 2 Conference championships (1985, 1986) Kenyon College Lords McBride Field -Gambier, OH -Built in 1962 -2,200 Seats -Artificial Turf -Seating on one side. Also, I have been on Kenyon's campus, but I wasn't near the football stadium. I have, though, slept outside their tennis courts thanks to Steve messing up our hotel reservations for a disc tournament. We were woken up in the middle of the night by campus security, but they didn't make us leave. I don't really have great memories of Kenyon. -Founding NCAC member. 1 Conference championship (1989) Oberlin College Yeomen Savage Stadium -Oberlin, OH -Built in 1925 -3,050 seats -Natural Grass -One sided stadium. Sits right next to a lacrosse/field hockey stadium which is much, much nicer. Obviously not a school overly concerned with football. -Founding NCAC member. No conference championships. (See above?) Hiram College Terriers Henry Field -Hiram, OH -Unknown construction date -2,500 seats -Artificial Turf -Looks like it would be a good view from athletic center -Joined NCAC in 2000. No conference championships. Not to pick on them, but they've won 13 games total since joining the conference. Clearly football is not their sport. Allegheny College Gators Fuhrer Field -Meadville, PA -Unsure of construction date, maybe 1962? -3,500 seats -Artificial Turf -This was until recently natural grass, and well-known to be a mud bowl of a field. I think every team hated playing at 'Gheny thanks to that field. It was a great home field advantage. This seems to have dissipated with the new turf. -Founding NCAC member. 9 Conference championships (1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003) For what it's worth, Case Western Reserve University was a founding member and stayed until 1998. They won the first conference championship in 1984. Earlham College joined in 1989 and left in 2010. Their best finish was 4-way tie for third in 2008 with Wittenberg, Denison, and Allegheny.
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