Drake Stadium is a stadium on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Best known as the home of the Drake Relays, it also serves as the home field of the university's football team. It opened in 1925.
History Drake Stadium opened on October 10, 1925, as the Bulldogs defeated Kansas.
Drake Stadium has seen the Bulldogs win thirteen conference championships in football, while advancing to five college football bowl games. It is currently the largest stadium in the Pioneer Football League.
Drake Stadium is also the home to the Drake Relays, one of the premier track and field meets in the country. Thousands of high school, college, and professional track athletes come to Drake Stadium in late April to compete in one of the largest track meets in the United States. The prominence of the Relays has led to Drake hosting various other national and regional professional, collegiate, and youth meets. Fourteen world records have been set at the Relays.
The stadium also hosts the Iowa boys and girls high school track state championships.
It also serves as a secondary venue for the university's men's and women's soccer teams. In 2019, the Des Moines Menace, a local USL League Two soccer club, played its home schedule at the stadium.http://www.menacesoccer.com/news/index.html?article_id=1052
Renovations The football field at Drake Stadium is named in honor of Drake alumnus and football great Johnny Bright. The track is named after famed announcer Jim Duncan.http://drakeapedia.drake.wikispaces.net/Jim+Duncan
The installation of a $175,000 tartan track in 1969 replaced the cinder track. It was a magnificent 60th birthday present for Drake Relays competitors and fans. In 1976, all individual events at the Drake Relays went metric; in 1978, the conversion was completed with rebuilding of the track into a 400-meter oval so that relay races, too, could go metric. The Jim Duncan Track was resurfaced in the summer of 1989 in Drake blue school colors, featuring a combination of polyurethane coating and EPDM rubber granules. Since this installation, track and field athletes and fans frequently refer to the venue as the "Blue Oval".
The 2005–2006 renovation project improved many aspects of the stadium. The surface area of the stadium was flattened (previously the infield sat several feet lower than the track surface). It created a reconfigured track to meet NCAA and international standards, improved seating, and added a "safety lane" on the outside of the track for athletes (in the old configuration, fans could easily make contact with a competitor in lane 8). In addition, a new scoreboard with video screen was placed at the northeast corner of the stadium. Widening the track reduced the stadium's seating capacity from 18,000 to 14,557. As a result, throwing events were moved to an area north of the stadium.
The Bulldogs played their 2005 home games at Waukee High School's Warrior Stadium due to renovations at the stadium.
In the summer of 2016, the field and track were resurfaced. New turf was installed and the track surface was replaced using the same material used at the Beijing and London Summer Olympics.
Notable events Drake Stadium has hosted the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships on four occasions: 1970 (men's only) 2008 (men's and women's) 2011 (men's and women's) 2012 (men's and women's)
The 2008 championships doubled the previous four-day record crowd with a total attendance of 41,187 (including over 11,000 for the final day) despite heavy flooding in Des Moines.
Drake Stadium has also hosted the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships four times: 2010 2013 2018 2019
Additionally, the facility has hosted the AAU Junior Olympic Games four times.
Stadium records
Men EventRecordAthleteNationalityMeetRef100 m9.88Noah Lyles2018 USA Outdoor Championships200 m19.78Noah Lyles2019 USA Outdoor Championships400 m43.64Fred Kerley2019 USA Outdoor Championships800 m1:43.27Duane Solomon2013 USA Outdoor Championships1500 m3:38.27Steve Scott1984 Drake RelaysMile3:51.71Alan Webb2007 Drake Relays5000 m13:21.39Morgan McDonald2021 Drake Relays10000 m27:30.06Lopez Lomong2019 USA Outdoor Championships110 m hurdles12.93David Oliver2010 USA Outdoor Championships400 m hurdles47.32Bershawn Jackson2013 USA Outdoor Championships3000 m steeplechase8:18.05Hillary Bor2019 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsHigh jumpDerek Drouin2014 Drake RelaysPole vault ARSam Kendricks2019 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsLong jumpNgonidzashe Makusha2011 NCAA Outdoor ChampionshipsTriple jumpDonald Scott2019 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsShot putRyan Crouser2020 Blue Oval ShowcaseDiscus throwReggie Jagers2018 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsHammer throwRudy Winkler2025 Drake RelaysJavelin throwRiley Dolezal2013 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsDecathlon8295 ptsDevon Williams2019 USA Outdoor Championships
Women EventRecordAthleteNationalityMeetRef100 m10.85English GardnerBarbara Pierre2013 USA Outdoor Championships200 m 22.19Kimberlyn Duncan2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships400 m49.52Shakima Wimbley2018 USA Outdoor Championships800 m1:57.72Ajeé Wilson2019 USA Outdoor Championships1500 m4:03.18Shelby Houlihan2019 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsMile4:23.69Krissy Gear2025 Drake Relays5000 m15:15.08Sally Kipyego2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships10000 m31:43.20Shalane Flanagan2013 USA Outdoor Championships100 m hurdles12.26Brianna Rollins2013 USA Outdoor Championships400 m hurdles52.20 WRDalilah Muhammad2019 USA Outdoor Championships3000 m steeplechase9:17.70Emma Coburn2018 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsHigh jump ARChaunté Lowe2010 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsPole vaultJenn Suhr2010 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsLong jumpBrittney Reese2019 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsTriple jumpKeturah Orji2018 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsShot putMichelle Carter2013 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsDiscus throwGia Lewis-Smallwood2013 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsHammer throw ARDeAnna Price2019 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsJavelin throw ARKara Patterson2010 USA Outdoor ChampionshipsHeptathlon6735 ptsHyleas Fountain2010 USA Outdoor Championships
See also List of NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums
References
External links Drake Stadium - Drake Bulldogs