Ground Breaking For New Gopher Football Stadium, Posted Ocotber 4 2006

What a beautiful day it was for the football passing (it was a handoff actually) from the Metrodome, started by former Gopher Coach Murray Warmath, to the new location on the corner of 4^th and Oak Streets where two young kids received the ball.

   

Very cool way to do it.

   

I think the last number I heard was around 280 ball carriers in all with a few thousand more along the route and at the new site of the TCF Bank Stadium.

   

The day started off by getting my official t-shirt and “Ball Carrier” pass. I was representing the Minnesota Greek Alumni Partnership (MGAP), an umbrella group for the fraternity and sorority house corporations and alumni groups.

   

My friend Jason and his son Conner were also ball carriers and he volunteered as part of the Goal Line Club.

   

We headed over to the mall area where our area was. The mall is in the middle of campus and I took these two pictures of Northrop Auditorium on the north end of the mall and Coffman Union on the south end:

   

   

   

   

   

Jason and Conner were two spots before me and I was able to get this picture of them with the ball:

   

   

   

   

   

Here I am with the official ball and my MGAP friends:

   

   

   

   

   

After passing the ball on we were able to get a picture of a group of students and Greek alumni:

   

   

   

   

   

On to the new stadium location with the University of Minnesota Marching Band:

   

   

   

   

   

Coach Glen Mason with a booster:

   

   

   

   

   

The program featured many speakers including President Bruininks:

   

   

   

   

   

The first “shovel” and Goldy supervising:

   

   

   

   

   

Need to get one of these signs:

   

   

   

   

   

After the ceremony Jason, Conner and I took a walk over to the McNamara Alumni Center, part of which is built on the site that was once Memorial Stadium. Inside there is one of the arches from Memorial Stadium, known as the Brickhouse:

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

Also there is a history of the university, alumni, and information on the new stadium. I have seen the artist rendition of the proposed stadium many times but only during this look at it did I notice the scoreboard:

   

   

   

   

   

I was hoping this was a good sign of the game later that day.

   

Three years seems like a long time to wait but I guess I have been waiting since 1982 so this is the home stretch.