Kinnick is beyond small and cramped/ comparted to TCF

[oak_street1981]

I had not been to Kinnick since 2005 and was a little caught off guard by, and forgot how small and tight the seating is.

The stadium would be really great if it was full of 70,000 dwarfs or 8 year olds. I like the great atmosphere, but it is really tough to get through a game there, and forget about any restroom visits. (and on an unrelated note they bombard the fans with loud commericals and announcements, with the band rarely playing to a much worse extent than TCF)

It was actually very crowded when standing for most of the game, and when everyone sat down during breaks there was not a gap between anyone. All around there was a lack space with knees in the back of the person in front, and everyone side to side jammed in. Even when trying to contort the body to not impose on everyone else, it was virtually impossible to fit. Standing with the body angled, sharing space with my GF was only way to fit at all.

A couple of fat/ large young iowa fans kept turning around to interact with the the nearby season ticket holders, and they just pushed into us and everyone else. Even with our seats being the last two of four season ticket seatbacks (luck on our part) we were constantly encroached upon by the people on either side No one was trying to hard to be rude, but it really hard to exist in that stadium. Without the seatbacks it would have been even worse.

I find it absurd that the Iowa fans are always jawing about how "tiny" TCF Bank Stadium is. Looking the the outer wall of the East side, the structure is so small looking that it resembles Tulsa's stadium, and is smaller looking than the Carleton College Stadium.

There are 79 or 80 rows in Kinnick. If they took all the chairs out ot TCF, put benches into TCF spaced as tightly together as the 80 rows of Kinnick, then painted in the spaces as narrow as Kinnick, the capacity would have to be close to 85,000. This number sounds insane, but the amount of personal space at Kinnick per seat has to be less than half of what is in TCF per seat.

The size of the surface area on which the seating sits at TCF has to far exceed that of Kinnick, not to mention the building itself is much larger.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

I noticed on our bleachers (section 101 row 10) they had at some point reduced the number of seats by two per row. That's quite a bit of revenue that they conceded to make it more comfortable, and you are probably right that they will have to do it again due to people being bigger now.

I didn't think it was too cramped, but maybe we didn't have any really big people in our row. It did take forever to get into the restroom and out of the stadium after the game. Overall, I loved the energy of their fans and I hope we can build that at TCF.

 

[MplsHawk]

I noticed on our bleachers (section 101 row 10) they had at some point reduced the number of seats by two per row. That's quite a bit of revenue that they conceded to make it more comfortable, and you are probably right that they will have to do it again due to people being bigger now.

I didn't think it was too cramped, but maybe we didn't have any really big people in our row. It did take forever to get into the restroom and out of the stadium after the game. Overall, I loved the energy of their fans and I hope we can build that at TCF.

You are right, they did widen the seats when they renovated six or seven years ago. If the OP thinks it is cramped now, he should have seen it then. I never minded the cramped conditions, but if I were a visiting fan I could see where it might be uncomfortable.

 

[FireDaveLee]

To be fair, most of the Iowa fans that seem to jaw about how awful TCF is usually are set straight about 2-3 posts later from other Iowa fans saying that they don't know what they're talking about and that we have a great stadium.

Kinnick's a fun place, right on top of it, and crazy. But you better get your Coke & hot dog before you head to your seats for sure.

 

[station19]

To be fair, most of the Iowa fans that seem to jaw about how awful TCF is usually are set straight about 2-3 posts later from other Iowa fans saying that they don't know what they're talking about and that we have a great stadium.

Kinnick's a fun place, right on top of it, and crazy. But you better get your Coke & hot dog before you head to your seats for sure.

Do they have registers?

On a serious note, my first game at TCF was against Cal and sat in 236(bench seats). I was pleasantly surprised how much room there was... especially leg room.

 

[wait!what?]

about 15 yrs ago Camp Randall repainted seat numbers. you now have to stand sideways.

 

[RailBaronYarr]

I find it funny that some of the Iowa fans continue to rant and rave about how much our stadium is like a HS football stadium, citing the open end (not fully enclosed) and smaller capacity as the 2 main reasons. Couple thoughts: Yes, we have an open end, designed purposely to allow for 3 things: 1) A wonderful view of our downtown and campus buildings 2) honor old Memorial Stadium's design and 3) give room for our GIANT, HD scoreboard. It's funny to me that Iowa fans would heckle at the open end as if this makes it a HS stadium design, considering all 4 corners of their stadium are not connected but open. Ours is obviously smaller, but as this thread points out, MUCH more comfortable, even in the bench seats. Space in front (leg room) and width are noticeable differences. Their concourses are a joke as are the bathrooms and food options. I understand that we get the benefit of a modern stadium design, which is the tradeoff between history and amenities. We've proven that a full crowd at TCF can be just as electric as any stadium in the country (Air Force, MSU 2009, Syracuse), now we just need to win (and market the program better) to keep the fans coming and improve our gameday/tailgate atmosphere.

 

[EE_Gopher]

Old stadiums are great to go to, but they definitely don't have the luxuries of modern ones like TCF bank. A few years back, I went to the Big House with my wife who is an alum. It was huge, but seriously, it seemed more like a highschool stadium that seated 110,000 people. The restrooms were as scary as visiting locker rooms I remember in my youth when playing at other schools. And the conscessions were actually outside the stadium as opposed to within an area underneath the bleachers. I am sure that this has all been remodeled now.

I was a freshman the last year of Memorial. As an 18 year old, I was just blown away by the size of the place. I can't remember how much leg room I had, the conscessions, restrooms, etc... I'm sure I would be shocked at how far they would fall below what we're now used to.

 

[TLHGO4]

I've only been to Kinnick one time, during the 1967 season. My main recollections from the game other than a Gopher victory were 1) the Gophers chearleaders were seriously hungover from partying the night before (never have seen such a collection of bloodshot eyes except after parties at my place during my single years), and 2) I thought I was going to get crushed to death when fans made a rush to get from the concourse to the main part of the stadium just before the game. The design of the stadium was really bad for this type of situation. Just curious if this is still the case.

 

[TAW]

Kinnick, at least from a women's restroom perspective, improved greatly with the remodel. It also seems like you are closer to the action than in most stadiums.

However, as others have said, any traditional stadium that was not gutted in a remodel will have smaller spaces for seating. TCF is positively luxurious in the seating, even compared to pro stadiums. I think the HS stadium comments refer to the seating capacity, not the design or amenities.

 

[GopherGod]

If you think Kinnick is cramped, wait until you head to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. I think it is much more cramped than Kinnick

 

[Cayman]

It also seems like you are closer to the action than in most stadiums.

Yeah, from what I saw on TV, it looked like the front row seats were about 10 feet from the sideline.

 

[OddStack]

Kinnick is spacious compared to Penn State. I'm 5'11" and kept hitting the person in front of me with my knees while @ Penn State. The vertical distance between rows is less producing an even more cramped feeling.

 

[Torbee]

It's pretty dumb to call TCF a "joke" as it is a very nice stadium.

That said, it is somewhat odd that a university with a storied history and a huge population cannot support a higher capacity stadium. Most of the Big Ten stadia hold 70,000 or more - and the schools that have won the most Big 10 championships over the past 25 years definitely have big crowds. Minnesota, on the other hand, has a stadium similar in capacity to Iowa State or Indiana. One would hole the Gophers are aiming higher than that level of football play.

 

[MplsGopherFan]

Kinnick was full most of the game and fans were loud when they needed to be ... this contributed to making it a fun atmosphere. That said, the stadium itself is a POS! As others have already mentioned, the seats and rows are crammed far too close together, and the concourses, restrooms, etc., were all awful. I was very uncomfortable in the seats and I'm neither a tall nor fat person! Additionally, the scoreboard on the north side of the stadium was not working, and the scoreboard on the south side of the stadium was very small and had horrible resolution.

Another observation ... the marching band was very small and a complete non-factor in the game. They contributed pretty much nothing to the game atmosphere. In fact, they almost seemed like an afterthought throughout the entire game. It seemed like they rarely played during the game (rather music and advertisements were played over the loudspeakers during breaks in play). Even their half-time show (their time to shine) was unimpressive, at best (limited movement in their formations, crooked rows, members out of step, and music not even memorized). I appreciate the MN Marching band SO much more now after seeing Iowa's lame, pathetic, tiny marching band.

 

[ndsugopherfan]

i was in row 3, gopher section. stadium was loud, but what do you expect from people with nothing else in life, i mean seriously walking along the road to kinnick people were acting like it was the coolest thing in the world.

yes it was cramped and people were shoe horned in.

 

[Schnauzer]

It was my first trip there. I liked it and like most stadiums, it was a mix of good and bad. Yes, like most college stadiums it was cramped. TCF Bank Stadium is so nice in the way it feels larger than it is, and can be very difficult for visiting teams to play when the stadium is full and the crowd is wired. I just love the way I only need to slightly turn my knees to allow someone to get by me. I also love the way I don't have to feel an elbow in my rib cage for the entire game (like most other B1G stadiums). As others have mentioned, Kinnick is cramped. The best way to describe how this has an effect on the crowd is to see what they do during half time. I will post a pic that I took at half time that shows how the crowd mostly stays in their seats. This isn't because their band is great (in fact, as others have said it is pretty average, at best). People stay in their seats during half time because it is a pain in the azz to go to the concourse and fight through the people to get to the cramped bathrooms or concession stands. Just think how this has a domino effect on concession sales. Just a guess, but I bet average concession sales at TCF Bank Stadium are comparable to Kinnick despite a much smaller stadium capacity.

One other note, I saw first hand what I have seen others describe in Gopher Hole for years: Iowa fans are much more enjoyable to be around in Iowa City compared to Minneapolis. It is hard to believe it is the same fan base. Down there they are nice, friendly, sober, gracious, etc. Up here they are boorish, drunk, obnoxious, etc.

One experience from Saturday that speaks to all of the above: I had this guy with his kid sitting behind me. Early on, whenever Iowa made a big play the guy would lift his kid in the air to celebrate. I took a pretty severe kid-kick to my back. I didn't say anything and I don't think anyone even noticed. A little later the flea-flicker TD happened and this time I got what felt like a martial arts combo kick. First, the kid came down on my head - knocking my hat off and giving me a big 'whoomp' on my skull. I instinctively bent over forward and grabbed my head in both hands and just as that happened the kid's foot came down on the middle of my back again. The dude with his kid were still oblivious but this time the woman next to me caught the whole sequence out of the corner of her eye and right in the middle of the big celebration she stopped her clapping and turned around to bitch out the dude with the kid (on my behalf). The guy settled right down and said he was sorry. Throughout the game, I heard him explaining things to his kid and it was really sweet. I was glad I hadn't said anything and it was obvious I was a victim of a cramped stadium, not an obnoxious fan.

 

[Schnauzer]

Here is visual evidence it is a pain to fight one's way out of a crowded row doing a tightrope routine to get to a crowded concourse for another battle to get to concessions or the bathroom. Most people stay in their seats and it isn't to listen to a mediocre marching band. Contrast this with TCF where the concourse fills up and the cash registers start cha-ching-ing.

 

[station19]

One other note, I saw first hand what I have seen others describe in Gopher Hole for years: Iowa fans are much more enjoyable to be around in Iowa City compared to Minneapolis. It is hard to believe it is the same fan base. Down there they are nice, friendly, sober, gracious, etc. Up here they are boorish, drunk, obnoxious, etc.

One must wonder if MN traveling fans are of the same mold.

Sorry but someone had to ask.

Maybe if the Gophers had more success on the road?

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

Actually my friends and I noticed the only super wasted people we saw in Iowa City after the game were Gopher fans (young kids).

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

i was in row 3, gopher section. stadium was loud, but what do you expect from people with nothing else in life, i mean seriously walking along the road to kinnick people were acting like it was the coolest thing in the world.

yes it was cramped and people were shoe horned in.

To me that's why it was so great. I watched the Nebraska vs Wisconsin game on Saturday night and their fans were crazy into as well. Maybe it's because we have so many entertainment options in Mpls/St. Paul or because we haven't had a winning tradition for a while, but I would love to have that same energy at TCF.

I am not going to feel bad standing and cheering at TCF.

 

[Gdizzle]

I find it funny that some of the Iowa fans continue to rant and rave about how much our stadium is like a HS football stadium, citing the open end (not fully enclosed) and smaller capacity as the 2 main reasons. Couple thoughts: Yes, we have an open end, designed purposely to allow for 3 things: 1) A wonderful view of our downtown and campus buildings 2) honor old Memorial Stadium's design and 3) give room for our GIANT, HD scoreboard. It's funny to me that Iowa fans would heckle at the open end as if this makes it a HS stadium design, considering all 4 corners of their stadium are not connected but open. Ours is obviously smaller, but as this thread points out, MUCH more comfortable, even in the bench seats. Space in front (leg room) and width are noticeable differences. Their concourses are a joke as are the bathrooms and food options. I understand that we get the benefit of a modern stadium design, which is the tradeoff between history and amenities. We've proven that a full crowd at TCF can be just as electric as any stadium in the country (Air Force, MSU 2009, Syracuse), now we just need to win (and market the program better) to keep the fans coming and improve our gameday/tailgate atmosphere.

I would imagine you have some a chip on your shoulder in regards to Kinnick partly because of a certain trip to the drunk tank

 

[RailBaronYarr]

I would imagine you have some a chip on your shoulder in regards to Kinnick partly because of a certain trip to the drunk tank

Nope, always admitted that was (mostly) my fault. I have heard from many people, including Iowa natives and fans that Iowa City police are stricter than most town on public intox (my father in-law, a lawyer, confirmed this as he is always curious as to the number and % of this arrest compared to other cities). But that doesn't take away from the fact that it was totally my bad. Just trying to be objective in my experiences at different stadiums, including ours.

Someone mentioned earlier that Iowa fans simply mock the seating capacity at TCF. I can say with 100% confidence that I have read message boards, ESPN comment sections, and head people at TCF proclaim the open bowl is one of the reasons ours isn't a real college football stadium. Which is bogus.

I actually thought that the atmosphere at the stadium last Saturday was a bit lackluster compared to previous visits. It got loud on 3rd downs, people stood, etc. But the student section wasn't partying the way ours does (or how I've seen theirs can be), the fans overall were very quiet, and the walk back to the car was dead silent after the win. Not sure why. My wife, not a very big die-hard, noticed the same and commented on it without me saying anything.

And, while I agree that on the whole, the fans in IC are much more polite than the ones that travel to MN to watch games, we still had a group of people 4 rows behind us swearing every time JVdB missed a throw. Towards the end when Iowa sealed the win with the Pick6, the row behind me cleared out but a younger Iowa fan made a point to come right behind me and clap loudly every time Iowa did something positive. Both my mother and brother in-laws, Iowa fans, admitted that their fans show they are typically more drunk and obnoxious than ours after having visited MN last year for the game. Do I think this would change if we started having some success? Absolutely. Don't know by how much, though.

 

[nsmike]

I don't think Minnesota fans will change much. I'm not originally from MN so I probably notice it more, but the only thing I've seen, that can change a Minnesotan from nice to obnoxious, is the steering wheel of a car.

 

[play hard]

The Iowa fans were very good to us ! They had a good time but nothing obxiousios !!! The tailgating they do is #1 I've ever seen.

 

[maliksealy]

I had an absolutely horrible experience at Kinnick that was the result of one fan. I sent an email to Gary Barta, Iowa's Athletic Director and he responded. I had no idea of this so called text alert system or what number I was supposed to text.

Jake,

First, I am truly sorry your experience at Kinnick was ruined by an "idiot". Like you, I appreciate passionate fans...but I have two young kids and I want a family friendly environment.

The next time you visit...and I certainly hope you'll come back....I encourage you to use our text alert. This simple text to our security allows any fan to complain about someone who has crossed that line without having to ID yourself. Details are in the program or on our website.

Security will then go to the area you point out and observe. If they see the behavior they will act upon it. Even if they don't they can warn the person there has bee complaints.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Sincerely,
Gary

Sent from my iPad

On Oct 1, 2012, at 6:48 PM, "xxxxxx" <xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Dear Mr. Barta,

I am a Minnesota fan living in West Des Moines who was in Iowa City this weekend to go to the football game with some friends. The annual Iowa/Minnesota game is an annual tradition for us, and we always look forward to the weekend in Minneapolis or Iowa City spending time with each other and going to the game. I am a passionate fan myself and while I understand passion and rooting on your team, there is a line that shouldn't be crossed. In the row behind me(Section 138 row 18) there was a fan screaming the entire game as loud as possible using the F word quite frequently in a variety of ways. I thought, "Well, this will soon be stopped by someone or someone will tell a security attendant or something." It was so awful, I can't even begin to explain it. Totally ruined the entire experience of the game, as if my team playing awful wasn't enough. I just couldn't believe no one complained. I asked fans around me about it, and they just shrugged it off. Being the only Minnesota fan around, I didn't want to make a scene or escalate the situation so I just stayed quiet. There were no children around, so I guess that was a positive. I cannot imagine a parent would put up with it if their child was hearing it. Anyways, just thought I'd let you know. I hate being the complainer, but I just thought it was so awful.

xxxx
West Des Moines

 

[TAW]

A somewhat amusing F-word story. Several years ago, I arranged for some Iowa fans of friends of mine to sit with us at the UW-Iowa game. The woman next to me was actually the mayor of Sturgeon Bay (Door County, Wis - a huge tourist area). Throughout the 1st half, some yahoo behind us kept yelling "Put in Effing Bernstein. Put in Effing Bernstein!" After about the 15th shout like this, the mayor, who I had not met before that day, turned to me and said "What an unusual first name for a young man."

Edit: forgot one cannot swear on the Hole.

 

[maliksealy]

A somewhat amusing F-word story. Several years ago, I arranged for some Iowa fans of friends of mine to sit with us at the UW-Iowa game. The woman next to me was actually the mayor of Sturgeon Bay (Door County, Wis - a huge tourist area). Throughout the 1st half, some yahoo behind us kept yelling "Put in Effing Bernstein. Put in Effing Bernstein!" After about the 15th shout like this, the mayor, who I had not met before that day, turned to me and said "What an unusual first name for a young man."

Funny. Some of the memorable quotes I had from this Iowa fan on Saturday were. "&#($* the megamall!" Dear Jerry Kill, *$($) you. Signed, Kirk Ferentz."

 

[TAW]

A somewhat amusing F-word story. Several years ago, I arranged for some Iowa fans of friends of mine to sit with us at the UW-Iowa game. The woman next to me was actually the mayor of Sturgeon Bay (Door County, Wis - a huge tourist area). Throughout the 1st half, some yahoo behind us kept yelling "Put in Effing Bernstein. Put in Effing Bernstein!" After about the 15th shout like this, the mayor, who I had not met before that day, turned to me and said "What an unusual first name for a young man."


Funny. Some of the memorable quotes I had from this Iowa fan on Saturday were. "&#($* the megamall!" Dear Jerry Kill, *$($) you. Signed, Kirk Ferentz."

To clarify, the F-bomber was a Badger fan. Bernstein was our fullback at the time.

 

[Bugs Gopher]

I had an absolutely horrible experience at Kinnick that was the result of one fan. I sent an email to Gary Barta, Iowa's Athletic Director and he responded. I had no idea of this so called text alert system or what number I was supposed to text.

Jake,

First, I am truly sorry your experience at Kinnick was ruined by an "idiot". Like you, I appreciate passionate fans...but I have two young kids and I want a family friendly environment.

The next time you visit...and I certainly hope you'll come back....I encourage you to use our text alert. This simple text to our security allows any fan to complain about someone who has crossed that line without having to ID yourself. Details are in the program or on our website.

Security will then go to the area you point out and observe. If they see the behavior they will act upon it. Even if they don't they can warn the person there has bee complaints.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Sincerely,
Gary

Sent from my iPad

On Oct 1, 2012, at 6:48 PM, "xxxxxx" <xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Dear Mr. Barta,

I am a Minnesota fan living in West Des Moines who was in Iowa City this weekend to go to the football game with some friends. The annual Iowa/Minnesota game is an annual tradition for us, and we always look forward to the weekend in Minneapolis or Iowa City spending time with each other and going to the game. I am a passionate fan myself and while I understand passion and rooting on your team, there is a line that shouldn't be crossed. In the row behind me(Section 138 row 18) there was a fan screaming the entire game as loud as possible using the F word quite frequently in a variety of ways. I thought, "Well, this will soon be stopped by someone or someone will tell a security attendant or something." It was so awful, I can't even begin to explain it. Totally ruined the entire experience of the game, as if my team playing awful wasn't enough. I just couldn't believe no one complained. I asked fans around me about it, and they just shrugged it off. Being the only Minnesota fan around, I didn't want to make a scene or escalate the situation so I just stayed quiet. There were no children around, so I guess that was a positive. I cannot imagine a parent would put up with it if their child was hearing it. Anyways, just thought I'd let you know. I hate being the complainer, but I just thought it was so awful.

xxxx
West Des Moines

Dude, no one is this big of a crybaby, right? Thanks for being "that guy."