Like half of Northwestern’s student body, as an underclassman, I have no memory of life before lakefront gamedays.
My primary experiences with the old Ryan Field are from playing as the Wildcats in the EA College Football video game, wishing the game developers had opted for a digital recreation of the scenic lakefront stadium. Although the ’Cats played at Ryan Field for nearly 100 years, it only took two seasons for the 12,000-seat Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium to feel like home.
It is hard to imagine watching an NU football game without a view of Lake Michigan or the Chicago skyline off in the distance. I’ve even gotten used to the ferocious winds whipping off the lake and the sun beating down on the student section.
However, as a temporary stadium, the lakefront facility has accomplished its mission. As it plays host to its tenth and final football game, it is time to say goodbye, at least to its gridiron form. And how fitting that the final game at the lakefront stadium is against Purdue, the same opponent of the now-demolished Ryan Field’s final hurrah in 2023.
For two years, Evanston has been a destination for fans all around college football and the Big Ten. Sometimes this was frustrating, as seemingly every Indiana and Wisconsin alum in the Chicago area was in town for last year’s games. The lakefront stadium became a bucket list item for Midwest sports fans, with ticket prices skyrocketing compared to the past few years at Ryan Field. Yes, it was just a 12,000-seat stadium, but it is awesome to look out at a packed-out crowd of purple on a beautiful fall Saturday afternoon.
Every few weeks, the stadium would go viral on social media with people discovering the picturesque view of Lake Michigan. Friends from home would send me posts and articles from national outlets like Front Office Sports and Fox Sports, showcasing the lakefront stadium. I’m hoping that excitement will continue at the new Ryan Field, which will be a radically different, but still totally unique stadium that stands out in college football.
“The thing that’ll stand out to me is just how uniquely it’s Northwestern,” coach David Braun said of the team’s lakeside abode at his weekly press conference Monday. “[The] whole process to get it going, all the people that were a part in making it happen in such a short timeline, and just this creative solution to a really unique obstacle. It has been an amazing bridge to the New Ryan Field.”
After deciding to build an all-new Ryan Field at the same site as the original stadium, NU had a big decision to make on where to play games the next two seasons. The administration could have chosen to play at Wrigley Field, where the ’Cats have hosted four games since 2021 and have two more coming up this year against Michigan and Minnesota. They also could have explored renting historic Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears.
These venues have a lot more history and a lot more seating than the lakeside stadium. They make for nice novelties once or twice a year, as Wrigley games have become a recent tradition, but would have greatly inconvenienced students.
Instead, NU opted to transform its lakeside practice facility into the temporary stadium we now know and love. Having games on campus completely transforms the gameday atmosphere, especially for students. Instead of getting on buses to travel off campus to Ryan Field, or hopping on the L-train to go to Wrigley or Soldier Field, students were able to enjoy an on-campus gameday like the majority of other Big Ten schools.
Braun said the benefits of being on campus also extended to the football program, allowing players closer access to their families postgame and closer proximity to team facilities.
“It’s truly home,” Braun said. “The experience for our student-athletes the last couple of years is what college football should be, and I’m glad that we were able to deliver on that.”
Earlier this season, NU hosted FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff for the first time. Normally, a 1-1 team facing a top-ten opponent would not host one of college football’s premier morning shows, especially as a three-touchdown underdog to Oregon. Yet, the unique atmosphere of lakefront stadium attracted Fox to Evanston.
It was an awesome experience that coincided with the start of the school year, and even if poor weather interrupted plans, it gave the Wildcat faithful a chance to show their pride on national television. When I spoke to Heisman-winning Big Noon panelist Mark Ingram II and Anthony Russo, the show’s emcee and crowd host, they both cited the stadium’s location as a major selling point.
“[The lakefront set will] look great on national TV. It’ll look great on camera,” Russo said. “Would you rather hang out in a restaurant in the middle of the city or would you rather be on the beach? This is as cool of a spot as we’ve had in all of the years doing FOX Big Noon.”
On a smaller scale, Big Ten Network’s flagship show, BTN Tailgate, also visited the Lakefill last year when the ’Cats hosted Indiana. These opportunities simply would not have existed at Ryan Field or the other temporary options.
As the ’Cats move to Wrigley Field to close out their 2025 home slate and then new Ryan Field starting in 2026, do not forget to cherish the lakefront stadium this weekend. Although it was not an $850 million, state-of-the-art project like the new stadium will be, it is undeniable that the lakefront field has character.
And although I’ll miss the lakefront’s scenery paired with college football, this is not goodbye forever. This spring, the lakefront stadium hosts the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Final Four. The new stadium is bringing high-level competitions in many different sports. A professional sport is even coming to Evanston, as the NWSL’s Chicago Stars are moving to the lakefront venue for their 2026 season.
One thing that lakefront stadium is missing, however, is a signature on-field moment. The ’Cats have an opportunity to do just that Saturday, with a chance to beat rival Purdue and improve to 3-1 in the Big Ten as a parting gift for the most unique stadium in college football.
“We’ve gotta send it out the right way,” Braun said.
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