University of Northern Colorado Athletics
There's No Place Like Home For @UNCBEARSFB
10/17/2015 11:07:00 AM | Football
Nottingham Field Has Played Host to UNC Football For 20 years.
In 20 years there have been five different Olympic Games, three different Presidents, the invention of Facebook and Twitter, wireless internet, Hurricane Katrina, the second Iraq War, but just one stadium in Greeley, Colorado – Nottingham Field.
Fans have come to the stadium every Saturday since 1995 to watch their beloved Northern Colorado Bears battle it out against opponent after opponent for 113 games – a number that continues to grow each Saturday all thanks to one family, the Nottinghams.
In 1992, the Nottinghams, along with fellow boosters, helped raise $3.5 million for the building of Northern Colorado's current football stadium, named in their honor.
Vic Nottingham, who passed away in 2014, was the first $100,000 donor to UNC athletics, a fixture on the sidelines at football practice and at games along with taking his usual seat about 10 rows up behind the scorers' table at Bank of Colorado Arena.
Along with his wife, Edye, they established an endowment that provides financial aid to student-athletes. UNC alumni have established three additional Nottingham endowments to provide financial aid to student-athletes and athletic facilities.
Today's homecoming contest against UC Davis marks the 114th game at Nottingham field and the 20th anniversary of stadium's beginning.Â
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Head coach Earnest Collins Jr. has seen dozens of homecoming games in his career both as a player and a coach, but emphasized the importance of each game at home for him.
"I know it sounds cliché, but to return and be the head coach at your alma mater, something very few coaches get to do, is an honor," said Collins. "Every time I get to walk out with this team on this field it's like a homecoming game to me."
On Sept. 9, 1995 The stadium's first game pitted Northern Colorado against Colorado Mesa and the Bears played most ungracious hosts, handing the Mavericks a 58-7 defeat.
The Bears went on to win their first 13 games at Nottingham and currently hold a 66-47 record at home since moving over from Jackson Field.
North Dakota State handed the Bears their first-ever loss at Nottingham Field, winning 28-24 on Oct. 4. 1997. Northern Colorado had the ball on the one-yard line with 18 seconds remaining, but was unable to score.
It's also seen its fair share of fans walk through the gates and has played host to five NCAA Division II playoff games.
Its best crowd came in 2005, when 9,145 people came to watch UNC take on Cal Poly.
Some of the Bears greatest players have also seen their entire careers played out at Nottingham Field.
Current Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide out Vincent Jackson broke receiving record after receiving record on its grass and left as the all-time career record holder in receiving yards and yards per catch.Â
Former UNC QB Corte McGuffey also laced his cleats up and led the Bears for four years at Nottingham. McGuffey eclipsed the all-time career record holder in passing yards and won the 1999 Harlon Hill Trophy. His number (12) now hangs on the video board as the only retired number in the program's history.
A pair of staff members also walked out onto the field every Saturday for their careers. Current offensive coordinator Jon Boyer (00-01) and wide receivers coach Keith Grable (96-99) put on a show for fans each time they played in Greeley.
Grable helped win two national championships and amassed 1,965 career receiving yards, the third most in the program's history at the time. He still ranks 9th on the all-time yardage list.
Boyer ran the offense for just two years and put together back-to-back seasons of 2,000 yards passing and led UNC to 11 wins.
"Once you become a coach you're always focused on the next game, so you really don't have a chance to look back on your playing days," Boyer said when asked about his most memorable moment at Nottingham Field. "I know I had some good games and some bad games at home, but I'm just thankful for the opportunity to still be here and help coach this team."
Head coach Earnest Collins Jr. (91-94) a defensive back and return specialist for Northern Colorado, missed out on the new stadium by just one year.
"One of my regrets is that I never got to play in Vic's stadium. My senior year, we had the honor of closing out Jackson Field, but I never got to play in his stadium," Collins said.Â
In the last several years Northern Colorado has made several renovations to the stadium.
The facility saw an across-the-board facelift in spring 2007 that included upgraded concessions, new restrooms and ticket booths. The East Plaza Concourse is now the hub of activity on game day.
Then, in summer 2011, the High Plains Club on the west side of the stadium saw an upgrade. A VIP donor lounge was created, complete with a built-in bar, ample seating, new carpet and a pair of high-definition flat-screen TVs.
The 2012 season brought a new sound system to Nottingham Field, resulting in crisper game day music and public-address system.
Over the 2013 summer, the track surrounding the field was resurfaced and several amenities were added to the terraces.
The very next summer brought in a brand new Daktronics video board to enhance the game day experience, and this season an addition of a video replay room mandated by the Big Sky Conference was built on to the press box level.
Perhaps the most important upgrade of all that Nottingham Field has made came last season with the simple addition of a gold seat, Vic's seat. The same place he sat for every game since 1995, leaving an everlasting memory of the team's number one fan and biggest supporter.
Fans have come to the stadium every Saturday since 1995 to watch their beloved Northern Colorado Bears battle it out against opponent after opponent for 113 games – a number that continues to grow each Saturday all thanks to one family, the Nottinghams.
In 1992, the Nottinghams, along with fellow boosters, helped raise $3.5 million for the building of Northern Colorado's current football stadium, named in their honor.
Vic Nottingham, who passed away in 2014, was the first $100,000 donor to UNC athletics, a fixture on the sidelines at football practice and at games along with taking his usual seat about 10 rows up behind the scorers' table at Bank of Colorado Arena.
Along with his wife, Edye, they established an endowment that provides financial aid to student-athletes. UNC alumni have established three additional Nottingham endowments to provide financial aid to student-athletes and athletic facilities.
Today's homecoming contest against UC Davis marks the 114th game at Nottingham field and the 20th anniversary of stadium's beginning.Â
Â
Head coach Earnest Collins Jr. has seen dozens of homecoming games in his career both as a player and a coach, but emphasized the importance of each game at home for him.
"I know it sounds cliché, but to return and be the head coach at your alma mater, something very few coaches get to do, is an honor," said Collins. "Every time I get to walk out with this team on this field it's like a homecoming game to me."
On Sept. 9, 1995 The stadium's first game pitted Northern Colorado against Colorado Mesa and the Bears played most ungracious hosts, handing the Mavericks a 58-7 defeat.
The Bears went on to win their first 13 games at Nottingham and currently hold a 66-47 record at home since moving over from Jackson Field.
North Dakota State handed the Bears their first-ever loss at Nottingham Field, winning 28-24 on Oct. 4. 1997. Northern Colorado had the ball on the one-yard line with 18 seconds remaining, but was unable to score.
It's also seen its fair share of fans walk through the gates and has played host to five NCAA Division II playoff games.
Its best crowd came in 2005, when 9,145 people came to watch UNC take on Cal Poly.
Some of the Bears greatest players have also seen their entire careers played out at Nottingham Field.
Current Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide out Vincent Jackson broke receiving record after receiving record on its grass and left as the all-time career record holder in receiving yards and yards per catch.Â
Former UNC QB Corte McGuffey also laced his cleats up and led the Bears for four years at Nottingham. McGuffey eclipsed the all-time career record holder in passing yards and won the 1999 Harlon Hill Trophy. His number (12) now hangs on the video board as the only retired number in the program's history.
A pair of staff members also walked out onto the field every Saturday for their careers. Current offensive coordinator Jon Boyer (00-01) and wide receivers coach Keith Grable (96-99) put on a show for fans each time they played in Greeley.
Grable helped win two national championships and amassed 1,965 career receiving yards, the third most in the program's history at the time. He still ranks 9th on the all-time yardage list.
Boyer ran the offense for just two years and put together back-to-back seasons of 2,000 yards passing and led UNC to 11 wins.
"Once you become a coach you're always focused on the next game, so you really don't have a chance to look back on your playing days," Boyer said when asked about his most memorable moment at Nottingham Field. "I know I had some good games and some bad games at home, but I'm just thankful for the opportunity to still be here and help coach this team."
Head coach Earnest Collins Jr. (91-94) a defensive back and return specialist for Northern Colorado, missed out on the new stadium by just one year.
"One of my regrets is that I never got to play in Vic's stadium. My senior year, we had the honor of closing out Jackson Field, but I never got to play in his stadium," Collins said.Â
In the last several years Northern Colorado has made several renovations to the stadium.
The facility saw an across-the-board facelift in spring 2007 that included upgraded concessions, new restrooms and ticket booths. The East Plaza Concourse is now the hub of activity on game day.
Then, in summer 2011, the High Plains Club on the west side of the stadium saw an upgrade. A VIP donor lounge was created, complete with a built-in bar, ample seating, new carpet and a pair of high-definition flat-screen TVs.
The 2012 season brought a new sound system to Nottingham Field, resulting in crisper game day music and public-address system.
Over the 2013 summer, the track surrounding the field was resurfaced and several amenities were added to the terraces.
The very next summer brought in a brand new Daktronics video board to enhance the game day experience, and this season an addition of a video replay room mandated by the Big Sky Conference was built on to the press box level.
Perhaps the most important upgrade of all that Nottingham Field has made came last season with the simple addition of a gold seat, Vic's seat. The same place he sat for every game since 1995, leaving an everlasting memory of the team's number one fan and biggest supporter.
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