Construction

Originally named Iowa Stadium, the facility was constructed in only seven months between 1928 and 1929. Groundbreaking and construction began on March 6, 1929. Workers worked around the clock using lights by night and horses and mules as the primary heavy-equipment movers. There was a rumor for many years that horses that died during the process were buried under what now is the North end zone.^[4][5] Historians report this is a myth and the animals were disposed of in the nearby Iowa River.^[5] The round-the-clock construction came to an end in July. Despite several problems to overcome, including the athletic director's resignation and a slight redesign, the stadium was completed and the first game was played October 5, 1929, against Monmouth College. Iowa won the game 46–0. The stadium was dedicated two weeks later, when the Hawkeyes tied Illinois 7–7.^[6]

Name

Statue of Nile Kinnick in front of the stadium bearing his name

Calls to rename Iowa Stadium in Nile Kinnick's honor came immediately after the Heisman trophy winner's death in 1943.^[7] In November 1945 the University of Iowa student body voted to rededicate the structure as "Nile Kinnick Memorial Stadium".^[8][9] The other options on the student ballot were "Memorial Stadium" and "Robert Jones Stadium", after the first University of Iowa student to be killed in World War II.^[8]

Upon announcement of the student vote the new name was taken up by The Daily Iowan student newspaper, World Almanac, and other sources.^[10] However, the student vote was unofficial and efforts to rename the stadium were never pursued by the university.^[10]

In 1972 "Nile Kinnick Stadium" was again proposed by Cedar Rapids Gazette sportswriter Gus Schrader, who had previously supported the students' efforts.^[11][10] This time the lobbying campaign was successful, and the stadium was officially renamed later that year.^[12] The initial response from University president Willard Boyd suggested the name "Kinnick-Slater Stadium" instead, to also honor Duke Slater, who played for the Hawkeyes from 1918 to 1921.^[12][13][14]

Slater was a two-time All-American at Iowa and an inaugural member of the College Football Hall of Fame, along with Kinnick; Slater was the first black All-American in Iowa history and the only black person in the inaugural Hall of Fame class.^[13][15] He was also the first black lineman to play in the NFL, where he was a seven time All-Pro player, before a later career as a lawyer and judge.^[16][15] Ultimately, the stadium was named for Kinnick alone, while Slater was honored with the name of a nearby dormitory.^[14]

In 2021, Iowa's Board of Regents renamed the football playing field for Slater, making it Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium.^[13][14]

Renovation

The scoreboard in the south end zone at Kinnick Stadium, as seen in 2005

After 75 years of operation, the Iowa Board of Regents endorsed a major renovation of Kinnick Stadium on March 10, 2004. The US$86.8 million project was to build a new state of the art press box, a new scoreboard with a new sound system, replace the "temporary" south endzone bleachers with permanent seating, triple the restroom facilities, and more than double the number of concession stands, as well as smaller changes such as new locker rooms, a bronze statue of Nile Kinnick and the dedication of the Krause Family Plaza to which Kinnick Stadium is now adjacent. Every brick for the renovation came from the Glen-Gery Brickyard in Redfield, which is located near Nile Kinnick's childhood home in Adel.^[17] The stadium was rededicated on September 1, 2006. Among other things, the rededication featured a flyover by a F4F Wildcat, the aircraft that Kinnick flew in World War II.^[18]

The stadium also underwent major renovations in 1956, 1983, and 1990 where capacity was gradually taken from 53,000 to 70,397. The 2004–06 renovations pushed the capacity to 70,585.

In the spring of 2009, the natural grass turf and 20-year-old drainage system were replaced with a new state-of-the-art synthetic FieldTurf playing surface.

In 2013, the Iowa Board of Regents approved an $8 million upgrade of Kinnick Stadium's video and sound systems. These upgrades include the installation of new HD video displays in both the north and south endzones, as well as a new HD ribbon display above the north endzone.^[19] The upgrades were completed by the start of the 2013 football season.

In 2016, the Iowa Board of Regents approved an $89.9 million upgrade to Kinnick Stadium's north end zone. The renovation included the addition of box seating, outdoor club seating and a scoreboard larger than the board in the south end zone. These renovations lowered the total capacity of the stadium to 69,250. The project was completed shortly before the beginning of the 2019 season.^[20]

In 2019, the tunnel connecting the home locker room to the field was upgraded, with the addition of black and gold signage, lighting, and logos.^[21]

Crossover at Kinnick

A view of the Crossover at Kinnick showing the configuration of the court within the football field

On October 15, 2023, the stadium hosted Crossover at Kinnick, an exhibition women's college basketball game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the DePaul Blue Demons. The game had an attendance of 55,646, the highest for a single game in women's basketball history. The previous record was 29,619, in the national championship of the 2002 NCAA tournament between UConn and Oklahoma at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.^[22] It was the first women's basketball game to be played in an outdoor football stadium.^[23]