...because, after three long years of waiting, TCF BANK STADIUM OPENS FOR BUSINESS AT 6 PM! As a fair disclaimer, I do work for the U of M, but I'd be all slobbery-excited over this thing whether I was an employee or not (perhaps even more so if I wasn't:)
Just in case you haven't heard, it's been 27 years since the Gophers played a football game on the University of Minnesota's campus. 27 years since 50,000 fans, alums, students, passers-by -- Minnesotans -- got together on a beautiful fall day and walked through Northrop Mall, down University Avenue, to a massive, outdoor event. That, my friends, is community. The Star Tribune did a nice job of capturing what was lost (and will soon be regained) with their spectacular coverage leading up to this Saturday.
Words, as eloquent as they are, only do this facility so much justice. If you'd like to see (and hear) what the Stadium is like, here are a few videos we've thrown together at the U of M. The first, a tremendously passionate Tim Brewster-driven pep rally:
...and the second, President Bruininks' and A.D. Maturi's welcoming Minnesota back to campus:
As for me, I'll be floating around some parking lot near the Law School on Saturday, grinning ear to ear and soaking up the sun (or rain), celebrating our return to football the way it's supposed to be played ...outside.
