Aggie Gridirons - Where They Played
In the 115 years Colorado State University has
played football there have been three official
football stadiums/fields for their home games.
The current stadium, Sonny Lubick Field at
Hughes Stadium was opened in 1968. The
other two are but a memory of the past and
little is known about the earliest football fields.
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Few if any school historians know that from 1893 to 1898 Colorado Agricultural College did not have an
official "grounds" for athletics. In May 1934, the Rocky Mountain Collegian told the story of the earliest
days of football recounted by the original graduating class of 1884, who were in town for their 50th
reunion.
Other Aggie graduates tell that football was looked upon as something the college did not approve of for
their students. The first football games are reported as being played on the grounds across College
Avenue fro where Colorado Field was later built.
Following college president Alston Ellis' death of football, games and scrimmages were played "off
campus" and away from the site of college faculty.
The first official athletic field was constructed in the spring of 1899 when the college athletic association
reorganized and president Ellis left the school. In May 1899 the area between Agricultural Hall and the
Chemical Building (Today the site of the South College Gym and Field house) was cleared of trees and
drained of water. The ground was then graded to make a flat playing surface. With the railroad tracks on the
west and South College Avenue on the east.
This low lying ground was actually a natural stream bed which is marked today by a tunnel under the railroad
tracks. This stream becomes active when torrents of rain wash through the campus as was evident in the
devastating flood of 1997 when the South College Gym received its worst damage.
The newly reformed football team of 1899 played the first games here on a playing surface made up of
primarily dirt and rocks. In 1901 a graduate from the class of 1900 named Charles Durkee donated money
for a tall wooden fence to be erected on three sides of the field with the railroad tracks acting as a barrier for
the fourth side.
The 1934 Collegian article notes that it helped keep the non-paying people out better than the military cadets.
In return for his fence the college named the athletic grounds "Durkee Field". Bleachers were later added for
spectators to watch the games and military drills.
This field was described by former players and Harry Hughes as horrible to walk through let alone play
football. The previously mentioned stream would reappear during wet weather and ran through the playing
field during some games.
Harry Hughes' first football season of 1911 was the last season football was ever played at Durkee Field.
When the rules of football changed to a 100 yard field, Hughes used that opportunity to build a better field for
his athletes.
The military continued to drill on Durkee Field for several years and tennis courts were later added for
women's athletics. In 1925 ground was broken for a new gym and field house that opened in 1927 and still
stands there today.
Durkee Field circa 1905- This photo is looking towards the south with Agricultural Hall in the background. South College Avenue is at the left
and the railroad tracks are at the right. The fence clearly visible in the photo was donated by Charles Durkee in 1901. (CSU Photo Archives)
Durkee Field- 1899 to 1911
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Durkee Field Facts
A In 1900 the Aggies played the
university of Wyoming in Ft. Collins for
the first time. It was not known by the
name Durkee Field until one year later.
A The stream bed located
approximately in the north half of the
field filled with water anytime it rained.
A In 1907 a new set of wooden
bleachers was built on the west side of
the field replacing the original. Students
burned the old bleachers after building
the new one.
A In 1909 a cinder track was
added around Durkee Field for track
and field events.
A The South College Gym was
built on the former Durkee Field location
in 1924 and remains there today. The
school still uses the old gym and field
house which makes this place on the
campus the longest used spot for
athletics; 1899 to 2008.
A The wooden fence that Charles
Durkee donated in 1901 to surround
three sides of the field and give the field
its name was dismantled in 1912 after
Colorado Field was constructed and
parts of this fence were used to
construct the walls of the new "Bath
House" and locker rooms.
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Durkee Field in 1907- Durkee Field was
more than just an athletic field, the ROTC Military
cadets practiced artillery there too. (Private
Collection)
1911 Game at Durkee Field - This photo shows a play on Durkee Field and is looking toward the Northeast with the north end zone at the left of the
photo. It is unknown which players are the Aggies but note the players without helmets. (1913-1914 College Bulletin)
Durkee Field looking East in 1910- Although the quality of this photo is poor, it shows what it was like at Durkee Field in the 1910 football season. (1912
Silver Spruce)
Durkee Field Looking West in 1910- This blurry photo is rare because it shows one of the only known
views of the West Bleachers seen beyond the players. (1912 Silver Spruce)
Former Site of Durkee Field in 1914- Following the construction of Colorado Field in 1912, the old wooden fence and rotting bleachers were removed
and the field was converted into tennis courts, field hockey and basketball courts for women's athletics. It was reported that the area could be flooded in
winter (no doubt the low area where the creek once ran.) to make an ice skating rink. This area served as the women's athletic field and tennis courts into
the 1920's when the current South College Gym was constructed between 1925 and 1926. (1915-1916 College Bulletin)
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Preserving the History of Football at Colorado State University from 1893 to 1955
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RAM Pride begins with AGGIE History
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