12 Days of MSU History for Christmas, Day 8: A look at Dudy Noble Field in the 1970s

With renovations wrapping up next fall on the major overhaul and expansion of Davis Wade, focus will soon shift to the renovation of the stadium known to many as the "Carnegie Hall of College Baseball": Dudy Noble Field. The beautiful home of Bulldog baseball has undergone numerous changes and expansions in the 40+ year time that it has hosted MSU's most celebrated sport, and with the program on the rise and the stadium aging, fans look forward to the next round of changes coming for the facility.

Dudy Noble Field's grandstands are a towering mass of maroon seating and concrete that hold thousands of Bulldogs on beautiful SEC baseball weekends. But those stands weren't always that big, and they weren't always made of concrete. As you've gathered so far from this series, I enjoy looking back at things -- stadiums and other MSU-related buildings -- to see what they looked like long before my time as an MSU fan. And on the agenda for today's post, let's take a look back at Dudy Noble Field, long before it was the stadium that it is today.

The aerial photo above actually is what the kids call a two-fer: It gives you not only a look at Dudy Noble Field, but a look at Humphrey Coliseum as construction was nearing completion. Now, The Hump opened officially in 1975, so I'm imagining that this picture was taken some time in '74, give or take a year. No matter when it was taken though, it provides a fascinating look at a much smaller Dudy Noble Field: one that differs greatly from what my generation -- those in our 20s and 30s -- are used to seeing.

Photograph used with permission courtesy of the Mississippi State University Libraries, University Archives.

You can find this great history and a whole lot more at the MSU library's website. Also make sure you check out the Reveille collection, the University Archives Digital Collections, and you can also give the Library a follow on Twitter as well.