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Also visit: UND's historical stadium: |
North Dakota is in its sixth season of playing its football home games at the Alerus Center, a 12,283-seat stadium located just minutes from the UND campus in Grand Forks.
| Alerus Attendance | |
|---|---|
| Regular Season Total (33 games) | 314,738 |
| Regular Season Home Average | 9,537 |
| Playoff Home Total (8 games) | 64,819 |
| Playoff Home Average | 8,102 |
| Overall Home Total (40 games) | 379,557 |
| Overall Home Average | 9,489 |
The Alerus features an AstroTurf Magic Carpet playing surface like that used in the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., America's Center in St. Louis, Mo., and the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The Magic Carpet system allows for rapid field conversion, with a playing surface that has no seams.
Locker rooms are adorned in UND colors and are dividable into four 25-locker sections. There are also dressing rooms for coaches and officials.
State-of-the art scoreboards, 15-by-30 Daktronics video replay boards and a BOSE sound system make the stadium one of the most exciting places in the nation to watch Division II football.
The Alerus has 18 luxury VIP suites, eight concession stands, two vending stands, 14 ticket windows in three locations and four merchandise stands. There are 4,075 parking spaces available.
The Fighting Sioux posted a 35-5 record at Alerus Center in five seasons -- including an 8-0 postseason record -- and won a school-record 23 straight home games from 2002 to 2005.
In 2004, UND led the nation in total attendance for the second straight year, with 75,110 fans passing through the gates to watch Fighting Sioux football, an average of 9,389 per game.
UND's fans have been enthusiastic ever since the Alerus Center opened, but one of the most vocal crowds cam in the 2001 NCAA semifinal game against UC Davis. In that game, UC Davis was flagged seven times for illegal procedure among its 12 penalties on the day. After the game, UC Davis players cited the noise level of the Alerus Center crowd as one of the reasons for the penalties.
For the season, more then 100,000 fans turned out to watch the Sioux play at the Alerus, and UND's regular season average attendance of 10,517 was a school record. The previous school record was 9,150 in 1976, when the Sioux drew an estimated 36,600 for four games at Memorial Stadium.
UND's average attendance was also the third-best figure nationally in NCAA Division II for 2001.
UND finished fourth nationally in Division II attendance in 2000, its final season at Memorial Stadium.