College Field / College Field

In 1900 about 625 students attended the State Agricultural College, known commonly as M.A.C. The school was the precursor to Michigan State University. Making a new commitment to serious intercollegiate athletic competition, the college purchased land here, along the Red Cedar River, for an athletic field. Intramural sports had been part of M.A.C. life since its founding in 1855; however, contests with other institutions did not begin until 1884. On April 18, 1902, the M.A.C. Aggies baseball team met the University of Michigan Wolverines in the first game held at this site. The new venue had baseball and football fields, circular and straight tracks, and later, lights and a grandstand. In 1923 football moved south to a new stadium, but baseball remained at College Field. College field opened in 1902 as the primary sports venue for “The Aggies” of the State Agricultural College. Some sports relocated, but baseball remained here and was later joined by softball and soccer. In 1925 the school became the Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, prompting a change in the team name from Aggies to Spartans. Two men stand out in the history of College Field and Aggie/Spartan sports. Lymon Frimodig (1891-1972) played baseball and football here, earning a record-setting ten letters in three sports. He spent over forty years with the athletic department, serving for a time as assistant director. John Kobs (1898-1968) coached Spartan baseball for nearly forty years and captured the Big Ten title in 1954. In 1969 the baseball field was named in his honor.