Al F. Caniglia Field, is a stadium located on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha

University of Nebraska at Omaha

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University...

 in Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

. It seats 9,500 fans and was the home of the NCAA

National Collegiate Athletic Association

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 Division II

NCAA Division II national football championship

The NCAA Division II National Football Championship began in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional bowl games were played in order to provide postseason action for what was then called the NCAA College Division and a poll determined the final champion....

 college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 UNO Mavericks

UNO Mavericks

The Nebraska–Omaha Mavericks are the sports teams of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. They participate in the NCAA's Division II and in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, except in ice hockey. The hockey program competes in Division I as a member of the Western Collegiate...

 football and track teams.

History

The first game was played on Caniglia Field on October 1, 1949 against Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...

. Prior to playing at Caniglia Field, in 1927, businessmen formed the North Omaha Activities Association in order to redevelop Saratoga School

Saratoga School

Saratoga Elementary School is located at 2504 Meredith Avenue in the Saratoga neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska. Currently housing two major programs to nearly 300 students in grades pre-kindergarten through grade six, the school was originally founded in 1866 and was one of the first public...

's playing field into a football field for the University's football team. With new bleachers built to accommodate a crowd of a thousand, the Saratoga Field was home to OU's football team until Caniglia opened.