The famed walk down Fayerweather. Hearing the click clack of the cleats in unison. Intensity streaming down the faces of the brothers alongside you. Fans cheering as you run onto the field. A sea of red and black awaits. Even with over a hundred years of history, only a special few know the feeling of stepping onto the field for gameday at Andrus.
Situated in the center of the Wesleyan University campus is Andrus Field. A place synonymous with campus life at Wesleyan, the space contains a baseball diamond and serves as a gathering place for the university community. But what it is most known for is its long and storied history as the home field for Wesleyan football.
As the sport of football continued to evolve, so did Andrus, as what was once an uneven and still swampy surface transformed in 1898. It was then when the university flattened the field while also giving Andrus a full draining and clearing to create the correct surface.
President Stephen Olin led the alumni movement for a new athletic field in 1897 with the help of John E. Andrus, Class of 1862, who provided the necessary $5,700 in funding. The field was formally dedicated in Andrus’ name in 1898.
At the turn of the century, athletics became a significant attraction for the university. In 1902, a donor-funded grandstand was installed and in the years prior, a quarter-mile track was also built. Much credit for the field renovations goes to Harlow “Doc” Raymond, a janitor at the time tasked with overseeing the field’s development.
Withstanding the test of time, several debates have arisen in rethinking where football should play its home games on campus. The first came in 1927 when the Wesleyan Board of Trustees passed a resolution to relocate the football field to the now home of the Davison Art Center, trying to avoid overcrowding in the center of campus. This plan, however, never came to be as the board decided against the initial plan, thus maintaining the tradition of football on Andrus.
The most-recent pivot came in 2016 as the Board passed a resolution allocating $1.2 million for a new hydraulic bleacher system for Andrus Field. This necessary move replaced the previous bleachers purchased in 1993 and was something that was deemed essential for football to still be played on Andrus.
CORWIN STADIUM DEDICATION
The legacy of Andrus Field continues to live on but the football field received a formal dedication during Homecoming Weekend of 2002. Marking the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1962, Wesleyan formally dedicated the football field alone as Corwin Stadium at Andrus Field, named for distinguished alumnus and benefactor of the university, Bruce Corwin ’62.
The day of dedication was an unforgettable one for Corwin. Celebrating his 50th class reunion alongside his former teammates, the opponent the Cardinals faced that day was longtime Little 3 rival Amherst. Holding a 14-13 lead late, Amherst drove down the field into field goal range. With only eight seconds left, the 49-yard would-be game-winning field goal attempt was blocked by Jeremy George ’04, denying Amherst of a potential undefeated season and marking the first Wesleyan victory over the then-Lord Jeffs since 1993.
Corwin ‘62 recounts the day vividly: “The naming of the field in the pouring rain was the happiest and proudest day of my life. Winning the game by beating Amherst, especially the way it happened, made it even more special. I love my university and my dear friends Mike Whalen, Dan DiCenzo, Joe Reilly, Mike Fried and our President Michael Roth.”
A HISTORY OF SUCCESS
Prized by Cardinals, feared by opponents and lauded by fans, Corwin Stadium at Andrus Field is consistently one of the toughest places for opponents to come away with a win in all of NCAA Division III football. In 137 seasons of Wesleyan football, the Cardinals have racked up an overall record of 329-187-21 (.634 win percentage) in games played at home.
Since the formation of the NESCAC in 2000, Wesleyan is 48-32 (.600) against league foes at home. That mark gets even better when looking at conference home games played against Bates (9-0), Bowdoin (9-1), Colby (7-3), Hamilton (8-2), Middlebury (3-2) and Tufts (4-2) as Wesleyan is a combined 40-10 (.800) in those contests since the league’s forming.
In 20 seasons of NESCAC football, Wesleyan has sported a single-season losing record at home three times, including just once since 2009. Over the last seven seasons (since 2013), Wesleyan is 23-6 (.793) at home with three 4-0 campaigns in that span.
“It is a very difficult place for an opposing team to play,” Coach DiCenzo explained. “The fence surrounding the field is close to the field and brings the fans that much closer. In big games with big crowds, as the visitor you can definitely feel the presence of the crowd. With all the people at the game walking to and from the game you could get some colorful comments from creative alumni or students as well.”
Lending a huge role in the impressive win-loss record over the years has been the support of the Cardinal faithful. Home attendance numbers at Corwin Stadium have consistently been great but the 2019 Wesleyan team saw a huge uptick in numbers. In terms of home games, Wesleyan ranked eighth in the nation and first in the NESCAC in total attendance (20,188) despite having the fewest home games (four) of any program ranked in the Top 10.
Diving deeper, Wesleyan ranked fourth in the nation (first in the NESCAC) in average home attendance per game (5,047). Wesleyan’s thrilling Homecoming/Family Weekend overtime victory over Williams on November 2, 2019 not only sealed the Little Three title for the Cardinals but the listed attendance number of 8,110 was the 10th-highest single-game home number in all of Div. III football last season.
“I know our players love to play in front of their peers and the Wesleyan community,” Coach DiCenzo said. “We love that the fans are close to the field. It is fun as the HC to see alumni, parents, students, faculty members, and people from the community tailgating and enjoying the day at Wesleyan. It definitely feels like people coming together and having a great a day. I think the record speaks for itself, but it is a great advantage to play on Corwin Stadium at Andrus Field.”
A GAME TO REMEMBER: Wesleyan 27, Williams 21 (OT) November 2, 2019
Even though COVID-19 has forced the cancelation of the 2020 season, Wesleyan fans can take solace in having their most-recent memory of the Cardinals playing at home being an all-timer in terms of significance and lore.
Both the Cardinals and Ephs came into their annual meeting sporting identical 6-1 records with the outright Little Three title on the line. Wesleyan was also celebrating Homecoming, Family Weekend, Salute to Service and Senior Day as the November 2 meeting was the final home game on the 2019 slate for the Cardinals. With much on the line, its no wonder why the listed crowd of 8,110 set a Wesleyan NESCAC record and stands as the largest number to watch a game at Andrus since attendance figures were officially tracked by the NCAA in 1998.
On a sunny, late fall day, that record crowd was treated to a game for the ages as David Estevez ’22 contributed on all four Wesleyan touchdowns, the last of which came on a 25-yard scamper in overtime as he broke free along the side of the Cardinal bench, ultimately met by all of his screaming teammates in celebration at the far corner of the field.
That OT game-sealing, Little Three title clinching moment was made possible only after Estevez returned a kickoff 94 yards to the end zone with just 39 seconds left in the second quarter, tying the score at 14-14 heading into halftime. Then again late, Wesleyan drove 89 yards down the field in just over two minutes and with only 17 seconds showing on the scoreboard, Estevez took a QB-keeper 2 yards in for a game-tying touchdown that made it 21-21 and sent this thriller into overtime.
Wesleyan’s defense came up with a stop on 4th-and-8 to hold Williams scoreless on the Ephs’ possession to start overtime. And then on the first Cardinal play from scrimmage, only needed a field goal to win, Estevez broke two would-be tacklers and rushed in for the game-winning 25-yard touchdown. That Estevez touchdown sealed Wesleyan’s third outright Little Three title in the last seven seasons. Prior to 2013, the last time the Cardinals had won the Little Three came all the way back in 1970.
Coach DiCenzo was quoted recently, nearly a year after the victory, saying:
"That 2019 OT win against Williams was an amazing game. Our guys had a really tough test against a strong Williams team and played great. The 89-yard drive led by Ashton Scott ‘23 and our offense with about two minutes left to tie the game was one of the most impressive drives any Wesleyan offense has ever had in such a big moment. Once the game went to OT I knew it was over. The crowd was amazing. You felt that everyone there was into every play and the team feed off of their energy. That weekend we honored the 1960 All-Decade Team of Wesleyan Football, the 1969 Undefeated team, and it was our Salute to Service game were we thank all of those in the Wesleyan and Middletown community for their Service in the Armed Forces. It was a special weekend that I wont forget anytime soon.”
QUOTABLES
Rehashing their time spent on Corwin Stadium at Andrus Field, either as a player, coach or fan, is a select group of individuals including former Wesleyan Head Football Coach and Athletic Director John Biddiscombe as well as noted former players Dennis Robinson ’79 and Dave Bagatelle ’86.
Biddiscombe:
"Andrus Field is a very special place to play college football. Located in the center of campus, surrounded by academic buildings, resident halls, administrative centers and a student life facility uniquely identify the importance of athletics to a liberal arts education. Also, the atmosphere created by the adjacent tailgate parking area and the colorful tents add to the festive nature of a Wesleyan football game. The fans are treated to a seating arrangement that allows them to overhear instructions by the coaches. They can experience the feeling that they are part of the game. Over the years, former players from opposing NESCAC schools have repeatedly commented to me that Andrus Field was their favorite place to play football.”
Robinson '79:
“Andrus Field is set within one of the most iconic locations in all of college football. Andrus Field represents the scholar-athlete ideal with gridiron located within the academic epicenter of the campus. Andrus Field captures the notion of testing oneself academically and physically…the ancient Greek ideal of the harmonious balance of the physical, mental and the spiritual.”
Bagatelle '86:
"There is no better NESCAC or Division III football experience than playing a home game in front of the students, alumni, parents, and Cardinal fans on a Fall Saturday at Andrus. I would say it’s the best small college home field in the country and I’ve been at plenty. What makes it exciting is the exciting crowd, the long history as the longest continuously used college football field in the country, and the raucous tailgate. Just an amazing experience which I enjoy week after week, year after year, game after game. Love it!”