Art Keller Field
The first football game on Carthage’s Kenosha campus was played against Illinois Wesleyan University on Nov. 6, 1965. The facility, then known as the Carthage Football Field, was dedicated on Sept. 24, 1966 prior to a game versus Lake Forest College.
In its original configuration, with wooden bleachers on both sides of the field, the facility had 4,000 seats. Carthage set a facility attendance record with an estimated 4,900 spectators for “Parents/Art Keller Day” on Sept. 27, 1975 in the home-opener versus North Park College (now known as North Park University).
In November 1975, the Carthage Board of Trustees named the facility the Art Keller Athletic Field, and the name was shortened to Art Keller Field in 2004.
The wooden bleachers on the home side of the field (west) were removed prior to the 1996 season and were replaced by all-new metal and molded-plastic bleacher seating for 986 fans.
At the same time, the press box was moved from the west side of the field to east side, adjacent to the W.A. Seidemann Natatorium. Lights were added in 1997, and a portion of the wooden bleachers on the visitor’s side of the field were removed prior to the 2002 season. In that configuration, the Art Keller Field was a 1,658-seat facility.
In 2000, thanks to a major gift from David and Gael Romoser, a state-of-the-art AstroPlay® surface was installed. AstroPlay is a synthetic surface consisting of soft, low-abrasion nylon fibers surrounded by rubber granules. Installed over a sophisticated drainage system, the surface offers excellent traction regardless of weather, and can accommodate intensive use in a succession of games and practice sessions. Art Keller Field was one of the country's first installations of this technology, now spreading rapidly in professional and NCAA ranks.
A new scoreboard was installed in 2004, a new press box was constructed on the east side in 2005, a new entry way and exterior fencing were added in 2006, and the facility was re-surfaced with FieldTurf® in 2008. The pressbox was torn down in 2010 and replaced in 2011 with the current press box as part of the construction of the student services building. All-new seating for 1,432 spectators was also added in 2011 on the east side of the field just below the press box. Current seating for the facility is 2,418 plus space for approximately 500 standing room, for a total capacity of 2,948 people.
