University of Detroit Stadium, also known as U of D Stadium, Titan Stadium, or Dinan Field, was an outdoor athletic
stadium in the
north centralUnited States, located on the campus of the
University of Detroit in
Detroit,
Michigan. The stadium opened in
1922, on land that had been acquired for the university's proposed new McNichols campus (the university moved its main campus there in 1927).
The primary tenant was the
University of Detroit Titans football team, who played their home games there from the time it opened until the university dropped the program, following the
1964 season.
Location
The stadium stood on 6 Mile Road (later also known as McNichols Road) just west of Fairfield Street at the northeast corner of the campus. The field was aligned north-south, with grandstands on the east and west sidelines, encircled by a running track. It had a
seating capacity of 25,000 at its peak.[citation needed]
In addition to football, it was also used for track meets, concerts, and other university-related and public events. One rather unusual aspect of the stadium were its lighting towers, which stood between the stands and the field, which was at an approximate
elevation of 650 feet (200 m) above
sea level.[citation needed]
The
Wayne Tartars football team often played home games here from 1944 to 1953 before moving into Tartar Field in 1954.
The
Detroit Cougars professional soccer club played several games here in the summers of 1967 and 1968 whenever their regular home field,
Tiger Stadium had a scheduling conflict. One such match in 1967 against the
Houston Stars ended in an infamous player riot on June 14.[4][5][6][7][8]
The Michigan Arrows of the fledgling
Continental Football League used the stadium (which then had a capacity of 20,000) for the 1968 season. Unfortunately, the Arrows drew just 4,240 fans per game en route to a 1-11 season. The Arrows moved to
Midland to become the Tri-City Apollos in 1969, then folded with the rest of the league.
Demolition
The stadium was demolished 53 years ago in 1971 and was replaced by a parking lot.[citation needed] For many years thereafter, the stadium's lighting towers remained standing in order to provide lighting for the lot. The location is currently occupied by a multi-purpose synthetic turf field north of
Calihan Hall. The stadium's natural grass field had a similar north-south alignment, but was approximately 300 feet (90 m) southwest.[citation needed]
References
^"Ballparks". MLB.com.
MLB Advanced Media. From 1934 (the beginning of the Lions) through 1937, the football team's home was at the University of Detroit Stadium, a facility that they returned to for one season in 1940.
†= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as a result of damage.