Gies Memorial Stadium is a stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois, United States. The stadium, used primarily for football, is a memorial to the university's students who died in World War I; their names are engraved on the nearly 200 pillars surrounding the stadium's façade.^[5] With a capacity of 60,670, the stadium is primarily used as the home of the university's Fighting Illini football team.

The stadium was known as simply Memorial Stadium until September 9, 2025, when it was named after Larry Gies Sr., a U.S. Army veteran and the late father of alumnus philanthropist Larry Gies, following a $100 million donation from Gies to the university's Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.^[6]

In the early 1920s, the old football stadium, Illinois Field, was deemed inadequate. There was some sentiment for retaining the site, but it was too congested to expand the stadium adequately, so a new site was selected, in a largely undeveloped area at the south end of the campus.^[7] George Huff and Robert Zuppke were responsible for pushing most of the fundraising for this project.^[8]

Memorial Stadium was completed in 1923 at a cost of US$1.7 million, which, adjusted for inflation, is equal to $25.8 million in 2020. Its original U-shaped design borrows some form from the earlier constructed Harvard Stadium. The project's general contractor was English Brothers of Champaign, who are in business to this day. The name was chosen in honor of the dead from World War I. The original construction was financed with donations from University students, alumni and others. At the time, the stadium consisted of double-decked stands on the east and west sidelines. The single-decked horseshoe around the south end zone was later completed, along with a large student section near the north end zone.

According to an archival "campus tours" website, heavy rain during the construction resulted in a bulldozer sinking into the field. It was decided the expense of removing the bulldozer would have been greater than leaving it buried under the field, and it remains there today.^[9] However, this has since been disputed as a campus urban legend. Oddly enough, the same myth exists for the University of Michigan Stadium built a few years later, but no evidence has been found to support the rumor

Gies Memorial Stadium is a stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois, United States. The stadium, used primarily for football, is a memorial to the university's students who died in World War I; their names are engraved on the nearly 200 pillars surrounding the stadium's façade.^[5] With a capacity of 60,670, the stadium is primarily used as the home of the university's Fighting Illini football team.

The stadium was known as simply Memorial Stadium until September 9, 2025, when it was named after Larry Gies Sr., a U.S. Army veteran and the late father of alumnus philanthropist Larry Gies, following a $100 million donation from Gies to the university's Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.^[6]

Construction

In the early 1920s, the old football stadium, Illinois Field, was deemed inadequate. There was some sentiment for retaining the site, but it was too congested to expand the stadium adequately, so a new site was selected, in a largely undeveloped area at the south end of the campus.^[7] George Huff and Robert Zuppke were responsible for pushing most of the fundraising for this project.^[8]

Memorial Stadium was completed in 1923 at a cost of US$1.7 million, which, adjusted for inflation, is equal to $25.8 million in 2020. Its original U-shaped design borrows some form from the earlier constructed Harvard Stadium. The project's general contractor was English Brothers of Champaign, who are in business to this day. The name was chosen in honor of the dead from World War I. The original construction was financed with donations from University students, alumni and others. At the time, the stadium consisted of double-decked stands on the east and west sidelines. The single-decked horseshoe around the south end zone was later completed, along with a large student section near the north end zone.

According to an archival "campus tours" website, heavy rain during the construction resulted in a bulldozer sinking into the field. It was decided the expense of removing the bulldozer would have been greater than leaving it buried under the field, and it remains there today.^[9] However, this has since been disputed as a campus urban legend. Oddly enough, the same myth exists for the University of Michigan Stadium built a few years later, but no evidence has been found to support

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