Memorial Stadium hasn’t always been the home of Nebraska Cornhusker football. Between 1909 and 1922, the team played at Nebraska Field, which was more or less at the same location as present-day Memorial Stadium. The field ran east-west instead of north-south. The photo above is a detail of this one:

Final game at Nebraska Field, November 30, 1922. NSHS RG2758-105-10 Final game at Nebraska Field, November 30, 1922. NSHS RG2758-105-10

Nebraska Field held 16,000 fans… at least, that’s the reported attendance at the stadium’s final game, a 14-6 Nebraska victory over Notre Dame on November 30, 1922. Today, getting good seats at Memorial Stadium involves paying a lot of money. At Nebraska Field, it was more a matter of creativity and determination, as revealed by the above photo. Notice the fans on rooftops, ladders, and makeshift scaffolding (see details below).

Telephone poles also provided a good view. Telephone poles also provided a good view.

So did a tree just outside the stadium. So did a tree just outside the stadium.

By comparison, the top of the stadium awning was a veritable luxury box. But how did they get up there? By comparison, the top of the stadium awning was a veritable luxury box. But how did they get up there?

A different photo from the same game provides a clue. See detail below. NSHS RG2758-102-740 A different photo from the same game provides a clue. See detail below. NSHS RG2758-102-740

All that for a better view of this. NSHS RG2758-734 All that for a better view of this. NSHS RG2758-734

Coming in Part 2 of this post: In 1923, Notre Dame returns to Lincoln to play in brand-new Memorial Stadium.