THE WAITING

If you build it, they will come. That’s the famous line from the movie “Field of Dreams.” Unfortunately, in 2020, it’s not true. Just ask the Montana State University-Northern football program.

For years, Northern has dreamt of building an on-campus football stadium. This year, that dream became a reality. Northern now has that stadium with the completion of Phase I of the Lights Stadium project earlier this fall.

And yet, what would have been the Frontier Conference football season has now come and gone. And, for the entirety of the fall, Northern’s brand new football stadium was silent. There were no games. The scoreboard was not lit up, the stands were empty. The hillsides of the now famous bowl around what is named Tilleman Field didn’t have fans in lawn chairs and sitting on blankets. No games, nothing, nada.

They finally built it, but because of the coronavirus, no one could come. At least not yet, and that has been a tough pill to swallow for the Lights, the community, and fourth-year head coach Andrew Rolin, who, like every other college coach in Montana, has had to come to grips with a fall without football.

The decision to scrap Frontier football for the fall came down Aug. 12, less than a month before a delayed season was set to begin. The league had announced it was forging ahead back in June, and even still in July when they announced the season would be pushed back to mid-September and would be played as a conference-only schedule of eight games. That came, in spite of the NAIA moving the 2020 football championships to the spring. However, by August, things weren’t getting better with the virus, the Big Sky Conference had canceled its season, and the Frontier finally moved to do the same.

“I felt for the kids more than anyone,” Rolin said. “Anticipation was high for a fall 2020 season in our new stadium, but that’s life sometimes. How our team reacted to that outcome is more important to me. We kept a positive attitude and kept moving forward.”

Moving forward is what Northern has done in terms of building the stadium. The project was born out of a dream, a dream that started a long time ago. And, through the tireless efforts of Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel, The Northern Alumni Foundation, and so many generous donors, the project was finally announced for real in September of 2019, at a press conference before Northern’s homecoming game against Montana Tech. On that snowy day in Havre, Kegel unveiled the vision that would become a reality just one year later. At the time, the excitement was high, and expectations were that, by the fall of 2020, Northern would be playing its homecoming game on campus for the first time in program history.

Then, COVID-19 changed everything.

By spring of 2020, sports, and life as we knew it, had come to a grinding halt. But there was a sign of hope.

As winter gave way to spring, construction on what would eventually be named Lights Stadium, sprang to life. And it went quickly. Massive amounts of dirt were moved to form the large bowl the stadium now sits in. By the start of summer, construction on the Phase I bleachers and press box were underway, and by late summer, the scoreboard was up, turf was being installed and, by September, even without games to play, the dream had become a reality.

Northern had its very own football stadium. And that fact is not lost on Rolin.

“With everything going on this year, I would have to say I am just grateful,” he said. “Grateful to a community that came together to build a facility in order to help us build a program with a winning culture and tradition. It’s been a rough year for everyone, but this stadium represents people still coming together for a common good. The community wants success, and the stadium is one step closer to growing our program into one I envisioned when I took this job.”

The stadium isn’t just a step, it was a huge step, and from the dream, the design, the fundraising, which is still ongoing, to the construction, which took a little under seven months to complete the current phase, it was a remarkable feat. It was a feat that led to the dedication of the field on a special evening in August when Northern got a chance to not only cut a ribbon on the dream, but also honor the man for whom the field is named — a man who has been influential in the program and in the construction of the stadium — Mike Tilleman.

“It was such an honor to stand on the field with Mike Tilleman and his family, and for him to see the impact that he has had on this program and community,” Rolin said of that August evening, not long before Tilleman passed away.

That August night wasn’t the only time the Lights were able to get into their new stadium either. Northern had conducted a fall camp, most of which was held off-campus before the stadium was complete. But, late in the fall, the Lights were able to get into Lights Stadium for a few practice sessions, before it was buried in an early winter snowstorm.

“We were able to squeeze in 20 practices this fall, which might be more than any other program that I know of, which was great for our development as a team,” Rolin said.

Speaking of practice. Part of the Phase I project that was completed was, two brand new practice fields adjacent to the stadium. Much of the stadium sits on what was formerly Northern’s practice fields, now though, the Lights will move farther south of the stadium for practice, where two new grass fields will await them when winter thaws.

For now, however, snow will be a major factor when the Lights do finally get to play games inside their new stadium, and yet, even when that day comes, fans might not get to experience Lights Stadium just yet. The Frontier has plans to play the 2020 season in February, March and April of 2021 and that will likely mean terrible weather conditions. A seven-game Frontier schedule is set to begin Feb. 27, and the Lights are slated to play their first home game March 13 against Southern Oregon. Of course, with the pandemic still raging, few if any fans may be allowed into Lights Stadium that day, but, nevertheless, Northern can’t stop looking forward to the day when they get to play a real college football game, inside their brand new on-campus stadium.

“It will be a big day, but we’re still trying to control what we can control and live in the moment,” Rolin said. “We need to keep focusing on what we can get better at today and then attack it. With that said, I know our team is excited to compete against someone not wearing maroon and gold.”

That day will come, hopefully in March, but if not, for sure next fall, and then, maybe, finally, all Northern fans can experience what it’s like to watch a Lights’ football game in their very new, very unique, very-own stadium, which, visually, is already becoming an iconic part of Northern’s very unique campus.

“It's amazing to see, cars drive by and look at this stadium every day,” Kegel said earlier this fall. “You already have a sense of just how proud the community is of this project, and how excited people are to see games in here. And I'm excited. It's due to the hard work and generosity of some many people, and it's something we're all really proud of."

For now, fans will have to wait to show that pride. For now, the Northern football program still has to wait to charge onto Tilleman Field to take on a traditional Frontier Conference opponent. For now, a long winter stands between that dream, and reality. But, the fact that the stadium stands above campus now, is proof that dreams do come true. And it’s proof that life does move forward, even in these trying times.

Yes, there was no football this fall. Yes, Lights Stadium stood eerily quiet through an entire canceled season. Yes, the pandemic is keeping all at bay right now. But, when Rolin looks at the stadium now, he sees the future. He sees that past seven months and how amazing it all came together. And he knows, now that they built it, one day, they will come.

“When I drive by the stadium every morning, I envision exactly what I wanted to build when I took this job two seasons ago,” Rolin said. “Culture change and success take time, but I believe we are on the right track. The stadium will play a key role in recruiting and football operations, but it’s still about people. With the right people in your program that believe in the same standards, we have a chance to build something that everyone can be proud of.

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel,” he added, “and our kids will have that opportunity to play on Tilleman Field soon.”