TCF Bank Stadium

TCF Bank Stadium, sometimes referred to as either "The Bank" or "The Gopher Hole," is the football stadium for the Minnesota Golden Gophers college football team at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 50,805 seat on-campus "horseshoe" style stadium is designed to support future expansion to seat up to 80,000 people, and it cost $303.3 million to build.

TCF Bank Stadium is the first of three spectator sports stadiums that either have been built or are being developed for the major tenants of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome – the Gophers and two professional teams, the Minnesota Twins baseball and Minnesota Vikings football teams. Served by existing and under construction light rail, the three stadiums are located within a 1.25 mi radius loosely centered at the Guthrie Theater on the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis.

History
TCF Bank is the third on-campus stadium and fourth stadium used for University of Minnesota football. Previous fields have been Northrop Field, Memorial Stadium, and Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Location
The TCF Bank Stadium site is located on the northeast side of the Minneapolis campus, near the site of the former Memorial Stadium. The stadium's site had been the location of the Huron Boulevard Parking Complex, where the university's four largest parking lots were located. The address is 2009 University Ave S.E.

The stadium is part of a 75-acre (.3 km²) expansion of the Twin Cities campus, the largest since the West Bank was built in the 1960s. Current plans for the area call for the construction of as many as ten new academic buildings by 2015. The proposed Central Corridor light rail transit line is expected to run near the stadium, with a station in Stadium Village serving the facility. Construction of the Central Corridor is scheduled to begin in 2010 and be completed by 2014.

An environmental impact assessment of the stadium site was conducted by the university between December 2004 and March 2006 at a cost of $1.5 million. The results were approved by the Board of Regents on March 27, 2006.

Design


TCF Bank Stadium is a horseshoe-style stadium which organizers said would have a "traditional collegiate look and feel". The first phase of the construction includes approximately 50,805 seats, with the design able to support future expansion of up to 80,000 seats. There are 39 suites, 59 loge boxes, and 300 indoor club seats. On December 7, 2006, the university announced that the stadium's field would be laid out in an east-west configuration, with the open end of the stadium facing campus. This layout, similar to that of Memorial Stadium, provides a view of downtown Minneapolis. The scoreboard for the stadium was designed and built by Daktronics at a cost of $9 million. At 48 ft high by 108 ft wide, the HD-X light-emitting diode (LED) video display technology scoreboard is the third largest in college football-only stadiums. The new stadium also incorporates a tribute to the university's veterans.

On September 17, 2009, the University of Minnesota announced that TCF Bank Stadium was awarded LEED Silver Certification, the first college or professional football stadium to achieve LEED certification.

Stadium proposal
The push for a new on-campus stadium for the Golden Gopher football team began in the fall of 2000. The university cited poor revenue and lack of a college football atmosphere at the off-campus Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome as their main reasons for wanting to move back on campus. A plan for a joint Minnesota Vikings/University of Minnesota football stadium was proposed in 2002, but differences over how the stadium would be designed and managed, as well as state budget constraints, led to the plan's failure. In September 2003 a highly publicized attempt was made by T. Denny Sanford to be the lead donor for the project, but in early 2004 the plan fell through when the two parties were unable to come to an agreement on the financial terms. The university unveiled preliminary stadium drawings and a general plan to seek state money and donations in December 2003. On March 24, 2005, the university and TCF Bank announced a deal that would have the bank contribute $35 million towards the project which would give them naming rights. The deal was given an expiration date of December 31, 2005; time enough for the Minnesota Legislature to provide the bulk of funding needed to make the project a reality.

During the remainder of 2005 the university concentrated on drafting a stadium proposal that would draw the support of state politicians. The final plan proposed that the state of Minnesota would contribute 40% of the stadium cost while the university would raise the remaining 60% on its own. Portions of that 60% were to be funded by the TCF naming rights, while the remainder would come from a $50 per semester student fee, private donations, the sale of 2,840 acres (11.5 km²) of university land in rural Dakota County back to the state, and game day parking revenue. Even though the university proposal drew widespread legislative support, the stadium effort suffered a setback when the 2005 legislative session ended before the stadium bill could be heard. Late in 2005 when it became evident that this would happen, the university and TCF Bank announced that it had extended the naming rights deal to June 30, 2006.

Despite the 2005 session having ended with the bill not coming to a vote, the stadium effort did not lose momentum in the legislature and was introduced quickly in the 2006 session. On April 6, 2006, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the stadium bill on a 103–30 vote. The house bill was nearly identical to what the university was proposing and had full university support. However on May 9, 2006, the Minnesota Senate passed a radically different version of the bill on a 34–32 vote. The Senate version would have removed the TCF naming rights deal, the student fees, and the purchase of the university owned land. The proposed funding that was removed was to be replaced with a state wide tax on sports memorabilia. It also would have required the stadium to be named Veterans Memorial Stadium (which would be similar to the previous on-campus football stadium Memorial Stadium, which was last used in 1981 and then demolished in 1992). Governor Tim Pawlenty stated he supported the House version. He signed the TCF Bank Stadium bill in May 2006 at the University of Minnesota McNamara Alumni Center.

Legislative approval 2006
Even though the differences between the House and Senate bills were major, the details were ironed out and approved on May 19, in a House–Senate conference committee. The TCF Bank naming rights and land sale remained in the bill, as did a scaled down $25 per year student fee. The tax on sports memorabilia as well as the Veterans Memorial Stadium name were voted out. The committee also voted to increase the state contribution to the project to compensate for the smaller student fees. The compromise bill was then approved by both the full house and senate on May 20, and was signed by Governor Tim Pawlenty on May 24.

Funding
The stadium's cost totals $288.5 million of which the university will pay 52 percent and the state of Minnesota the remaining 48 percent. Including interest the state's cost is about $10 million per year or about $1.7 million per game for 25 years. About $50 million of the state's portion goes to the purchase of 2,840 acres (11.5 km²) of undeveloped university land, part of the Rosemount Research Center in Dakota County, over 25 years by the state of Minnesota who will assume responsibility for risks if the site requires environmental cleanup. The university retains its right to use the land for its "research, education and engagement mission" in perpetuity.

The university's share is $111 million or 52 percent. TCF Financial Corporation of Wayzata, Minnesota is contributing $35 million over 25 years in exchange for the TCF Bank naming rights and other agreements. The university projected earnings of $2.5 million per year or $96 million over the life of agreements with TCF that will include marketing debit cards to alumni and ticketholders. If unable to fulfill its contractual obligations, TCF Financial Corporation must propose an alternate name subject to the approval of the university. Other corporate donations have been pledged as well, including Best Buy ($3 million), Dairy Queen ($2.5 million), Target Corporation ($2 million), Federated Insurance, General Mills, and Norwest Equity Partners.

The university is also accepting donations from individuals. Initially donations were only being sought from "high-end" donors (those contributing $100,000 or more), but in June 2008 the university expanded the fundraising effort to gather smaller donations as well. On May 21, 2009, the University announced they had received a $6 million donation from T. Denny Sanford, meaning the university had achieved its goal of $86 million in private fund raising. The remainder of the university's portion will come from a $12.50 per semester student fee ($25 per year) and game day parking revenue.

Even though the cost of building TCF Bank Stadium originated at $248.7 million, changes in the construction planning raised the cost to $288.5 million. The university has vowed that even if the stadium cost rises again, it will not seek more money from the state nor increase the student fees any further.

The University has been charging all U of M students a mandatory Stadium Fee of $12.50 every semester since planning for the project began, and is continuing this fee despite the stadium being finished. The cost of the stadium was $288.5 million of which the university had to pay 52 percent, and with an average of more than 50,000 students in a given year, in one semester the university makes more than $625,000 from the stadium fee, meaning they receive more than $6.25 million every 5 years from students. While $12.50 may not seem like much, it means that the university has forced every student to fund the TCF Stadium, despite the fact that many students were vehemently opposed to its construction.

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux donations
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) agreed to donate $10 million for stadium construction, the largest gift Gopher athletics has ever received. The university matched an additional $2.5 million to create a $5 million endowment for scholarships for Native American and low-income students. The hospitality plaza on the stadium's west side and the scholarship were named to honor the community, and the plaza designed to "... celebrate the history, presence, and cultural contributions of all eleven Native American tribes in Minnesota". The University received an additional $2 million from the SMSC for construction of the plaza in 2009.

Construction
On June 8, 2006, the university announced that it had selected Populous (then known as HOK Sport Venue Event) to design TCF Bank stadium. HOK Architects was one of the three finalists, along with HNTB Architects and Crawford Architects, that made presentations to the university on May 24, 2006. The local firm that worked on the project was Minneapolis-based Architectural Alliance, and M.A. Mortenson Company was the general contractor. Schematic designs of the stadium were presented to the public on January 3, 2007.

Infrastructure work at the stadium site began in late June 2006, and a ceremonial groundbreaking took place at the stadium site on September 30, 2006. The beginning of construction on the stadium itself along with the unveiling of the stadium's logo took place on July 11, 2007. Site preparation and foundation work continued through the summer and fall of 2007. More than 8,800 tons of steel that make up the stadium's skeleton was put in place between January 28, 2007–June 28, 2008.

Expansion
The T. Denny Sanford Hall of Fame was opened in Fall of 2010, located on the Southwest end of the stadium next to Goldy's Locker Room. This hall of fame is not football specific, rather encompassing all of the University of Minnesota's athletic programs. It housed Floyd the pig after the win against Iowa in the 2010 football season.

Alcohol controversy
University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks originally planned to have the school apply for a state liquor license in order to serve beer and wine in limited areas of the stadium. Under his proposal, alcohol would have been available only to occupants of premium season ticket seats ranging in price from $1,800 to $45,000 a year. This is/was consistent with the University's long-held alcohol policy at other on-campus athletic venues, such as Williams Arena and Mariucci Arena. This is also consistent with other NCAA institutions (including all other Big Ten Conference teams except for the University of Michigan) with on campus stadiums. No Big Ten stadiums serve alcohol in their general seating.

In May 2009, the Minnesota legislature passed a law that states that no alcohol may be served or sold anywhere in the stadium, including in suites and premium boxes, unless all ticketholders 21 or older in the stadium can buy alcohol at a game. The University of Minnesota regents voted on June 24, 2009, on Bruininks' subsequent proposal to ban alcohol entirely at campus athletic events (and also ban it in Mariucci and Williams arenas), which passed 10–2.

In May 2010, the legislature passed a law saying that alcohol could be served in premium seating if it was also available in one-third of the general seats. Bruininks declined to ask the board of regents to make this compromise. Dan Wolter, a spokesman for the university, said, "We recognize and understand that underage drinking is a big problem in our society as a whole so that is a stand that the University wanted to take."

On July 11, 2012, the University of Minnesota regents voted to allow beer sales at the stadium starting in Fall of 2012.

Other uses
While TCF Bank Stadium is the game day venue of the Golden Gophers football team, the stadium will also provide the University with several other uses. The stadium replaced Northrop Auditorium as the home of the University of Minnesota Marching Band, providing the band with new storage, rehearsal, and locker facilities. The university also expects to use the stadium for intramural sports, career fairs, and graduation ceremonies. University officials have also suggested that the stadium could be used to host outdoor hockey games, such as the annual NHL Winter Classic.

In November 2009, it was announced that the U2 360° Tour would be the first concert performance in the stadium on June 27, 2010. However, a majority of the 2010 U2 concert tour was postponed after U2 frontman Bono underwent emergency back surgery, and has been rescheduled for July 23, 2011 after having been pushed back an additional week by the 2011 Drum Corps International Minnesota event. Other non-university uses for the stadium have been discussed as well. Minnesota State High School League state tournaments, concerts, and marching band competitions have all been considered. The stadium is currently home to the Drum Corps International Minnesota event, taking place in mid July each year since 2010. TCF Bank Stadium was evaluated as a potential venue for a bid by the United States to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup. In addition, TCF Bank Stadium was planned as a preliminary soccer venue in the Chicago bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Due to a collapse of the Metrodome's roof, the Minnesota Vikings' Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears was held at the stadium on December 20, 2010, which was the Vikings' first outdoor home game since exactly 29 years before when Metropolitan Stadium was closed. The game ended with the Bears defeating the Vikings, 40-14. With the win, the Bears won the NFC North title and Devin Hester broke the kickoff return for touchdown record. This was Brett Favre's last game in the NFL after he sustained a concussion from being hit by Corey Wootton.

The Vikings will play the 2015 NFL season in TCF Bank Stadium during construction of the new Vikings Stadium, which will require the eventual demolition of the Metrodome. The Vikings will reportedly pay $2 million for upkeep costs for that season.

Since 2010, the stadium has been home to DCI (Drum Corps International) Minnesota, the largest outdoor drum and bugle corps competition in North America.