Northwestern University debuted its new $875 million football stadium on Friday night, as Ryan Field hosted its first game exactly 100 years after the original Dyche Stadium opened on the same site in Evanston.
If first impressions are everything, the new stadium already has left its mark.
Northwestern alum Rachel Aguiar said she was "completely taken away."
"It's fantastic. I mean, it's night and day compared to what we used to have," she said. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be here today. We'll be talking about this day for years to come."
The original stadium, renamed from Dyche Stadium to Ryan Field in 1997, was torn down in 2024. Construction on the new football stadium was completed just days before Friday's grand opening.
"We're so excited. We've been coming to games since he was a baby, and this is a much different look from what we are used to," Northwestern fan Keith MacDonald said as he and his son, , attended the Wildcat's debut at Ryan Field against Penn State.
At $875 million dollars, it's the most expensive football stadium in college football.
The new stadium seats 35,000, approximately 12,000 less than the old stadium, but fans are much closer to the action, and its canopy design keeps noise and light focused on the field and fans covered from rain.
And there's beer, a new and welcome addition, since alcohol at the old stadium was limited to private club and premium seating areas.
"I think the fact that they were able to add alcohol for the stadium is really fun from an alumni perspective, being a part of it, but it levels up the stadium," Northwestern alum Megan Trout said. "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan for your investment."
Most of the money for the project was put up by billionaire Pat Ryan, a Northwestern alum who cut the ceremonial ribbon on the stadium that bears his name.
"What surprised me is that it's not small, it's just not as high as other stadiums," he said.
Northwestern first announced plans for the new Ryan Field in September 2021, but the proposal quickly became controversial.
Neighbors raised concerns about traffic, noise, and plans for live concerts.
In November 2023, the Evanston City Council approved the plan to build the new Ryan Field, with a limit of six concerts per year, after Northwestern agreed to a 15-year, $150 million community benefits agreement.
Those funds will be used to help boost affordable housing in Evanston, provide financial aid to Evanston Township High School students planning to attend Northwestern, support local nonprofits, assist with Evanston's guaranteed income program, finance workforce development programs, and create a 15-year "Good Neighbor Fund" to support other local programs.
Ryan said he hopes the entire community will now see the benefit of the new stadium.
"There were a small vocal group against it, but I think they've learned now that it's here that they can come over to the right side, and a lot of them have," he said.
Northwestern students will enter Ryan Field at the "Purple Line," named after the CTA rail line that runs through Evanston, and you won't find any seats in the student section. Instead, 2,000 people will be standing and stomping for all four quarters along the Wildcat Wall.
"I know we're right above the locker room of the opposing team," Northwestern freshman Sam Ferenchick said. "I think it' s a great idea. Obviously, it's meant to replicate European soccer. I've never seen it before, but it's a great way to get the students involved."
Tailgaters were out in force on Friday afternoon ahead of the Wildcats' game against Penn State. For some, it's been a 40-year tradition. For others, opening day at the new stadium is also their first game.
But getting here meant closing a chapter on a century of Northwestern tradition, and Friday was an excuse for some to go back in time.
"It feels like we never left," said Jeffrey Beir, as he and a group of friends from the class of 1979 returned to where it really began to usher in a new era at Northwestern.
They got together more than 47 years after graduating from Northwestern, meeting up at their old college dormitory to usher in the new Ryan Field.
"We said, 'Let's do it for the first game at the new stadium,' and we were able to get everybody together," said Jim Berger.
There was plenty of purple and white in the tailgate lots on Friday. First on the scene were the football families – players, parents, and alumni, and students who have been watching the stadium be built from the ground up.
"It's about the families who … we have just built this amazing football family that will last forever," said Northwestern football mom Kristen Carsello.
Northwestern sophomore Dylan Kim said he was impressed with how fast Ryan Field was built.
"They just blipped, all of a sudden, the stadium was built," he said.
For now, though, the focus is simple: a new stadium, a sold-out opener, and a new chapter for Northwestern football.
"It's not the building, it's the experiences in that building, whether you're marching on the field or being in the stands and watching the games," Beir said.
Getting inside isn't necessarily cheap. While Northwestern students can get in for free, resale tickets for Friday night's opener have been selling for around $100 and up. Season ticket holders said their per-game ticket prices nearly doubled for the new Ryan Field.
