Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field
Address: 2708 12th Avenue Kearney, NE 68849
Seating Capacity: 5,250
Opened: 1939
Named in Honor Of: Ron & Carol Cope, Charlie Foster
When Loper fans files into Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field to cheer on their team, there are no bad seats.
And at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the festivities begin long before kickoff. From attending pre-game activities outside the stadium in Loperville to watching the Pride of the Plains marching band perform; there is plentyto do for Loper fans of all ages before the UNK football team takes the field.
Home to the Lopers for 77 years, Foster Field is named in honor of former head football and track & field coach Charlie Foster. In 2005, a $7.2 million renovation was completed at Foster Field with the addition of Ron & Carol Cope Stadium, named in honor of the Copes for their longtime contributions to UNK.
The three-story facility provided a much-needed spark to historic Foster Field. Additions to the main concourse, consisting of new concession stands, ticket booths and restrooms, have helped enhance the game day experience for fans. On the third floor of the stadium are home and visiting coaches booths, three separate radio booths and a spacious press box for media that cover both the Lopers and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
For other Loper supporters and organizations, two luxurious suites await. The Antelope Club provides 16 brand new leather theater-style seats, while the adjacent FirsTier Wiens Room can seat up to 90 for groups like the Loper Gridiron Club or the Loper Football Backers.
In 2015, Ron & Carol Cope Stadium underwent an additional series of upgrades. The first floor lobby and third floor press box and suites received a facelift, with UNK branding elements now more present than ever.
At field-level, the north scoreboard was removed as part of a project to fix erosion issues behind the New West Athletic Training Center. A large retaining wall, new sidewalk and landscaping was installed to alleviate the issues.
For night games, stadium lights surround the field and illuminate Foster Field so every fan can catch all the action.
At the north end zone is the New West Athletic Training Center, which houses the home and visiting locker rooms as well as the officials’ quarters. To the south end of the field is an LED message center.
On the fencing surrounding the turf are large blue and gold mesh banners and signage that wrap around the entire stadium, which brought and improved look to Foster Field.
Plans are underway to replace the synthetic playing surface in 2017, as the athletic department is in the process of securing funds.
The increased UNK and Loper graphical presence surrounding the field, coupled with signage inside and on banners outside the stadium make Ron and Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field the place to be on game day.
Foster Field Through the Years
1916 – The athletic field was moved to where the Calvin T. Ryan Library currently sits today. The first fields were located where A.O. Thomas Hall is currently located and included a small set of bleachers and board fence to protect it from traffic on nearby West 24th Street.
1930 – The field moved to an area southwest of 26th Street and 11th Avenue, where Cope Fountain is now located. A board fence protected the field from nearby traffic, and it also was surrounded by floodlights that made Kearney one of the first towns in the Midwest to host a night game.
1939 – What is currently known as Foster Field was completed. While the school’s first two athletic fields ran east-west, those in later years ran north-south.
1959-60 – Seating increased from 2,900 to 4,700, and a heated press box was added. In 1960, the athletic field at Nebraska Teachers College was named Foster Field in honor of longtime coach Charlie Foster.
2005 – Upgrades to Foster Field were completed to form the three-story Ron and Carol Cope Stadium. The $7.2 million project included: installation of synthetic turf; construction of locker rooms; new sound, lighting and scoreboard systems; fencing; bleacher renovations; concession stands, restrooms and ticket booths; and a new press box with large hospitality rooms.
Notable Games at Foster Field
1941 vs. Wayne State, Neb. – W 28-0 (Finished season undefeated 8-0)
1956 vs. Nebraska Wesleyan – W 35-12 (Finished season undefeated 9-0)
1958 vs. Concordia – W 71-3 (Finished season undefeated 9-0)
1963 vs. Prairie View A&M – L 20-7 (NAIA Playoffs)
1990 vs. South Dakota State – W 35-28 (First home game as a Division II member)
1996 vs. Colorado School of Mines – W 34-7 (First RMAC home game)
2000 vs. Western State – W 31-13 (Loper quarterback Justin Coleman becomes Division II all-time passing leader)
2002 vs. Texas A&M – Kingsville – L 58-40 (NCAA Division II Playoffs)
2005 vs. Pittsburg State – L 49-20 (NCAA Division II Playoffs)
2007 vs. Chadron State – L 28-16 (Nationally televised game on College Sports Television)
2009 vs. Saginaw Valley State – W 35-20 (NCAA Division II Playoffs)
2011 vs. Colorado School of Mines – W 45-21 (Last RMAC home game)
2011 vs. Wayne State, Mich. – L 38-26 (NCAA Division II Playoffs)
2012 vs. Emporia State – L 58-35 (First MIAA home game)
Loper Football at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field
Seasons: 74 (UNK didn't field a football team during 1943 and 1944 due to WW II)
Record: 252-106-5 (70.1 win pct.)
Most Consecutive Winning Seasons: 15 (1997-2011)
Most Games Played in a Season: 7 (1988 & 2009)
Most Wins in a Season: 7 (2009)
Most Losses in a Season: 5 (1993)
Most Consecutive Wins: 25 (1954-59)
Undefeated Seasons: 16
Most Points by UNK: 88 (vs. Nebraska Central, 1914)
Most Points by an Opponent: 71 (vs. Central Missouri, 1960)
Milestone Wins
1st: vs. Bethany, Kans. (1939, 7-0)
50th: vs. Chadron State (1956, 44-7)
100th: vs. Fort Hays State (1970, 30-21)
150th: vs. Pittsburg State (1982, 13-0)
175th: vs. Minnesota State- Moorhead (1989, 24-22)
200th: vs. Colorado Mesa (1999, 44-20)
225th: vs. Adams State (2007, 31-7)
250th: vs. Southwest Baptist, (2012, 34-20)
Tremendous thanks go out to these individuals and groups who so graciously have contributed to the Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field project. Your legacy will forever be experienced by student-athletes and fans.
Ron & Carol Cope
Dr. BM and Beverly Stevenson
Kearney Public Schools
Peter Kiewit Foundation
Faye Reynolds Estate
Brown Transfer Company
FirsTier Bank/Joel Wiens
Bill and Mary Ann Beavers
Kearney Clinic
Sahling Kenworth
TierOne Charitable Foundation
Brad R. Kernick
Barry Sherman
Kearney Hub
Pete and Jane Kotsiopulos
Judith J. Spohr
Larry and Kay Edwards
J. Scott and Teri Nelson
Jon and Leslie Abegglen
Wayne and Kathy Gappa
Sam M Fehrenz Estate
John and Sonia Sahling
Cash-Wa Distributing Company
Midway Chevrolet Buick Cadillac
