Brookland Stadium Explained

Stadium Name:Brookland Stadium
Location:Washington, D.C., U.S.
Opened:1924
Closed:1985
Owner:Catholic University
Operator:Catholic University
Surface:Grass
Tenants:Catholic University
Washington Darts[1]
Seating Capacity:30,000

Brookland Stadium, or Killion Field, was the athletic field for the Catholic University Cardinals in Brookland, Washington, D.C. from 1924 to 1985. It was named after alumni Captain Edward L Killion. It was located on the main campus of The Catholic University of America, next to Brookland Gymnasium (today's Edward M. Crough Center for Architectural Studies), in the area now occupied by the Columbus School of Law and the Law School Lawn.

Primarily used for college football, it was also a baseball and soccer stadium. It hosted the second leg of the 1970 NASL Final between the Rochester Lancers and the Washington Darts.

History

In the early 1920s, Rector Thomas Joseph Shahan was the biggest booster for the new stadium, saying he expected "the finished Bowl would be our chief financial asset".[2] On May 26, 1923, ground was broken. Engineering professor Louis Crook served as the stadium's planner.

On September 30, 1924, Boston College's student newspaper The Heights wrote:

The stadium was dedicated on October 4, 1924, with a game against the Quantico Marines Devil Dogs,[3] with President Calvin Coolidge in attendance, to become the new home of the Catholic University Cardinals football team.

On October 29, 1983, Brookland Stadium hosted the last important football game with a victory of the Cardinals over the Georgetown Hoyas in the nation's capital own Holy War for the Steven Dean Memorial Trophy.

In 1983, ground was broken by Marion Barry, Mayor of the District of Columbia, and William J. Byron, President of Catholic University of America, for a new athletic facility, the Raymond A. DuFour Athletic Center, opened in 1985. It includes Cardinal Stadium, Brookland Stadium's replacement.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Darts Whips and Dips The Rollercoaster Ride of Professional Soccer in Washington D.C.. acadamia.edu. October 2013 . 28 January 2015. Nauright . John .
  2. Book: Malesky, Robert . The Catholic University of America. The Campus History Series . 2010 . Arcadia Publishing . 978-0-7385-8552-9 . 69 .
  3. News: Will Help Dedicate Washington Stadium . . . . 4 . October 4, 1924 . February 11, 2020 . newspapers.com.