Those Were The Days - Purdue

I'll just make the same note about the Memorial Stadium track that I made the last time I used that photo for one of Detlef's posts. The reason the stands are so far from the field is because there used to be a track. It was removed in the 1970's but is still shown in this photo. The north endzone stands (the students and the band) now cover that end of where the track used to be. But the south endzone still holds all the space where the track used to curve around.

The next study of the south endzone (being paid for with the Larry Gies donation) will obviously look for a solution to get the horseshoe seats closer to the field. But isn't it strange that, now that we're in an era where we've sold out three consecutive games, that we don't bring in additional seating like what's shown above in the are between the horseshoe seats and the south endzone? The horseshoe seats are up high. Those fans would be able to see over any seat installations there. I still feel like we should explore some temporary seating there for sold out games to get 2,000 more fans in the stadium.

Also notable in that photo:

• The wide concrete walkways on either side that used to bring people to the stadium. Grange Grove reestablished one of these walkways (albeit a much more narrow sidewalk). But the other side became expanded practice field.
• Check out the cars parked right up to the stadium on the east side. On one side of the old entry sidewalk, practice fields. On the other side, tailgating twenty feet from the entrance.
• I wonder how many younger Illini fans don't realize that Grange Grove was the donor parking lot (as it's shown there) up until 2015. Cars parked just like that between 1st Street and the stadium (even more cars than what's shown there since that entry sidewalk had been removed) all the way up until 10 years ago.

This is Detlef's post, and here I am, 350 words in, talking about the stadium in the 1970's. I'll stop now. Here's Detlef taking us back to when I was less than a year old. Don't worry, you'll be able to tell that it's Detlef's writing in just the first paragraph.