Dick Strand had a perfect view of the field from his perch in Section 111, Row 25, of TCF Bank Stadium.
The seat proved a good vantage point both for looking back and forward.
"My dad was a guard for the Gophers in 1926, and he started bringing me to games in 1936 when I was 3," said Strand, 76, who brought two grandsons along for the big moment. "I think this place will be a real building block for enthusiasm."
After nearly three decades playing their home games off-campus in the Metrodome, the Gophers defeated Air Force on Saturday to open their sumptuous $288.5 million stadium on a warm late-summer evening. Fireworks went off as the game ended. And the goalposts were taken down by the grounds crew -- just in case.
An estimated crowd of 50,000, nearly all decked in maroon and gold, swarmed into the handsome brick stadium once the gates finally opened at 4:30 p.m.
For the students, that meant sprinting up 40 steps at Gate C after University President Bob Bruininks cut a ribbon and hollered: "Hats off to the students ... you can't kill Gopher spirit - these rodents have been around for millennia."
Ashley Aydt, an 18-year-old freshman from Champlin, was among the students running to grab the best bench seats in the student section in the end zone.
"It's liked being welcomed home," she said. "It's a real unity thing with all the spirit and pride everywhere you look."
About the only people not giddy on opening night were the ticket scalpers, who were having trouble finding anything to resell.
"We're getting five times what we would get last year at the Dome, but everyone's looking for something to sell," said Adam West, a ticket broker outside. "I've seen people paying $300 for nosebleed seats."
The players marched through a pregame party at the McNamara Alumni Center across Oak Street, and everyone agreed that the return to campus was a good thing after playing inside and downtown since 1982.
"It's so exciting to wake up and walk three blocks instead of riding a bus downtown to the Metrodome," said Elizabeth Berrigan, a mechanical engineering major and one of the 22 tuba players in the marching band.
The last few years, she'd return home on game days to her apartment off-campus, exhausted after hours of marching and blowing her horn.
"My roommates would ask why I was tired. Nobody would even know there was a game going on," she said. "The atmosphere here just feels so much better, being outside. Even if I stick to my mouthpiece in November, it will be worth it."
The first game was part football game, part historical reunion, part fashion show. More than 400 former players, including the offspring of Bronko Nagurski, were honored in the festivities. Former Gopher great and Vikings coach Bud Grant, one of the honorary captains, could be seen on the massive scoreboard choking back tears.
Doug Manthei, a second-year student from Alexandria, joined his pals wearing the maroon and gold striped bib overalls they bought for $55 each before the game.
"Waking up last year to ride a shuttle bus for an 11 a.m. game was tough," he said. "When I woke up this morning, there was electricity in the air. You can feel the school pride is way up. I have the chills walking into this place. I'm shivering with electricity."
Kris Davis, a 32-year-old investment banker from White Bear Lake, was sporting gold-painted shoes, white football pants, a quarterback towel tucked in his belt and a vintage jersey "as a tribute to old Memorial Stadium."
"At the Dome, we were all spread out and this place has a completely different energy and feel to it," Davis said.
The first game was sold out, but pockets of empty bench seats punctuated the upper end zone corners. Still, the wide central concourses were choked by the halftime hordes. Lines 20-deep queued up for pizza and snacks during intermission.
Among those fighting the halftime crowd was former Gov. Wendell Anderson, who gave a thumbs-up to the team's new home.
"I sold programs for 25 cents in 1950 at old Memorial Stadium and got to keep a nickel," said Anderson, a former Gophers hockey star. "I'm so happy to be outside again."
The Gophers waited until 13 minutes to go before scoring a TD. Sophomore running back DeLeon Eskridge became the answer to a future trivia question - becoming was the first Gopher to find the end zone in TCF Bank Stadium. Just 93 seconds later, senior linebacker Nathan Triplett ran back a fumble recovery 52 yards to put the Gophers on top.
Booze outside, banned inside
Alcohol is banned from the stadium, but it was flowing in the tailgating lots, where the pregame air was tinged with the smell of sausages.
"We could tailgate at the Dome, but we were blocks away and now we're closer to the stadium, and the whole atmosphere has more spirit and flavor," said James Thompson, 29, of St. Paul. He was flipping burgers for friends and relatives behind his Acura SUV, which was wired with a huge flat-screen TV and a mini-satellite dish.
Ron and Linda Beninga drove 160 miles from their farm near Marietta on the South Dakota border to take in the historic day. "Being outdoors is what college football is all about," Linda Beninga said.
Her husband chuckled. "Tell me that at the end of November when the snowballs are flying."
Back in Section 111, Row 25, Joan Strand joined her husband and grandkids after parking the car. She attended the university in the early '50s, where she met her husband. Dick's dad, Leif Strand, played in the 1920s. The family has been coming to games for decades.
"Wow," Joan said. "It's so beautiful in here, and it's so nice to be back on the campus."
Curt Brown • 612-673-4767
