Selby Stadium
Selby Stadium, boasting a 9,100-seat capacity, is located on South Henry Street on the eastern edge of campus, is the home of the Battling Bishop football, men’s and women’s track & field, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and field hockey teams.
Selby Stadium received a new Field Turf artificial playing surface for the 2014-15 academic year, lights for the 2010-11 academic year, and a video scoreboard in the spring of 2011, making the venue one of the most impressive among NCAA Division III institutions.
Built in 1929, Selby boasts a seating capacity of 9,100, with all seats falling between the 15-yard lines of the field. Its press box was lauded as “the largest in Ohio outside of Ohio Stadium.” The Ohio Wesleyan football team opened Selby with a 52-0 romp over Marietta on Sept. 18, 1929, and the field was formally dedicated on Oct. 19 of that year, with the Bishops defeating Miami, 20-12.
Designed by George Gauthier, Ohio Wesleyan’s Hall of Fame football coach, track & field coach, and athletic director, and constructed by the Osborn Engineering Company (which also built the original Yankee Stadium), the complex was named after George D. Selby, who served the Ohio Wesleyan board of trustees for 24 years. His sons, Mark, Homer, Pearl, and Roger, contributed $100,000 of the project’s $160,000 cost. Selby Stadium recently underwent a restoration project that included a new, 2-level press box, new bleacher seats and refurbished locker rooms.
Selby also houses the George Gauthier Track, an Ameritan FP surface completed for the 2006-07 academic year. The site of 19 of the first 30 NCAC outdoor track & field championships, Selby is believed to be the oldest facility in the nation constructed to Olympic specifications and remaining in its original configuration.
Selby Stadium hosted the NCAA Division III outdoor track & field championships in 2011 and 2014, the 1988 NCAA Division III men’s lacrosse championship game, and has been the site of numerous playoff contests.
Prior to 1929, home football games and track meets were held at Edwards Field, the site of today’s Branch Rickey Center. Football games before the turn of the century were played in various locations. One popular site was the hollow between present-day Phillips Hall and Delaware Run, across the street from Selby.
The Bishop men’s lacrosse team played its home games at Roy Rike Field from 1965 to 1985. During the spring of 1985, field maintenance at Roy Rike forced the lacrosse team to move to Selby for a year, but the relocation worked out so well it became permanent. Prior to obtaining Roy Rike Field, Ohio Wesleyan home games were played at South Field, which was located on Henry Street south of Selby Stadium, approximately where the Bishops’ practice field is today.
The Bishop field hockey team began playing its home games at Selby Stadium during the 2006 season. Prior to 2006, Ohio Wesleyan played its home games at the Henry Street Field, which was located south of Selby Stadium, and is the site of today’s Luttinger Family Tennis Center.
The Bishop women’s lacrosse team played its home games at Roy Rike Field from 2004 to 2007. Prior to 2004, Ohio Wesleyan played its home games at the Henry Street Field, which was located south of Selby Stadium, and is the site of today’s Luttinger Family Tennis Center.
Action at Selby Stadium
