Gophers Bid Farewell To Old Siebert Field
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Siebert Field has been symbolic before the Metrodome became the Gophers temporary home. As they tear it down to build it back up, the memories come flooding back.
The Gophers hosted St. Thomas in their final game at the stadium Tuesday night, and coach John Anderson spent some time with WCCO-TV before the game.
It's really a skeleton of what it used to be. Siebert Field has served its program well, and the memories come back for a head coach who showed up on campus as player 38 years ago.
"Lots of memories for me out here. I've spent thousands and thousands of hours out here," Anderson said. "The first time I walked out here was the fall of 1974 when I came here with the hopes and dreams of being a Gopher baseball player. It hasn't stopped in the 40 some years later."
What it became was a symbol of a successful program, and what made it so unique was what it looked like, what it felt like and what it played like.
"Probably more than anything with this particular facility whether it was Bierman Field and then Siebert Field was the playing surface," Anderson said. "It was impeccable and beautiful, and I think it was the statement of the place."
They've won games at a 76 percent clip here, most under Anderson, but it was the vision of its namesake that started it.
"No question about it that it's got the established history and tradition," Anderson said. "It'll always be the field that Chief built basically. He built it because of his successful seasons here."
So one wonders a bit: The new field will be built with turf, the natural grass is gone and what would the chief think of that?
"Well it's the 21st Century so let's start there first of all," Anderson said. "But he's going to probably going to roll over a little bit in the ground out there."
