Schools

McDaniel College Dedicates New Stadium Facility at Saturday's Homecoming Game

The $8 million plus project boasts a two-story brick and concrete multipurpose stadium facility, as well as new entrance and roadway on West Main Street.

On Saturday, Nov. 3 McDaniel College will celebrate the completion of the Kenneth R. Gill Stadium at halftime of the homecoming football game.

At approximately 2:15 p.m. the new stadium, named for 1961 alumnus and current board of trustee member Kenneth R. Gill, will be officially dedicated. The Carroll County community is invited to partake in the celebration.

The stadium will retain its hallmark bowl setting and tradition of drive-in tailgating while increasing seating capacity to 1,434, including accessible seats (former capacity was 900) according to a McDaniel news release.

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Features of the new stadium include concessions, public restrooms, coaches’ rooms, observation boxes, a large press box, a training room, filming areas, home and visiting team meeting rooms and a reception and gathering room. 

The project has been funded through individual gifts according to the college, including gifts totaling $2.25 million from Kenneth R. Gill of Severna Park. The Yingling family of Westminster funded new field lighting installed in 2010 in preparation of the groundbreaking.

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The halftime dedication ceremony will include student-athletes, members of the stadium committee and donors.

Speakers are:

  • Dr. Roger Casey, president of McDaniel College
  • Martin K.P. Hill, chair of the McDaniel Board of Trustees and president of Hill Development Group, LLC
  • Kenneth R. Gill, 1961 alumnus, chair of the Stadium Project Committee at McDaniel and current member of the board of trustees, as well as managing partner of Deer Valley Corporate Center

 

 

McDaniel Stadium History (according to McDaniel news release)

In 1890, the first athletic field was purchased by Western Maryland College, now McDaniel College. The first football game was played in Westminster against Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College) on October 31, 1891.

In 1921, college president Albert Norman Ward announced a special campaign to create a new athletic field. Hoffa Field was dedicated in 1922 and is located on the current stadium site.

Another major renovation took place in 1980 - 1981 with the construction of an all-weather track, which required the football field to shift slightly to the west to accommodate eight lanes. New metal grandstands and a press box were also added. A significant contribution for the project from trustee Scott Bair resulted in the naming of the renovated stadium that was dedicated in 1981. The track was resurfaced in 1997.

Field improvements followed the 1996 signing by the newly formed Baltimore Ravens to hold their summer training camp at the college.

McDaniel shared the costs with the Baltimore Ravens to install Sportexe artificial turf in 2004. The Yingling family funded the installation of new field lighting in 2010.

The groundbreaking for the new Kenneth R. Gill Stadium was held on February 3, 2012.

See also:

  • (Video) McDaniel College Breaks Ground on Stadium Project
  • McDaniel's New Stadium Debuts at Saturday Football Game
  • McDaniel's Gill Stadium Construction on Pace for Opening Football Game

 


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