By John Montgomery
Hanson Park Stadium, more commonly known as Hanson Stadium, will never be compared to famous venues such as the Rose Bowl, Wrigley Field, Chicago Stadium or Fenway Park. But it has been a staple for sporting events since it was built in 1939, at Fullerton and Central, on Chicago’s Northwest Side.
It has been home to varsity football teams from Weber, St. Patrick, Prosser, Foreman, Steinmetz and Kelvyn Park High Schools, semi-pro football and Chicago Public League track and field championships. Built to accommodate crowds of 2,200 people, it generally hosted seven football games a week. After a thorough four-year renovation, which included new seating, locker rooms, scoreboard and press box, Hanson is back in business with the beginning of the 2025 football season.
“Hanson was their home,” said former Weber associate athletic director Mary Mitchell, recalling outstanding Red Horde teams that played there until the nearby school closed in 1999.
“Every Sunday we played at Hanson Stadium,” said former Weber football manager Gil Sanks. “The place was packed and we had tremendous teams (Prep Bowl champions) in 1961 and 1964.”
Hanson also hosted events for the Pan American Games, the Special Olympics, many city and state high school football playoff games and was the original home of the Public-Catholic All-Star Football Game.
“We are very excited,” said former Chicago Public League sports director Dave Rosengard, who spearheaded efforts to upgrade facilities at several city parks besides Hanson.
“Playing at Hanson was like playing in a college stadium,” said former St. Patrick and Notre Dame football player Dan Santucci, who also played in the NFL and now is principal at St. Patrick.
Hanson brings back fond memories to me, too. The first high school football game I ever covered for the Sun-Times was in 1984 at Hanson Stadium. It was a matchup between Bogan and Tilden. From 1984 to 2010, I covered games at Hanson for the Sun-Times and Tribune. It was fun covering two of the most competitive rivalries in the Chicago area, Gordon Tech vs. Weber and St. Patrick vs. Notre Dame.
“Hanson Stadium meant a lot to the Northwest Side schools,” said former Prosser basketball coach and athletic director John McEleney. “The beauty of Hanson was that it was not just for football.” Add soccer and girls’ flag football to the list of events that experience the new turf at Hanson. Steinmetz, which now plays football on its own field, will meet Kelvyn Park for the inaugural soccer game at Hanson.
It will be football when Foreman hosts Kelly for the first game of the 2025 season and Prosser returns by entertaining basketball powerhouse Proviso.
The new Hanson Stadium will undoubtedly create memories for today’s young athletes.
CPL’s Hanson Stadium. Photo credit Chicago Public Schools.