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{{Short description|Football field at the University of Chicago, Illinois, US}}
{{about|the football field at the University of Chicago|the field at Springfield College|Stagg Field (Springfield College)|the former football stadium at the University of the Pacific|Stagg Memorial Stadium}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
[[File:Szilard and Hilberry.jpg|right|thumb|[[Metallurgical Laboratory|Met Lab]] scientists [[Leó Szilárd]] (right) and [[Norman Hilberry]] under a plaque commemorating [[Chicago Pile-1|CP-1]] on the West Stands of Old Stagg Field.  The experiment occurred inside the stands building at this location.  The stands were demolished in 1957 and Stagg Field moved.  A memorial quadrangle now marks this location]]
'''Amos Alonzo Stagg Field''' is the name of two successive [[American football|football]] fields for the [[University of Chicago]]. Beyond sports, the first Stagg Field (1893–1957), named for famed coach, [[Alonzo Stagg]], is remembered for its role in a landmark scientific achievement of [[Enrico Fermi]] and the [[Metallurgical Laboratory]] during the [[Manhattan Project]]. The site of the [[Chicago Pile-1|first artificial nuclear chain reaction]], which occurred within the field's west viewing-stands structure, received designation as a [[National Historic Landmark]] on February 18, 1965.<ref name=nhl/> On October 15, 1966, which is the day that the [[National Historic Preservation Act of 1966]] was enacted creating the [[National Register of Historic Places]], it was added to that as well.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref> The site was named a [[Chicago Landmark]] on October 27, 1971.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofchicago.org/Landmarks/S/SiteNuclear.html|access-date=March 31, 2007|publisher=City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division|year=2003|title=Site of the First Self-Sustaining Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction}}</ref>

A [[Henry Moore]] sculpture, ''[[Nuclear Energy (sculpture)|Nuclear Energy]]'', in a small quadrangle commemorates the location of the nuclear experiment.<ref name="nhl">[http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=204&ResourceType=Site Site of First Self-Sustaining Nuclear Reaction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405180502/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=204&ResourceType=Site |date=2015-04-05 }}, NHL Database, ''National Historic Landmarks Program''. Retrieved 11 February 2007.</ref>  The University's current Stagg Field a football, soccer, and track field is located a few blocks away and reuses one of the original gates.

==First nuclear chain reaction==
{{Main|Chicago Pile-1}}
[[Chicago Pile-1]], the world's first artificial [[nuclear reactor]], was built in a squash court under the west stands of Stagg Field, which was by then no longer used for football.<ref>{{cite book |last=Zug |first=J. |year=2003 |title=Squash, A History of the Game |url=https://archive.org/details/squashhistoryofg0000zugj |url-access=registration |pages=[https://archive.org/details/squashhistoryofg0000zugj/page/135 135–136] |publisher=[[Scribner (publisher)|Scribner]] |isbn=978-0-7432-2990-6}}</ref> The first man-made self-sustaining [[nuclear chain reaction]] occurred on December 2, 1942.

==Sports venue==

===First Stagg Field===
The first Stagg Field was a [[stadium]] at the [[University of Chicago]] in [[Chicago]]. It was located on a block bounded by 57th Street to the south, University Avenue to the east, and Ellis Avenue to the west. The stadium was primarily used for [[American football|college football]] games, and was the home field of the [[Chicago Maroons football|Maroons]]. Stagg Field originally opened in 1893 as '''Marshall Field''', named after [[Marshall Field]] who donated land to the university to build the stadium.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://athletics.uchicago.edu/sports/fball/2017-18/media-guide|title = The University of Chicago Athletics}}</ref> In 1913, the field was renamed Stagg Field after their famous coach [[Amos Alonzo Stagg]]. The final capacity, after several stadium expansions, was 50,000. The University of Chicago discontinued its football program after 1939 and left the [[Big Ten Conference]] in 1946. The stadium was demolished in 1957,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://chicagomaroon.com/2009/03/05/the-way-things-work-nuclear-waste/ | title = The Way Things Work: Nuclear waste | access-date = 2012-06-18 | publisher = The Chicago Maroon}}</ref> and much of the stadium site was used as the site of [[Regenstein Library]].[[File:Marshall_Field,_c._1900.png|thumb|right|Stagg Field (then called Marshall Field) c.1900 before the construction of the permanent stadium seating. Note: [[Bartlett Gymnasium]] has not been erected at the time of this photo.]]

In addition to Maroons football, the stadium hosted other events. These include the [[1893 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|1893]], [[1898 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|1898]], [[1913 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|1913]], [[1923 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|1923]] and [[1933 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|1933]] [[USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships]], a regional qualifying meet for the [[1936 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|US Olympic Trials for Track and Field]] held June 19–20, 1936 and the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships|Men's Track and Field Championships]] in [[1921 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships|1921]], [[1922 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships|1922]], [[1923 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships|1923]], [[1929 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships|1929]], [[1930 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships|1930]], [[1931 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships|1931]], [[1932 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships|1932]], [[1933 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships|1933]], and [[1936 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships|1936]].

[[Northwestern Wildcats football|Northwestern]] also played a number of home games at Stagg Field. At the turn of the 20th century, Northwestern was unable to handle large crowds, so they hosted then-powerhouse [[Minnesota Golden Gophers football|Minnesota]] at Marshall Field for a 1901 game and a 1904 game. In 1925 (a year prior to the opening of Dyche Stadium, later known as [[Ryan Field (stadium)|Ryan Field]]) Northwestern again was unable to accommodate large crowds, and as a result played two games at Stagg Field. The first was a notable win over [[Michigan Wolverines football|Michigan]]. The second was an October 24 game against [[Tulane Green Wave football|Tulane]] that had originally been scheduled to be played at [[Soldier Field]] instead. Tulane won the game at Stagg Field 18-7.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hailtopurple.com/cde/homesites.html|title=Historic Sites of All NU Home Games|website= hailtopurple.com|access-date=July 25, 2014}}</ref>

The University of Michigan fight song "[[The Victors]]" was written by Michigan music student Louis Elbel in 1898, following a last minute 12-11 Michigan victory over the University of Chicago at Stagg Field for the [[Big Ten Conference|Western Conference]] championship.<ref>{{cite web |last = Shaker |first = Clay |date = September 21, 1998 |url = http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1998/sep/09-21-98/news/news10.html |title = 'The Victors!' turns 100 years old |work = The Michigan Daily |access-date = March 6, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070213074801/http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1998/sep/09-21-98/news/news10.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = February 13, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="fi">{{cite news |last1 = Siegel |first1 = Alan |title = The 10 best fight songs in college football of 2014 |url = http://fanindex.usatoday.com/2014/09/01/the-10-best-fight-songs-in-college-football/ |access-date = September 30, 2016 |department = Fan Index |work = USA Today |date = September 1, 2014 }}</ref>

===New Stagg Field===
[[File:University of Chicago July 2013 41 (Stagg Field).jpg|thumb|right|Stagg Field in 2013]]
The current Stagg Field is an athletic field located several blocks to the northwest that preserves the Stagg Field name, as well as a relocated gate from the original facility. The football field and the rest of the athletic complex are on a block bounded by 55th Street to the north, 56th Street to the south, Cottage Grove Avenue to the west, and Ellis Avenue well to the east. The school's current [[NCAA Division III|Division III]] football team uses the new field as their home. It is also home to the [[Chicago Maroons]] soccer, softball and outdoor track teams. Stagg Field has a [[seating capacity]] of 1,650, and the playing surface is made of [[FieldTurf]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://athletics.uchicago.edu/visitors/visitingguide.pdf | title = University of Chicago Ratner Center Visiting Guide | access-date = 2010-07-15 | publisher = University of Chicago, Athletics Department}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Enrico Fermi]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Stagg Field}}
* [http://photoarchive.lib.uchicago.edu/db.xqy?show=browse2.xml|216 University of Chicago Photographic Archive] Photos of Old Stagg Field
* [http://www.atomicarchive.com/Photos/CP1/index.shtml AtomicArchive.com] Photographs from assembling the pile
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/argonne/4446222744/in/set-72157624209376221/ Drawing of the first atomic pile] Artist drawing of CP-1
* [http://www.atomicarchive.com/History/firstpile/index.shtml The Story of the First Pile]

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[[Category:Athletics (track and field) venues in Chicago]]
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[[Category:Defunct college football venues]]
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[[Category:College track and field venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Sports venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Chicago]]
[[Category:Stagg Field| ]]
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