Legendary football coaches have prowled its sidelines. Standing-room-only crowds have filled it to capacity for classic games against the likes of Navy, Temple and Colgate.

Fightin' Blue Hen greats have displayed their skills to appreciative audiences before moving on to the larger stage of the National Football League–players like Conway Hayman of the old Houston Oilers, the late Dennis Johnson of the Washington Redskins, Ivory Sully of the Los Angeles Rams and the trio of gifted quarterbacks, Jeff Komlo of the Detroit Lions, Scott Brunner of the New York Giants and Rich Gannon, who still lights up the scoreboard for the Oakland Raiders.

It has been the site of two NCAA Division I championships, the men's lacrosse finals in 1984 and 1986.

Delaware Stadium has been counted among the finest college football stadiums in the United States since its construction in 1952, and this season marks its 50th anniversary as one of the gems of the Diamond State.

UD will celebrate the anniversary with special activities during the Hens' Atlantic 10 Conference game against Northeastern on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 5. Letter-winners from the 1952 team will be recognized on the field.

Delaware Stadium opened with 9,000 seats and has been expanded three times to its current 22,000 seats. Lights for night games were installed in 2000.

Before construction of Delaware Stadium, the Blue Hens played home games at the Wilmington Ball Park and at Frazer Field, adjacent to the Carpenter Sports Building off Main Street.

Construction of a stadium on campus was advocated by David M. Nelson, who was named head coach in 1951 and later became director of athletics and dean of the then College of Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation.

The first home game at Delaware Stadium was played on Nov. 15, 1952, with Nelson's Hens defeating Lafayette, 13-12, on two touchdowns by halfback Kenny Reith.

It was the first of many Delaware Stadium victories for Nelson's teams, and the coach, affectionately known at "The Admiral," retired after the 1965 season with a record of 84-42-2.

Nelson was succeeded as football head coach by Harold R. "Tubby" Raymond, who took over the program in 1966 and went on to win 300 games and three national championships.

In defeating Richmond 10-6 on Nov. 10, 2001, Raymond became just the ninth coach in the history of college football to win 300 games and just the fourth to win 300 games at one institution.

Raymond retired in February 2002, and was replaced by K.C. Keeler, one of his former players and part of the third national championship team. Keeler played linebacker for the 1979 team that won the NCAA Division II title.

The UD Board of Trustees this spring voted to name the Delaware Stadium field as Tubby Raymond Field to honor the coach, and ceremonies were held during the season-opening game against Georgia Southern the evening of Thursday, Aug. 29. Raymond also delivered the 2002 Commencement address in Delaware Stadium.

During the Raymond era, Delaware Stadium saw some of its largest crowds and most exciting games to date.

Selecting the most exciting games is a matter of taste, but it is hard to argue with most any game played during 1971 and 1972, when the Hens won 20 of their 21 games and two small-college national championships.

There was the huge 1977 upset of Colgate, which at the time was undefeated and ranked in the top 20 of NCAA Division I teams. UD won 21-3 before more than 23,000 fans.

And in 1985, the Hens shut down Navy's Heisman Trophy candidate, Napoleon McCallum, in a 16-13 victory before 23,115 fans.

In more recent years, the Hens have continued rivalries with Atlantic 10 Conference members, including Villanova and William & Mary, and have developed new ones, such as with NCAA Division I-AA power, Georgia Southern.

The largest crowd to watch a game at Delaware Stadium was 23,619, as fans jammed the seats on Oct. 27, 1973, to watch the Hens fall to former football arch rival Temple.

Since Delaware Stadium opened, UD has drawn 22,000 or more fans 32 times. Average attendance in 2001 was 20,504, which ranked fourth among NCAA Division I-AA schools.

The Hens drew an average of 20,371 fans per game in 1999 and established a school record with 21,154 fans per game in 2000.

"Week in and week out, Delaware Stadium is the premier address in NCAA Division I-AA football," according to Keeler, who knows from experience the excitement generated by faithful Blue Hen fans.

--Neil Thomas AS '76