Happy Birthday To Rutgers Football's 2nd Home

[Source]

Just as the 1890-91 Rutgers school year was coming to a close, the July 1, 1891 Targum proposed, “The past year has seen the College presented with an athletic field now complete in its equipment and ready to be opened with the approaching football season. For this generous gift no more suitable name could be given to the grounds than by attaching the name of the benefactor, Mr. James Neilson, Rutgers Class of 1866, and calling the new athletic grounds Neilson Field.” Neilson Field would hold its first football game on October 24, 1891 and its last on October 15, 1938. Rutgers all time record at Neilson Field was 128-61-15. It was located between today's Quad and the Alexander Library (the smokestack, Records Hall and the parking deck now take up the space).

James Neilson (pronounced nel-son) became one of Rutgers longest serving Trustees. He died 20 months before his field was superceded by the opening of Rutgers Stadium.

His grandfather, Colonel John Neilson, was the man who read the newly created Declaration of Independence to the New Brunswick townspeople on July 9, 1776 (only the third town in America to hear the words brought in by riders).

You might wonder how it's possible for Rutgers student James to be only the grandson of John. It's possible when the Colonel has a son past the age of 70 and then that son has James later in life as well!

 

[JDNB]

Didn’t the baseball team also play on Neilson Field? Also, local high schools would play on it. Don’t know about other sports, such as track, but would think it was the only athletic field.

 

[Source]

Didn’t the baseball team also play on Neilson Field? Also, local high schools would play on it. Don’t know about other sports, such as track, but would think it was the only athletic field.

Rutgers baseball was played there as well. In 1916, Rutgers landed a big track and field meet and had to get an official capacity count for future admissions. They came up with 3,228 capacity.

Big high school football games were played there and in Buccleuch Park, too.

Around that time, Rutgers students formed an ice hockey team. They tried to create an ice hockey rink by flooding parts of Neilson Field and putting a barrier around it but the weather that winter didn't want to cooperate.

Rutgers, in 1916, had fewer than a thousand students attending.

 

[e5fdny]

Rutgers baseball was played there as well. In 1916, Rutgers landed a big track and field meet and had to get an official capacity count for future admissions. They came up with 3,228 capacity.

Big high school football games were played there and in Buccleuch Park, too.

Around that time, Rutgers students formed an ice hockey team. They tried to create an ice hockey rink by flooding parts of Neilson Field and putting a barrier around it but the weather that winter didn't want to cooperate.

Rutgers, in 1916, had fewer than a thousand students attending.

We need to give that idea another shot.😎

 

[JDNB]

Rutgers baseball was played there as well. In 1916, Rutgers landed a big track and field meet and had to get an official capacity count for future admissions. They came up with 3,228 capacity.

Big high school football games were played there and in Buccleuch Park, too.

Around that time, Rutgers students formed an ice hockey team. They tried to create an ice hockey rink by flooding parts of Neilson Field and putting a barrier around it but the weather that winter didn't want to cooperate.

Rutgers, in 1916, had fewer than a thousand students attending.

I am an OLD New Brunswicker, my father was a custodian at RU 45 yrs, and a part time watchman. pre campus patrol, or any other security. I would accompany my father sometimes as a young kid, so I got to learn a little about Rutger’s history, as well as NB history. The school was much smaller then, and what was called the commons was built on Neison Field. The old field house was still standing. Daughter graduated from RU, and grandson attends Rutgers Law.

 

[Source]

I am an OLD New Brunswicker, my father was a custodian at RU 45 yrs, and a part time watchman. pre campus patrol, or any other security. I would accompany my father sometimes as a young kid, so I got to learn a little about Rutger’s history, as well as NB history. The school was much smaller then, and what was called the commons was built on Neison Field. The old field house was still standing. Daughter graduated from RU, and grandson attends Rutgers Law.

Any chance your family's last name is Thomas, Tolan or Cox?

 

[RUTGERS95]

Just as the 1890-91 Rutgers school year was coming to a close, the July 1, 1891 Targum proposed, “The past year has seen the College presented with an athletic field now complete in its equipment and ready to be opened with the approaching football season. For this generous gift no more suitable name could be given to the grounds than by attaching the name of the benefactor, Mr. James Neilson, Rutgers Class of 1866, and calling the new athletic grounds Neilson Field.” Neilson Field would hold its first football game on October 24, 1891 and its last on October 15, 1938. Rutgers all time record at Neilson Field was 128-61-15. It was located between today's Quad and the Alexander Library (the smokestack, Records Hall and the parking deck now take up the space).

James Neilson (pronounced nel-son) became one of Rutgers longest serving Trustees. He died 20 months before his field was superceded by the opening of Rutgers Stadium.

His grandfather, Colonel John Neilson, was the man who read the newly created Declaration of Independence to the New Brunswick townspeople on July 9, 1776 (only the third town in America to hear the words brought in by riders).

You might wonder how it's possible for Rutgers student James to be only the grandson of John. It's possible when the Colonel has a son past the age of 70 and then that son has James later in life as well!

awesome, thank you for posting

 

[JDNB]

I subscribe to a site that gives me access to old newspapers. In looking up Neilson Field, I see were RU was still playing baseball there up to 1945, also Rutgers Prep, and other High schools would play football there. Other events were also held there, including a Holy Name Rally, that had 18000 in attendance.

 

[Source]

I subscribe to a site that gives me access to old newspapers. In looking up Neilson Field, I see were RU was still playing baseball there up to 1945, also Rutgers Prep, and other High schools would play football there. Other events were also held there, including a Holy Name Rally, that had 18000 in attendance.

Neilson Field was the first ever blasting project in New Brunswick. Its playing surface was literally leveled out that way. A Rutgers player from the November 6, 1869 game was called upon to help re-orient the field. The 1901-02 Scarlet Letter Yearbook noted, “The construction of the track was left by the Trustees in the hands of D.D. Williamson, of New Brunswick, who drew all the plans… Professor Titsworth, with the engineering section of the Class of 1904, surveyed and leveled the track. The remainder of the mathmatical and engineering work was then taken up personally by Professor Titsworh with the assistance of Mr. A.E. Smith, Class of 1903, who deserves a great deal of credit for the mathmatical exactness of the track.”

Nearly a half century later, Arthur E. Smith returned as consulting engineer to supervise Neilson Field and its surrounding area’s post-war use and design. The May 22, 1946 Targum reported the “…goal posts are down, the concrete footings have been sunk, Neilson Field is no more.”

 

[JDNB]

Neilson Field was the first ever blasting project in New Brunswick. Its playing surface was literally leveled out that way. A Rutgers player from the November 6, 1869 game was called upon to help re-orient the field. The 1901-02 Scarlet Letter Yearbook noted, “The construction of the track was left by the Trustees in the hands of D.D. Williamson, of New Brunswick, who drew all the plans… Professor Titsworth, with the engineering section of the Class of 1904, surveyed and leveled the track. The remainder of the mathmatical and engineering work was then taken up personally by Professor Titsworh with the assistance of Mr. A.E. Smith, Class of 1903, who deserves a great deal of credit for the mathmatical exactness of the track.”

Nearly a half century later, Arthur E. Smith returned as consulting engineer to supervise Neilson Field and its surrounding area’s post-war use and design. The May 22, 1946 Targum reported the “…goal posts are down, the concrete footings have been sunk, Neilson Field is no more.”

In my look up I used 1939-1945 as my reference years.

 

[Source]

The first MLB team to "barnstorm" for some extra cash to come to New Brunswick played on Neilson Field in 1906. It only came down days before the game was actually played with the New Brunswicks. You probably think it was the Highlanders, Giants or "da bums" but you would be wrong. It was the Cardinals.

The Rutgers football team was a little dismayed because the time it took to get the field ready was time taken away from the football team to practice.