Stadium Name: | Blakeslee Stadium |
Nickname: | "The Blake" |
Image Alt: | Blakeslee Stadium image |
Location: | 161 Stadium Road Mankato, Minnesota 56001 |
Pushpin Map: | USA Minnesota#USA |
Pushpin Relief: | 2 |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Minnesota##Location in the United States |
Coordinates: | 44.144°N -93.995°W |
Broke Ground: | 1961 |
Opened: | 1962 |
Owner: | Minnesota State University, Mankato |
Operator: | Minnesota State University, Mankato |
Surface: | Natural Grass |
Construction Cost: | $80,000[1] ($ in dollars) |
Seating Capacity: | 7,500 |
Record Attendance: | 7,187 (October 10, 2015 vs. Augustana)[2] 10,000 at Vikings Training Camp |
Blakeslee Stadium is a stadium located on the southern edge of the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus in Mankato, Minnesota. Primarily used for American football, it is the home field of the Minnesota State Mavericks, an NCAA Division II football team, and also hosted the training camp for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) from 1966 to 2017.[3] Built in 1962, the stadium holds 7,500 people has hosted a variety of events, including marching band performances and drum and bugle corps competitions.[4] In 2022, the stadium hosted Hockey Day Minnesota, an annual series of outdoor hockey games sponsored by the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Bally Sports North.[5]
The stadium is named after C. P. Blakeslee, who served as a coach, administrator, and professor in health and physical education at Minnesota State from 1921 until his retirement in 1961.[6]
Plans for replacing the more than 55-year-old structure have been discussed by Minnesota State University.[7] [8]