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The History of Dickinson Stadium The first Dickinson Stadium
The new Dickinson Stadium The idea for a new stadium came about when a commission was charged with reviewing and making recommendations on the future of the facilities of the St. Joseph Public School system for the next 30-40 years. After a review of the old stadium it was determined that to bring the stadium's aging and deteriorating steel support and infrastructure up to code would be a very expensive project. The commission visited newly constructed high schools around the Midwest and made recommendations for the St. Joe schools, including a new football stadium. In March of 2001 a plan for a bond proposal was presented to the St. Joe taxpayers, which not only included the new stadium, but also a new athletic fieldhouse and other various projects at the high school, and a new auxiliary gym, offices, library and orchestra room at Upton Middle School. The bond issue passed on September 25, 2001, less than a month later, the last game at the old Dickinson Stadium would be played and demolition would begin. While construction continued during the 2002 football season the
varsity team played their "Home" games at Lakeshore's Al Stockman Stadium,
Benton Harbor's Filstrup Field and at Bridgman High School. Upton
Middle School was the home site for the JV and Freshman teams. The
new stadium still has one feature from the old stadium, and that is the
electronic scoreboard/message center that was installed prior to the 1998
season. The scoreboard was dismantled and moved 200 feet from it's
previous location to where it currently stands. The stadium now also
has an 8 lane running track, the old stadium had 7 and only 6 were
useable.
The first touchdown scored in the new stadium came on a 9 yard touchdown pass from Andy Schueneman to Charlie Lavelle in the first quarter of the Stadium's first game on September 12th 2003. Nick Sherrill added the extra point on the first score in the new stadium. Schueneman is the only player that has played a varsity game in both the old and new stadiums. North East (Detroit, Jackson, Kalamazoo)
East (Sturgis, Coldwater)
North (Holland, South Haven, Grand Rapids Grand Rapids start here
Holland and South Haven start here
Southeast (Niles, South Bend)
South (Stevensville, Baroda)
Stadium Gameday Information When attending a game at Dickinson Stadium, there should be ample parking in the student lot. There is a side lot that is reserved for box seat holders. Parking in the circle by the school is not recommended. If you find that the lots are full, you can either try parking along the side streets along Stadium drive, Kingsley Drive, or Wallace Avenue. You can park at the High School's Lakeview avenue lot and walk up the ramp and then around the school to the stadium. Or you can park in the Roxy's/Kelly's Bowl lot on the south side of the stadium. Tailgating is permitted before games, however if you plan to tailgate, please plan to arrive early and park in the secondary lot next to the practice field. We would ask that you not consume alcoholic beverages in the school parking lots, also please make sure you clean up your area when you're completed. We do not have any "Charcoal" bins for your to dispose of your used charcoal for grilling. Following the game, St. Joseph Police will be directing traffic around the stadium to try to get you on your way as quickly as possible. If you are in the main student lot you have two options, go towards the baseball field along Stadium Drive. or you can go through the secondary lot next to the practice field. The secondary lot does have a gate that opens to Lakeshore drive, and police are usually there to direct traffic. This is your best option for access to North and Southbound Lakeshore Drive. If you're headed towards the I-94 or old US-31, you will want to head east on Wallace, South on State Street and then East on Kingsley. This will allow you to go East on Napier Avenue or south along Niles Avenue, which will allow you to catch I-94 or M-139/Old US 31 towards Niles. Please note that this is one lane and there will be police directing traffic at the corner of Wallace and Lakeview, it might take a little while to exit this way. |
In the mid 1940's the St. Joseph School system acquired the title to a
40 acre parcel of land known as the Dickinson Estate. The area is
where the current high school now stands. Around that same time the
citizens of St. Joseph recognized the need for a new athletic and
recreation area. The St. Joe football team played their games at
Wells field (where Jefferson elementary currently sits). There was
no parking for the fans, except on the neighboring streets, and the wooden
grandstands were in danger of collapse. It was then that the St. Joe
residents got the ball rolling for a new facility. After receiving
numerous recommendations by various experts, the planning committee,
commissioned architect Robert V. Knox to develop the sketches and
conceptual drawings of the stadium. The Board of Education would
take these plans to the various service clubs around St. Joseph to rally
the community involvement in the project, Every group that were
presented the plans went on record as supporting it. The voters
overwhelmingly passed the $170,000 bond proposal on July 25, 1949 for the
new stadium and track. A little over a year later, on September 22,
1950, the original Dickinson Stadium opened. Dickinson Stadium held
it's last event on October 19, 2001. In the 51 year history of the
stadium it was the home to thousands of events, including football games,
track meets, soccer games, band competitions, and commencement ceremonies.
The first games were played on Thursday, September
4th, by the Freshman and JV teams who gave the stadium it's first shakedown
before the Grand Opening a week later. The official dedication was
prior to the game between St. Joseph and Kalamazoo Central which St. Joe
won 34-13. Less than a year after the opening, the new Dickinson
Stadium had the honor of hosting country music and TV star Reba McIntyre
for a performance benefiting Harbor Habitat for Humanity, The
concert was part of Reba's 2004 tour which was sponsored by Whirlpool
Corporation. The concert was held in front of over 6,500 on July 20,
2004.