QU Stadium is a stadium in Quincy, Illinois originally known as Q Stadium. It is primarily used for

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 t ...

, but also has a separate football field. The baseball side and football side of QU Stadium holds 2,500 people. The football side of the stadium (located beyond the right and right center field fence of the baseball field) only has bleachers on one side of the field. The stadium is surrounded by its original limestone wall built in 1938.

History

The stadium was built in 1938 as part of the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(WPA) and originally owned by the City of Quincy. It is constructed of large limestone blocks and concrete. A "sister" facility of limestone and concrete was built near Quincy High School (which was then located at 13th & Maine). This sister facility was the practice field for Quincy High School athletic teams until a new high school was built at 30th & Maine. At that time, the building at 13th & Maine became Quincy Junior High School and the athletic fields continued to be used by QJHS athletic teams. In 1984, the city sold the stadium to Quincy College (later

Quincy University Quincy University (formerly known as St. Francis Solanus College, and today abbreviated as QU) is a private Franciscan university in Quincy, Illinois. It was founded in 1860 and enrolls about 1,100 students. History A small group of Francisc ...

), a local liberal-arts 4-year Roman Catholic college affiliated with the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans). The name of the stadium was changed to QC stadium and then to QU stadium, after Quincy College changed its name to Quincy University.

Baseball history

The stadium has been home to the

Quincy Gems The Quincy Gems are a collegiate summer league baseball team located in Quincy, Illinois. The Gems were originally a part of the Central Illinois Collegiate League and joined the Prospect League with several other CICL teams prior to the 2009 ...

of the Three-I League from 1946 to 1956. From 1960 to 1961 the Quincy Giants of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

(ML) played there. During the 1962 and 1963 seasons the Quincy Jets of the

, a

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

farm team, played their home games at the stadium and in 1964 another

team played at the stadium. From 1965 to 1973, the Quincy Cubs, a Chicago Cubs farm team, also of the

called Q Stadium home. The Quincy Rivermen of the

Central Illinois Collegiate League The Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL) was a collegiate wooden bat summer baseball league. It was composed of five teams from Illinois and Indiana. The CICL was founded in 1963 as a charter member of National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...

(CICL) played at the stadium from 1974 to 1987. Since 1995, it has been the home of the Quincy University Hawks baseball team, while the

of both the CICL and Prospect League have played at the stadium since 1996.

Football history

The stadium was originally used for football by

Quincy Senior High School Quincy Senior High School is the regional public high school for Quincy, Illinois. It is the largest high school in Adams County, Illinois, and the only high school in Quincy Public School District 172. As of 2020, it is the 17th largest high s ...

and Quincy Notre Dame High School as their home football field until a new stadium was completed in 1980 (Flinn Stadium). Both schools, as well as Quincy College (later

), used the baseball side of the stadium for football. After both high schools quit using the stadium for football, the Quincy YMCA Tackle Football League began using the football side for the 7th & 8th grade league. The YMCA also used the field for two youth flag football leagues – a 2nd through 4th grade league, and a 5th & 6th grade league. The Quincy Family YMCA completed a field on its property, so the tackle football and flag football leagues moved to that field in 1984. In 1987, then

Quincy College Quincy College (QC) is a public community college in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is an open admission commuter school that offers associate degrees, bachelor degrees, and certificate programs. It was founded in 1958 and enrolls approximately 4,500 ...

re-instated its football program after an over 30-year hiatus. The Hawks began using the football side of QC Stadium competing in NCAA Division III. The Hawks moved up to NCAA Division II during the 1990s. In 2010, the football team moved to Flinn Stadium, but moved back to QU Stadium in 2014 after a major renovation.

References

External links

QU Stadium Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qu Stadium American football venues in Illinois Baseball venues in Illinois Minor league baseball venues Quincy Hawks baseball Quincy Hawks football Buildings and structures in Quincy, Illinois Sports in Quincy, Illinois 1938 establishments in Illinois College football venues College baseball venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 1938 Defunct Midwest League ballparks