Laird Stadium, with a seating capacity of 7,500 for football and outdoor track meets, is one of the largest NCAA Division III stadiums in the country. When it was built in 1927, there was some thought that Car
Laird Stadium, with a seating capacity of 7,500 for football and outdoor track meets, is one of the largest NCAA Division III stadiums in the country. When it was built in 1927, there was some thought that Carleton would join the Big Ten conference, which accounts for the stadium's relatively large size.
Carleton won its opening contest against North Dakota State University, 29 to 0, and in 1936 the football team traveled to West Point to play the Army team. But only twice in the stadium’s history has it ever been filled to capacity: in 1953, when President Eisenhower came to give a campaign speech; and in 1977, when Carleton and St. Olaf played in the L