PROGRESS: Briar Cliff football Returns to Memorial Field

The Briar Cliff University football program embraced that idea last fall when it returned to Memorial Field, thanks to a partnership between the university and Bishop Heelan Catholic High School, which owns the field.

For 10 years, Memorial Field was home to Briar Cliff football. The program played their first season of intercollegiate varsity football there in 2003. However, for the past four years, the Chargers held football games at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, a 35-minute drive from Briar Cliff’s campus.

While the program was grateful for the opportunity to use the facility and work with the University of South Dakota, it was a challenge to see anything except Memorial Field as home for the program. A shared goal of enhancing the current athletic facilities at Memorial Field between Briar Cliff and Bishop Heelan helped the Chargers return to their roots.

Enhancements to Memorial Field include changing the field from grass to artificial turf. The new state-of-the-art turf was provided by Midwest FieldTurf from Denison, Iowa, and will serve as a stronger alternative to withstand practices and games for high school and college football teams.

As Sioux City’s only Catholic college and Catholic high school, collaboration between Briar Cliff and Bishop Heelan came naturally, Briar Cliff Director of Athletics Nic Nelson said.

Nelson said, “From Briar Cliff’s end, it is a willingness and desire to see our football program succeed. I think there was also the notion of Briar Cliff and Heelan working together. A lot of people in this community that realize, recognize and think that the two of us should be working together as Catholic institutions.”

Briar Cliff football coach Dennis Wagner also recognized the positive impact of bringing the team back to their home turf to practice and play.

"We are excited to be bringing Charger football back to our fan base in Sioux City," said Wagner. "This move allows for the city's casual sports fans as well as our students, the entire campus and extended community and alumni to fully engage in the game day experience.”

"Both fields were great to play on. But when playing on Memorial, it's easier for your friends and family to support you and the team," said Materno Hassan, linebacker and a senior biology major.

"As a player, it feels good to have a true home field. We’ve seen a lot of new faces in the stadium that weren’t there before."

For the Charger football program, having a place to call home for both practice and competition was the right decision.

"In bringing our team back to campus full-time for practice and by playing on a beautiful, new artificial turf surface, we think we've really increased our football program's opportunity to compete at a high level in the Great Plains Athletics Conference," Nelson said.