Donald J. Schneider Outdoor Athletics Complex

A legacy of success
The St. Norbert College Green Knights are fierce competitors on and off the athletic fields. Since 1938, Green Knight football teams have compiled a 196-91-7 home record at the Dr. John R. Minahan Stadium, a winning percentage of .679. During 2007-08, 18 of St. Norbert's 20 athletic teams placed in the top half of their conference. The St. Norbert College hockey team claimed the 2008 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey national championship – the school's first national title. Our modest track program has also produced national champions in recent years. While we are thrilled with the success that our student-athletes have on the field, we’re even prouder that they remain students first and athletes second. Proving that there is more to St. Norbert athletes than their win-loss records, St. Norbert athletes match or better the College’s impressive average four-year graduation rate of 71 percent. Approximately 20 percent of our undergraduates participate in 20 intercollegiate sports at the NCAA Division III level. St. Norbert competes in the academically prestigious Midwest Conference, as well as the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association in men’s hockey.

Currently, St. Norbert football and soccer teams use the Minahan complex for practice and competition. While several repairs and renovations have been performed on the Minahan Stadium over the past 70 years, it is simply obsolete. The facility cannot meet the needs of our growing student-athlete population and their competitors, nor does it offer a usable track and field facility.

With the help of the prominent national architectural firm Hastings and Chivetta, the College has begun to plan for a new outdoor athletic facility within walking distance from campus, rather than to renovate and repair the Minahan complex. Once the new facility is built, the Minahan complex will be dismantled and the land will return to a natural state under the control of the St. Norbert Abbey. The new athletic facilities will be built on property already owned by the College, south of the campus in west De Pere, on Lost Dauphin Road and just north of Scheuring Road. The athletic complex will include a stadium with a capacity for 4,000 spectators and will be the practice and competition venue for football, soccer and track and field.

A new exciting era
Our student-athletes and their competitors deserve to have the best athletic experiences possible. The new athletic complex will include a 400-meter track with an all-weather surface, appropriate areas to conduct all field events, field turf for football and soccer competition, and a locker room building with lockers and showers to accommodate more than 200 home and visiting athletes—a sharp contrast to the existing showerless locker rooms, which accommodate only 80 student athletes.The new location will also make it easier for students and visitors to attend athletic events. The infrastructure of the new complex will improve the
experiences for student-athletes and spectators by including:

• brick and wrought iron fencing system with an electronic security system;
• press box with 34 spaces for journalists, coaches and game administration staff;
• ticket and information booths; paved parking lot with capacity for 700 cars; and
• men’s and women’s restrooms and concession preparation and sales areas.

Built for reduced impact 
Construction on the new Donald J. Schneider Outdoor Athletics Complex is estimated to require 15 months to complete, and will begin after 90 percent of the funding has been identified and 75 percent of it is in hand. The College has also been meeting with neighbors to receive feedback and identify any concerns before committing to a final plan. There will be virtually no change in traffic patterns or intensity except for three to four hours on six to eight Saturday afternoons each year. Security and litter clean-up will be provided by the College. The new sports complex is also being designed so that the majority of noise will be directed away from most nearby residents. While the complex will be lit to provide daily security, the lights in the main complex will be used primarily for practices late in the fall, and occasionally to light the end of track meets and a handful of nonconference evening soccer games. Ninety percent of football, soccer and track events occur on Saturdays and Sundays. Almost all of these events begin and end during daylight hours.

The stadium facilities will blend in with the architecture of the neighborhood and be landscaped comprehensively. Residents will gain the use of the recreational green spaces surrounding the complex. St. Norbert College will provide publicized dates and times, and security for public use of the all-weather walking/running track. St. Norbert College encourages all students to be active academically, socially, athletically and spiritually. Easier access to a new athletics complex will encourage students, as well as surrounding residents, to use the facilities and develop healthy lifestyles. In addition to benefiting current student athletes, new facilities will also help recruit new student-athletes by demonstrating how much St. Norbert College appreciates their athletic accomplishments.

To view or download a PDF brochure describing the outdoor athletics complex campaign, click here.

For more information on the new Donald J. Schneider Outdoor Athletics Complex, contact Don Maslinski, director of athletic fundraising, at (920) 403-3252.