Old College Field is an area on the campus of

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

East Lansing, Michigan East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

. The school broke ground in 1900 to provide a place for the varsity baseball team to play. Today, the area includes facilities for baseball, soccer, and softball. It is located on a floodplain on the inside of a bend in the Red Cedar River. The "New Life for Old College Field" campaign, which began in 2006, was to enhance the sports programs which played on the Field.

Baseball

The land was originally purchased by the University for a field where the baseball team could play home games. The Aggies broke ground in 1900, and the first baseball game was played April 18, 1902 against

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The baseball portion of the field was renamed John H. Kobs Field in 1969 in honor of longtime coach

John Kobs John H. Kobs (August 21, 1898 – January 26, 1968) was an American athlete and coach. He was the head baseball coach at Michigan State University from 1925 to 1963 where he compiled a career record of 576–377–16. He also coached men's baske ...

. In 2009, the baseball park was renamed

Drayton McLane Baseball Stadium at John H. Kobs Field Drayton McLane Baseball Stadium at John H. Kobs Field is a college baseball stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. The stadium holds roughly 4,600 people. It is located on a floodplain on the inside of a bend in the Red Cedar River known traditi ...

in honor of Michigan State alumni

Drayton McLane Drayton McLane Jr. (born July 22, 1936) is an American billionaire businessman. He is chairman of the McLane Group, a holding company with a portfolio of various diverse enterprises. He was, until 1990, the CEO of the McLane Company, a grocery an ...

Jr., whose donation in 2008 allowed for an extensive renovation of the facility.

Football

The football team used the Field from 1902 to 1923 before College Field opened.

Men's and women's soccer

Men's and women's soccer have used Old College Field since the programs were created. Today, they play at the Demartin Soccer Complex which was created in 2008 from a gift of $750,000 from the DeMartin family of Summitt, N.J., to renovate Old College Field's soccer stadium.

Softball

The softball team has used Old College field since its inception. The softball facilities were renamed Secchia Stadium in recognition of a $1 million gift from alumnus Ambassador Peter F. Secchia. The new facilities were opened in 2011.

References

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