Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas® Stadium is home to Towson’s football, men’s lacrosse and track and field programs.
The sports complex, which underwent a $32 million renovation over a three-year span, seats 11,198 spectators. It ranks as the third-largest outdoor team sport venue in the metropolitan area, behind M&T Bank Stadium where the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens play and Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles.
Stadium renovations, which were completed in 2002, included an addition of 6,000 seats, artificial turf, an entry-level plaza, concession stands, new restrooms, ticket booths, a four-tier press box, a field house and a promenade that conveniently connects the northside and southside seating areas. “In addition, a new FieldTurf Revolution playing surface was added during the summer of 2020.”
Unitas Stadium was the host site for the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championships, drawing record crowds each year.
In the 2014 NCAA Championship game, a crowd of 10,311 fans saw Maryland beat Syracuse, setting a record for the largest crowd to watch a women’s lacrosse national championship game in the United States.
Towson hosted the 2021 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship Weekend and the 2022 Women's Lacrosse World Cup. In 2024, Towson will be a quarterfinal site for the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament.
Unitas Stadium Field House
On April 26, 2003, the final renovations to the stadium were completed with the construction of the field house located in the facility's west endzone area. The four-story, 48,000 square-foot field house provides Towson’s student-athletes with an excellent collegiate facility. It includes spacious, modern locker rooms for each of its sports, an impressive athletic training facility, classrooms, conference rooms, an upscale equipment room, an academic resource center, a video-editing room and offices for the coaches.
Designed to maximize exterior scenic looks, the field house includes windows that provide a stunning view of the adjacent playing area. A rooftop patio, known as the Dunn Terrace, treats guests to a bird’s-eye view of the athletic contests.
The Minnegan Room accommodates up to 200 guests at functions ranging from pre-game and post-game parties and banquets to fund-raising events.
The facility houses football, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse and women's track & field in addition to visiting team locker rooms and two officials' locker rooms.
The Ford-Vetter Athletic Sports Medicine Facility offers a comprehensively equipped area that serves the student-athletes' medical needs. This 3,000 square foot facility includes separate taping, treatment, rehabilitation, and hydrotherapy areas. The state-of-the-art hydrotherapy and rehabilitation areas include the Swimex system and Biodex training equipment. The facility also includes a physician exam room, conference room, and staff offices.
The Minnegan Room, located on the third floor of the field house, is named after long time faculty member, athletic director and coach Donald “Doc” Minnegan. It is a multi-purpose room that has a breath-taking view of the action on the field as well as the stadium. The Minnegan Room can accommodate up to 200 guests at social functions ranging from pre-and post-game parties, sports banquets and fund-raisers to wedding receptions. It is the ideal location for press conferences.
Additionally, the Field View Room, located adjacent to the Minnegan Room on the third floor, serves as a smaller complimentary multi-purpose room. Ideal for conferences, it can accommodate up to 30 guests.
TigerVision
In summer of 2008, Towson University became the first NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school to install a Daktronics high-definition LED video and scoring system. The state-of-the-art, HD video board system was installed in the west endzone of Johnny Unitas® Stadium. The cornerstone of the project is a nearly 45-foot high by 60-foot wide structure on the west end of Minnegan Field that consists of an HD LED video display scoreboard, backlit sponsor displays and backlit identification display.
On the east side of the stadium is a new 20-foot high by 40-foot wide structure which houses an auxiliary scoreboard that will notify players and fans of the score, time and period. The main board on the west end features a massive 17-foot high by 47-foot wide LED display that utilizes the cutting-edge Daktronics HD-16 technology.
About Donald "Doc" Minnegan
Donald "Doc" Minnegan was a teacher, coach, physical education department chairman and Director of Athletics at Towson for more than four decades. He arrived at Towson in 1927, and he coached its soccer team until 1966.
Doc's soccer teams were very successful, winning a total of 156 games, and 66 of 77 between 1930 and 1936, including a school record 34 straight. He also coached Towson to championships in baseball, basketball, track and swimming, as well as soccer.
Doc is the only American to publish an article in the British Football Annual on soccer theory. He was inducted into the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's Hall of Fame in 1992. During his tenure as Director of Athletics, Doc established football as an intercollegiate sport at Towson in 1969. He died in 2002, just two weeks shy of his 100th birthday.
The stadium bore his name from 1983 until 2002. In accordance with that tribute, the playing surface remains Minnegan Field in his memory.
Johnny Unitas - "The Golden Arm"
Johnny Unitas had a deep connection with the University. The former Baltimore Colts legend was the parent of three Towson students.
As the Colts' quarterback, Unites led Baltimore to back-to-back NFL titles in 1958 and 1959. In 1958, he directed two dramatic drives as they beat the New York Giants in overtime in the "Greatest Game Ever Played." He was the starting quarterback in Super Bowl V when the Colts beat Dallas, 16-13. A 10-time Pro Bowler, he was the NFL Player of the Year three times. At the time of his retirement, he owned NFL career records for pass completions (2,830), pass attempts (5,186), passing yardage (40,329) and touchdown passes (290). In his career, he threw a touchdown pass in a then-record 47-straight games.
Several weeks prior to his untimely passing, "Johnny U" began serving as community liaison for Tiger Athletics. His role was to assist in obtaining a naming rights partner for the University's new stadium. The legendary Golden Arm died suddenly, less than a week after tossing his last pass to commemorate the opening of Towson's new stadium at ceremonies on September 5, 2002.
High spirits returned when Sandy Unitas chose to assume her husband's role with Towson. With Johnny's two youngest children as Towson students, Sandy sought to memorialize her husband's legacy on campus by having the stadium named Johnny Unitas® Stadium.
