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Hancock Stadium

Hancock Stadium

Location	N Main St & W Locust St Normal, IL 61761
Coordinates	40°30′43″N 88°59′48″W
Owner	Illinois State University
Operator	Illinois State University
Capacity	13,391(2013-present) 7,700(2012) 9,500(2011) 11,500(2010) 14,000(2008-2009) 15,000(1977-2007) 18,000(1963-1976)
Surface	Fieldturf
Construction
Construction cost	$20 million
Architect	BDMD Architects

Hancock Stadium

Hancock Stadium is a multipurpose stadium located in Normal, Illinois on the campus of Illinois State University. It was opened in 1963 but was recently remodeled in 2013. Holding a stadium capacity of 13,391 seats, it is the home of the Illinois State Redbird's football team and the marching band squad.

History

The first football game ever played at Hancock stadium was on September 28, 1963 where the Illinois State Redbirds battled against the Indiana State Sycamores.

Origin of Name

The name of Hancock stadium comes from Illinois State's former athletic director Dr. Howard Hancock. Hancock served as the Redbird football coach from 1931-1944 while being athletic director at the same time from 1931-1963. Hancock was very involved with Redbird athletics and was known as a revered pioneer in college athletics.

Configuration

In its earliest configuration, Hancock stadium was able to hold up to 18,000 fans, the highest capacity the stadium has ever had, when it was first constructed in 1963. At one point the stadium was only capable of holding 7,700 fans in 2012 ,however, since 2013 it holds up 13,391 fans. Hancock stadium has maintained the 'old fashioned football' tradition that the stadium is known for. It keeps the fans entertained throughout the whole game by setting up a memorable experience. It keeps them on top of the game while moving forward with continuing enhancements for the players, coaches, and fans of the team. The ability to provide the fans with up close action to the game makes the stadium such a great atmosphere to be in on Saturdays to watch college football.

Renovations

Turf

Throughout the 40 years of existence, Hancock stadium has been through quite a few renovations. The first renovation occurred in 1969, when the stadium added turf. This first renovation made Hancock Illinois' first college football stadium with artificial turf.

Kaufman Building

A few decades later, Kaufman Football Building was built in 2000. This building was named by Fred and Donna Kaufman for contributing $1.5 million to the making of this building. Their contribution is the largest private gift ever designated to the Illinois State athletic department. This building is the home of the Illinois State football players and coaching staff. It is located at the northeast corner of the stadium where there is minimal seating for special guests only.

Recent Renovation

The biggest and most recent renovation happened from 2011-2013. The plans were first unveiled by Illinois State's athletic director Gary Friedman and university president Dr. Al Bowman in 2011. It all began with the removal of the south bleachers of the stadium starting the first step of the process. Along with the removal of the south bleachers, new metal bleachers were installed on the west side of the stadium replacing the old fiberglass ones. Following those two phases, the stadium experienced a whole new look with upgrades to seating. Hancock stadium now had premium seating with chair back club seats and an indoor club that included 7 suites for large groups of people. Other things upgraded were concession stands, restroom facilities, ticket offices, the addition of a team shop, the sound system, and scoreboard. A lot of these renovations focused on the fans and their experience attending a game at Hancock stadium.

Costs

The recent renovation cost was estimated to be around $20 million but according to the Pekin Daily Times, the renovation project ended up costing $26 million.

First Game

Hancock Stadium's first game on the newly renovated field was September 21, 2013 for the Illinois State's home opener of the season against Abilene Christian University. Illinois State won the matchup 31-17. Although the stadium wasn't one hundred percent done, it was mostly finished and ready enough to host a football game.

Events

Besides Redbird football, Hancock stadium has been the home to other events as well.

Football-Related

Hancock Stadium was the host to the Illinois High School Association's championship football games from the 1970s up to the 1990s. Also, as stated earlier, it is the home to the Illinois State Redbird's football team. For their 2014 season, the Redbirds are hosting 7 football games that begin in early September and end in late November.

Band-Related

Every year, Hancock Stadium hosts annual band events on behalf of Illinois State University's Concert, Jazz, and Athletic Bands. They host the Illinois High School Marching Band Championship every October where top high school marching bands compete for the title. It is home of the Big Red Marching Machine and they earn national publicity every single year. They also host a junior high and high school division contest every April.

Special Olympics

Hancock Stadium hosts the Special Olympic State Summer Games on behalf of Illinois State University. A wide variety of activities are provided for the participants along with other sport competitions. The games are also an annual event hosted every year at Hancock Stadium.

Hancock Stadium Club

Located at midfield, the Hancock Stadium Club is a new feature that was added in with the renovation of Hancock Stadium. It provides a lot of space with a 5,550 square feet of area and it features an outdoor terrace that oversees the field. Other than viewing the field, the club also offers the best views of the Illinois State University campus and the town of Normal, Illinois. It can be used for events during a Redbird football game or even when there isn't a football game going on. It is known as the perfect place to host an event and guests are be amazed by the views the venue provides. Capacities of the club can range from a meeting size of 30 people to a reception party of 300 people. Some types of events it can host are wedding receptions, birthday parties, rehearsal dinners, formals, celebrations, and many more.

References and Sources

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=e1096c77-271a-41e2-99aa-eae5b69d9760%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4208&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=edsnbk&AN=14715216CF096168