Column: Counting the seats at Haskell stadium

Tuesday, August 21, 2007  

"Now in its ninth decade of existence, Haskell Stadium is either quaint or dilapidated, depending on individual sensibilities about aging, iconic structures.

Haskell Stadium has been the home football field of the Fightin’ Indians since 1926, Lawrence High since 1930 and Free State High since 1997. All in all, the facility, built at a cost of roughly $250,000, has aged gracefully.

Sure, there are no concessions or rest rooms under the south stands, and the area under the north stands is like Wind Cave without stalactites and stalagmites. But the plank seats are in good shape, and they are plentiful.

How plentiful? That’s a good question.

Over the years, I have never seen a definitive listing of the number of seats at Haskell Stadium. A few years ago, Haskell officials put the capacity at 12,500. This year, the listing is 12,000.

When I asked HINU football coach Eric Brock where that number had come from, he shook his head and replied, “I have no idea.”

Somewhere in our voluminous J-W sports archives is a replica of the program published in 1926 when the Indians debuted in Haskell Stadium against Bucknell. Nowhere in that program does it mention the new facility’s capacity."

Get the Story:
Chuck Woodling: Haskell’s capacity: �11,000 (The Lawrence Journal-World 8/21)

Related Story:
Haskell may charge for football parking (The Lawrence Journal-World 8/18)

$rl Haskell Indian Nations University - http://www.haskell.edu/haskell
Haskell Wiki - http://www.haskell.org