College Gridirons-Metrodome-Minnesota Golden Gophers

Metrodome
Minneapolis, MN

The Metrodome, home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers is one of the few dome stadiums in college football. The Metrodome is a multipurpose building built for pro baseball and football. After spending more than two decades at Metropolitan Stadium, both the Minnesota Vikings (NFL) and the Twins (MLB), needed a new modern facility. Built in the mid 1950�s, Metropolitan Stadium was beginning to deteriorate after two decades of existence. In the late 1970�s, Minneapolis began studying the idea of building a dome stadium for both teams. By mid 1979, a new dome stadium was approved to be built in downtown Minneapolis. On December 20, 1979, construction began on the multipurpose dome stadium. A dome multipurpose stadium was chosen because of the cold weather between fall and spring. Named after former Vice President, Hubert H. Humphrey, the H.H.H. Metrodome, was completed in just over two years.

The Minnesota Twins (MLB) played the first game ever at the Metrodome on April 6, 1982.The Vikings inaugural first game at the Metrodome was on September 12, 1982. The Minnesota Golden Gophers also played their first game at the Metrodome in 1982. Over 64,000 seats in two tiers circle the entire AstroPlay field when the Metrodome is in football configuration. The Metrodome is one of the easiest stadium to be converted from baseball to football. The entire process takes approximately four hours. A section of 7,600 retractable seats make up the 23 foot high right field wall during a baseball game, but the seats are pulled out allowing the capacity to be increased during football games. The dome at the Metrodome consists of over ten acres of Teflon-coated fiberglass. It is the only air-supported dome, and fans enter the park through revolving doors that prevent release of the air that keeps the dome upright. The roof requires 250,000 cubic feet of air pressure per minute to remain inflated. The roof has snow melting ducts to prevent a collapse. However, in the fall of 1982, the dome collapsed, but was re-inflated. Very few changes have taken place at the Metrodome since it opened in 1982. In 2006 the Golden Gophers announced plans to construct a new stadium on campus. Named TCF Bank Stadium, the $248 million open air facility will seat 50,000 fans and open in 2009.

Facts & Figures

-Tenant: Minnesota Golden Gophers
-Conference: Big Ten
-Capacity: 65,000
-Surface: Fieldturf
-Opened: 1982
-Cost: $68 million
-Seating Chart
Minnesota Golden Gophers Sports
-PrimeSeatTickets:
College Bowl Tickets
BCS Championship Tickets
Orange Bowl Tickets

GOLDEN GOPHER TIDBITS

2007 SCHEDULE

METRODOME PICTURES

Famous Players: Bronko Nagurski, Bruce Smith, Paul Griel, Sandy Stephens
Bowl Games: 1961, 62, 77, 85, 86, 99, 2000, 05

-9/1 - BOWLING GREEN
-9/8 - MIAMI-OH
-9/15 - at Florida Atlantic
-9/22 - PURDUE
-9/29 - OHIO STATE
-10/6 - at Indiana
-10/13 - at Northwestern
-10/20 - NORTH DAKOTA STATE
-10/27 - at Michigan
-11/3 - ILLINOIS
-11/10 - at Iowa
-11/17 - WISCONSIN

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