Campbell Field, officially Marv Kay Stadium at Harry D. Campbell Field, is an American college football stadium located in

Golden, Colorado Golden is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States Censu ...

. The stadium serves as the home field of the

Colorado Mines Orediggers The Colorado School of Mines Orediggers (also Mines Orediggers) are the athletic teams that represent the Colorado School of Mines, located in Golden, Colorado, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Orediggers compete as members of the ...

football team representing the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines, informally called Mines, is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, founded in 1874. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...

. Campbell Field is one of the oldest

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

fields in existence, the oldest west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

and the oldest in

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

. Originally it was a dirt surface all-purpose athletic field in exactly its current configuration, built within a clay pit, a fitting mined-out home for the Orediggers. Its first athletic contest, held on May 20, 1893, was the first annual Colorado Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association Field Day, featuring many athletic contests between the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

Colorado A&M Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...

, and the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

, in which Mines claimed the most medals. Its first football game took place on October 7, 1893, a 6-0 Mines victory over the University of Denver. It has been home to the football Orediggers through all but the first five seasons of their existence (their previous home were the now-destroyed grounds at the southeast corner of 19th and Illinois streets in Golden), and has been renovated several times throughout its existence. The field was originally called Athletic Park, renamed Brooks Field after Mines trustee and benefactor Ralph D. Brooks in 1922, and renamed Campbell Field after 1939 undefeated team member and benefactor Harry D. Campbell in 2010. Campbell Field is the oldest football field in the west, the oldest in

football and the 5th oldest college football field in the nation.

Renovations

Historic photographs show Brooks Field as a dirt surface, without grandstands and surrounded by a board fence. Despite such conditions it is known to have hosted crowds of spectators, who could have used nearby slopes to view games from. Later early wooden grandstands were added to the park. In 1922 and 1924 the current grandstands were built by noted local builder William "Cement Bill" Williams. This featured wooden bench seats upon a steel superstructure, with home and visiting locker rooms, public restrooms and refreshment stand beneath. In 1922 the dirt surface was converted to natural grass, part of which was scraped back to dirt surface for a

baseball diamond A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

during season each year. Originally home also to the CSM

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

team, it became a primarily football facility in 1937 after baseball was moved to

Darden Field Darden Field is a historic baseball stadium that has been home to the Colorado School of Mines baseball teams since it was constructed in 1937. Featuring fieldstone stands with flagstone benches built into the hillside, the park was originall ...

just to the west. During the 1930s a

Federal Emergency Relief Administration The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) was a program established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, building on the Hoover administration's Emergency Relief and Construction Act. It was replaced in 1935 by the Works Progress Adm ...

project scooped out the slopes at the west side of Brooks Field to make room to construct a track around the surface, and it has hosted track and field events since. Around the 1980s the grandstands were renovated to cover most wooden benches with metal surfaces and create a central concourse, along with steps down to the field level. In 2010, the field was converted to its third surface, synthetic turf. Plans are underway to replace the 90-year-old grandstands and update the historic field to a state-of-the-art Division II athletic facility, expanding its capacity to 5,000, to be rechristened Marv Kay Stadium at Campbell Field.

Notable Events

Campbell Field has hosted many notable athletes and teams over its many years of play. Although missing out on the legendary 103-0 victory of the Orediggers over the

in 1890 as well as their first Colorado Football Association championship in 1891, it has hosted 14 championship football teams and more: * Campbell Field hosted the latter part of the Orediggers' 18-game football winning streak against collegiate teams that spanned from 1888–1894. * The 3rd perfect and 4th unbeaten season of the football Orediggers took place here in its inaugural season in 1893 (5-0-0, CFA Champions). * Campbell Field hosted the latter half of the football Orediggers' streak of 6 winning seasons from 1888–1894. * CSM's earliest known football loss at Campbell Field took place in 1894 to the

(a 20-0 shutout). * The first live televised football game in the Rocky Mountain region took place here on November 1, 1952, a game between the Orediggers and

Idaho State University , mottoeng = "The truth will set you free" , established = , former_names = Academy of Idaho(1901–1915)Idaho Technical Institute(1915–1927)University of Idaho—Southern Branch(1927–1947)Idaho State ...

. * The first live nationally televised football game in the Rocky Mountain region took place here on November 15, 1952, a game between the Orediggers and

Colorado College Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...

. * The first football playoff game at Campbell Field took place on November 13, 2004 as the Orediggers beat

Midwestern State University Midwestern State University (MSU Texas) is a public liberal arts university in Wichita Falls, Texas. In 2020 it had 5,141 undergraduate students. It is the state's only public institution focused on the liberal arts. History Founded in 1922 as ...

Notable people

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

(held training camp here in 1970) * Leroy Taylor Brown, Olympic silver medalist, men's high jump, Paris 1924 (trained here as Mines graduate student prior to Olympics) *

Dutch Clark Earl Harry "Dutch" Clark (October 11, 1906 – August 5, 1978), sometimes also known as the "Flying Dutchman" and the "Old Master", was an American football player and coach, basketball player and coach, and university athletic director. He gaine ...

Pro football hall of fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

(football coach at Mines in 1933) *

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

(held training camp here in the 1970s) *

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

(held training camp here from 1960–1963) * Chad Friehauf, 2004

Harlon Hill Trophy The Harlon Hill Trophy is an award in American college football given to the individual selected as the most valuable player in NCAA Division II. The award is named for former University of North Alabama and National Football League player Harlo ...

winner (Mines quarterback) *

Roy Hartzell Roy Allen Hartzell (July 6, 1881 – November 6, 1961), played in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1916. Hartzell started his career with the St. Louis Browns (now known as the Baltimore Orioles), and was later traded to the New York Highlander ...

, Major League Baseball utility player,

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

, New York Highlanders/Yankees (played semipro ball for Golden Reds here) * Albert E. Jones, Major League Baseball pitcher,

Cleveland Spiders The Cleveland Spiders were an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The team competed at the major league level from 1887 to 1899, first for two seasons as a member of the now-defunct American Association (AA), followed ...

, St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals (played semipro ball for Golden Reds here) * Jack Liddle, Olympic runner, Berlin 1936 (trained here as Mines student prior to Olympics) * Lloyd Madden, National Football League player,

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

(played here as Mines student) *

Mark Melancon Mark David Melancon ( ; born March 28, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pi ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher,

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

(played here as Golden High School football player) *

Elwood Romney Elwood Snow "Woody" Romney (May 28, 1911 – August 24, 1970) was an American basketball player and coach. He was an All-American at Brigham Young University (BYU) and later played semi-professionally. After his playing days, Romney coached at ...

, Brigham Young University hall of fame basketball player and All-American, cousin of

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

(coached freshman football 1936–1939)

Championship Football Teams

The Orediggers have fielded 16 football champion teams within over a century of play: 1891 – Colorado Football Association Champions^
1892 – Colorado Football Association Champions^
1893 – Colorado Football Association Champions
1897 – State Inter-Collegiate League Champions
1898 – Colorado Football Association Champions
1904 – Colorado Football Association Champions
1906 – Colorado Football Association Champions
1907 – Colorado Football Association Champions
1912 –

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...

Champions
1914 –

Champions
1918 –

Champions
1939 –

Champions
1942 –

Champions
1951 –

Champions
1958 –

Co-Champions
2004 –

Champions
2010 –

Co-Champions ^Orediggers played at original grounds south of the Mines campus in these seasons

References

{{Colorado college football venues College football venues American football venues in Colorado Baseball venues in Colorado Colorado School of Mines Buildings and structures in Golden, Colorado 1893 establishments in Colorado Sports venues completed in 1893 Soccer venues in Colorado Defunct college baseball venues in the United States