University of Detroit Stadium, also known as U of D Stadium, Titan Stadium, or Dinan Field, was an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located on the campus of the University of Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. The stadium opened in 1922, on land that had been acquired for the university's proposed new McNichols campus (the university moved its main campus there in 1927).
The primary tenant was the University of Detroit Titans football team, who played their home games there from the time it opened until the university dropped the program, following the 1964 season.
Location
The stadium stood on 6 Mile Road (later also known as McNichols Road) just west of Fairfield Street at the northeast corner of the campus. The field was aligned north-south, with grandstands on the east and west sidelines, encircled by a running track. It had a seating capacity of 25,000 at its peak.
In addition to football, it was also used for track meets, concerts, and other university-related and public events. One rather unusual aspect of the stadium were its lighting towers, which stood between the stands and the field, which was at an approximate elevation of 650 feet (200 m) above sea level.
Tenants
University of Detroit Stadium was the home field for the NFL's Detroit Lions from 1934 to 1937, and again in 1940.[1] The Lions also played several early season home games there in 1938 and 1939.[2] The stadium was also home to the Detroit Wolverines for their only NFL season in 1928.[2] U of D stadium was the site of the 1935 NFL Championship Game, won by the Lions over the New York Giants, 26–7.[3]
The Wayne Tartars football team often played home games here from 1944 to 1953 before moving into Tartar Field in 1954.
The Detroit Cougars professional soccer club played several games here in the summers of 1967 and 1968 whenever their regular home field, Tiger Stadium had a scheduling conflict. One such match in 1967 against the Houston Stars ended in an infamous player riot on June 14.[4][5][6][7][8]
The Michigan Arrows of the fledgling Continental Football League used the stadium (which then had a capacity of 20,000) for the 1968 season. Unfortunately, the Arrows drew just 4,240 fans per game en route to a 1-11 season. The Arrows moved to Midland to become the Tri-City Apollos in 1969, then folded with the rest of the league.
Demolition
The stadium was demolished in 1971, with athletic director Bob Calihan citing the structure's poor physical condition and the unlikelihood of varsity football returning to the university. The site was turned into 960 automobile parking spaces.[9] The university's club football team relocated its games to the University of Detroit High School's field.[10]
References
- ^ "Ballparks". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media.
From 1934 (the beginning of the Lions) through 1937, the football team's home was at the University of Detroit Stadium, a facility that they returned to for one season in 1940.
- ^ a b "University of Detroit Stadium History". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "Championship - New York Giants at Detroit Lions - December 15th, 1935". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "Baltimore Afro-American - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- ^ "The Infamous 1967 Detroit Riot… on the Soccer Field – the Soccer Observer". Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- ^ "The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- ^ "SUMMER WITH THE COUGARS". IBWM. February 16, 2014. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- ^ "Detroit Cougars (1967-1968)". Archived from the original on July 20, 2012.
- ^ Vincent, Charlie (July 10, 1971). "Big Iron Ball Replaces Football!". The Detroit Free Press. p. 3-B. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
- ^ "Parking Lot Will Replace Stadium". The Bay City Times. The Associated Press. June 20, 1971. p. 5-D. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
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National championship seasons in bold |
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| Division championships (10) | |
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| League championships (4) | |
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Detroit Heralds / Tigers / Panthers / Wolverines |
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| The Franchise | |
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| Stadiums | |
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| NFL seasons | |
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| Owners | |
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| Venues | |
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Early era: 1920–1940 |
- League Park (Akron) (Akron Pros)
- Armory Park (Toledo Maroons)
- Baker Bowl (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Bellevue Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Bison Stadium (Buffalo Bison/Rangers)
- Borchert Field (Milwaukee Badgers, Green Bay Packers)
- Bosse Field (Evansville Crimson Giants)
- Braves Field (Boston Braves, Boston Yanks)
- Buffalo Baseball Park (Buffalo All-Americans)
- League Field (Canton) (Canton Bulldogs)
- City Stadium (Green Bay Packers)
- Clarkin Field (Hartford Blues)
- Cleveland Stadium (Cleveland Rams)
- Comiskey Park (Chicago Cardinals)
- Commercial Field (New York Brickley Giants)
- Crosley Field (Cincinnati Reds)
- Cubs Park/Wrigley Field (Chicago Tigers, Hammond Pros, Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals)
- Cycledrome (Providence Steam Roller)
- Dinan Field (Detroit Wolverines, Detroit Lions)
- Douglas Park (Rock Island Independents)
- Duluth's Athletic Park (Duluth Kelleys/Eskimos)
- East Hartford Velodrome (Hartford Blues)
- Ebbets Field (New York Brickley Giants, Brooklyn Lions, Brooklyn Dodgers)
- Eclipse Park (Louisville Breckenridges)
- Fenway Park (Boston Braves, Boston Yanks)
- Forbes Field (Pittsburgh Pirates/Steelers)
- Frankford Stadium (Frankford Yellow Jackets)
- Griffith Stadium (Washington)
- Hagemeister Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Horlick Field (Racine Legion, Racine Tornadoes)
- Kinsley Park (Providence Steam Roller)
- Knights of Columbus Stadium (Orange Tornadoes)
- Lakeside Park (Canton Bulldogs)
- League Park (Cleveland Tigers, Indians/Bulldogs, Rams)
- Lexington Park (Minneapolis Marines)
- Luna Park (Cleveland Panthers)
- Minersville Park (Pottsville Maroons)
- Muehlebach Field (Kansas City Blues/Cowboys)
- Nash Field (Kenosha Maroons)
- Navin Field/Briggs Stadium (Detroit Heralds/Tigers, Panthers, Lions)
- Neil Park (Columbus Wagner Pirates)
- Newark Schools Stadium (Newark Tornadoes)
- Newark Velodrome (Newark Tornadoes)
- Nickerson Field (Boston Braves)
- Nicollet Park (Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets)
- Normal Park (Chicago Cardinals)
- Parkway Field (Louisville Brecks)
- Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Polo Grounds (New York Giants, New York Brickley Giants)
- Shaw Stadium (Cleveland Rams)
- Shibe Park (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Spartan Municipal Stadium (Portsmouth Spartans)
- Sportsman's Park (St. Louis All-Stars, St. Louis Gunners)
- Staley Field (Decatur Staleys)
- Star Park (possible, Syracuse Pros)
- Swayne Field (Toledo Maroons)
- Thompson Stadium (Staten Islands Stapletons)
- Triangle Park (Dayton Triangles)
- Wisconsin State Fair Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Yankee Stadium I (New York Yankees, New York Giants)
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Post-war and pre-merger era: 1941–1969 |
- Alumni Stadium (Boston Patriots)
- Astrodome (Houston Oilers)
- Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta Falcons)
- Balboa Stadium (San Diego Chargers)
- Baltimore Memorial Stadium (Baltimore Colts)
- Bears Stadium/Mile High Stadium (Denver Broncos)
- Briggs Stadium/Tiger Stadium (Detroit Lions)
- Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
- Busch Memorial Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals)
- Cleveland Stadium (Cleveland Browns)
- Comiskey Park (Chicago Cardinals, Card-Pitt)
- Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium (Philadelphia Eagles, Phil-Pitt Steagles)
- Cotton Bowl (Dallas Texans, Dallas Cowboys)
- District of Columbia Stadium/Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (Washington Redskins)
- Dyche Stadium (Chicago Bears)
- Ebbets Field (Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers)
- Fenway Park (Boston Yanks, Boston Patriots)
- Forbes Field (Pittsburgh Steelers, Phil-Pitt Steagles, Card-Pitt)
- Frank Youell Field (Oakland Raiders)
- Franklin Field (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Griffith Stadium (Washington Redskins)
- Harvard Stadium (Boston Patriots)
- Jeppesen Stadium (Houston Oilers)
- Kansas City Municipal Stadium (Kansas City Chiefs)
- Kezar Stadium (San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders)
- League Park (Cleveland Rams)
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers)
- Metropolitan Stadium (Minnesota Vikings)
- Miami Orange Bowl (Miami Dolphins)
- Milwaukee County Stadium (Green Bay Packers)
- Nickerson Field (Boston Patriots)
- Nippert Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals)
- Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland Raiders)
- Philadelphia Municipal Stadium (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Pitt Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Polo Grounds (New York Giants, New York Bulldogs, New York Titans/Jets)
- Rice Stadium (Houston Oilers)
- Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals)
- San Diego Stadium (San Diego Chargers)
- Shea Stadium (New York Jets)
- Tulane Stadium (New Orleans Saints)
- War Memorial Stadium (Buffalo Bills)
- Wisconsin State Fair Park (Green Bay Packers)
- Wrigley Field (Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals)
- Yankee Stadium I (New York Yanks, New York Giants)
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Current era: 1970–present | |
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Stadiums used by NFL teams temporarily | |
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†= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as a result of damage.
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