Photos by Matt Colville, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.71
Strawberry Stadium 500 Western Ave Hammond, LA 70401
Year Opened: 1937
Capacity: 7,408
Lion Up!!!!
In 1928, Southeastern Louisiana University opened its doors on 60 acres of farmland in Hammond, on the estate of attorney Hunter Leake II – the college originally opened as Hammond Junior College in 1925, at a separate location before moving to the current site. The football program began in 1930, and in 1937 work began on an on-campus stadium funded by Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration (WPA). Due to pressure from Louisiana Governor Richard Leche, the 7,200-seat stadium was built in just four months.
The stadium was originally supposed to be named after Leche, but was dedicated as Strawberry Stadium to honor the local strawberry farmers in the region. This area's rich and fertile soil, combined with the swampy humid climate, makes this a perfect place for growing strawberries, giving this region of Louisiana the nickname "The Strawberry Capital of the World". Strawberry Stadium hosted its first game on Sept 17, 1937, with the Lions, fresh off an 8-0 1936 season, defeating the LSU freshman team.
Today, SLU has expanded to include 365 acres, and with an enrollment of 14,400 is the third-largest college in the state. The Lions have established a quite stellar football tradition in their over 65 years of football, including three undefeated seasons and 7 conference titles, before the football program was discontinued in 1985. Since restarting in 2003, however, the Lions have only continued their winning ways, winning three Southland Conference titles and playing in the FCS playoffs five times.
Food and Beverage 3
There are four main concessions stands inside Strawberry Stadium, two on each side of the facility. You can find the usual items, and prices are fairly cheap – hamburgers and nachos ($5), hot dogs and slices of pizza ($4), peanuts ($3), or candy, chips, and popcorn ($2). They also have Chick-fil-A sandwiches available for ($7), but for a local item on the menu try the Veron Sausage po’ boy for $6; Veron is a special brand of famous Cajun sausages made in nearby Prairieville. You also can't come to Louisiana without getting a po’ boy, so I recommend this item on the menu.
For drinks, Coca-Cola is the official soft drink provider of SLU Athletics – you can get coffee, Dasani bottled water, and 16 oz soft drinks for $3. Alcohol is also available at Strawberry Stadium, as you can purchase Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, and Budweiser in tallboy cans for $8. Rainbow Daiquiris, a popular daiquiri spot in town, also has a stand set up selling daiquiris, while Hammond-based Gnarly Brewing offers several craft beers for sale, as well as their "Lion Up" brand of beer, custom made for Lions games. In addition, new for 2024 is the "Lion's Legacy" brand of beer that is being brewed for the 100th anniversary of the opening of Southeastern Louisiana University.
Atmosphere 4
Southeastern Louisiana provides a lively atmosphere on campus, thanks in part to a winning tradition the past few years. Before the game you can find tailgaters spread out throughout campus, with the most popular spot being Friendship Circle right out in front of the stadium on the north side. Beautiful Spanish moss trees, with a stunning several hundred-year-old oak and a giant lion statue, provide a stunning backdrop with the stadium in the background. It's a common tradition for couples to kiss under Friendship Oak, as legend states this will keep them together forever.
Strawberry Stadium is located behind Friendship Circle – the facility has 7,408 seats, with brick-and-steel grandstands on the east and west sides, along with open end zones. The venue still retains its original exterior brick appearance from when it was built. Interestingly, when the facility first opened it had campus buildings under the grandstands; the first floor of the east grandstand held the cafeteria and post office, while the second floor had student dorms, and the west side had athletic dorms and offices. In fact, university and athletic offices still occupy the west grandstand, while classrooms still occupy the area under the east grandstand.
There are four main entrances into the stadium, one located at each corner. Many of the Lions fans and alumni will enter and sit on the west side, while the band, students, and visitors section take up the east grandstand – take note you cannot walk between the east and west grandstands, so you must enter on the correct side.
In the east side concourse, Southeastern Louisiana University does an excellent job honoring its sports history – you'll find an impressive display of signage and murals filling the concourse, honoring past players and achievements in not just football but in all sports. All the school's Hall of Famers are honored, and there is also a huge mural honoring former quarterback Cole Kelley (2019-21), who won the 2020 Walter Payton Award as the best player in the FCS.
You'll be able to get great views of the field no matter where you sit in the stadium. Once inside, you will be greeted by over 20 rows of bleacher-style seats on each side of the facility; there are also four sections of green and yellow chairbacks at midfield on the west side. The metal bleachers are painted in the Lions colors of light green, and when Strawberry Stadium is empty you can see the chairbacks are designed to spell out SLU in the stadium, which I thought was neat. Also, in the end zones you'll find 15 on-field cabanas that are for sponsors and boosters.
Strawberry Stadium has received several renovations over the years – in 2008 they added six luxury suites and the Victory Club, an enclosed climate-controlled room with food and a bar, as well as 116 covered club seats located just outside the Victory Club. A new turf field was also installed prior to the 2012 season; this turf was the playing surface used in the Caesar’s Superdome from 2010-2011, and is still being used at Strawberry Stadium as of last season.
Neighborhood 4
Hammond is the largest city in the Parish, with a population of 20,000 located about 40 miles east of Baton Rouge, and 45 miles northwest of New Orleans. Hammond is a true college town, with most of the attractions centered on the university and a pretty big downtown area. The campus is located within walking distance of downtown, only a few blocks north – this area is quite pretty with a railroad that runs right through the middle of downtown, along with several small parks. You can find plenty of restaurants and bars downtown including La Carrenta, Brady's, Tommy's, Mariner's Inn, Cate Street Seafood, Lee's Diner, and Tope La for popular creole and Cajun foods. For popular spots to get a drink you can try the Cate Street Pub, Red White and Brew, Benny's Place, or the Crescent Bar, while for attractions in Hammond you have Louisiana Children's Discovery Museum, which makes for a great place to take the kids. Keibert & Sons Gator Tours and the Global Wildlife Center, just outside Hammond, are also good options – the latter is home to a drive through safari-style zoo. For shopping in Hammond you have Hammond Square, a beautiful outdoor shopping mall with plenty of mall-style chain stores and restaurants.
If you have time I recommend taking a trip to neighboring Ponchatoula, which is about 5-mile drive south of SLU’s campus. This beautiful small town is centered on its strawberry industry, as the Strawberry Capital of the World – if you are here in the spring make sure to check out the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival. Ponchatoula has a nice downtown with plenty of restaurants, as well as a giant strawberry right next to City Hall. They even have a cool market inside of an old train station where you can buy all kinds of items, such as shirts, art, and food.
For places to stay in the area there are plenty of hotels in Hammond closer to the Interstate, or for a more upscale hotel in Hammond you can try Michabelle Inn, located in a historic 19th century home. You can also find plenty of hotels in Baton Rouge if you elect to stay in the Louisiana capital city.
Fans 3
Sitting in the backyards of both LSU and Tulane, the Lions had a little bit of trouble fighting for relevancy after restarting football. In addition, SLU can sometimes get lost in the shuffle of the other Southland Conference programs in the state, but in recent years the school has experienced sudden growth, and is now the third-largest university in the state.
Winning ways have also taken over Strawberry Stadium; since 2013 the Lions have made five FCS playoff appearances. The Lions winning again and putting a competitive product on the field has only increased attendance in recent years – this season the Lions are averaging about 4,000 fans per game, and in the past five years have Lions averaged 4,980 per season. Also, with many of the schools in the Southland Conference being in Louisiana too, you can expect to find a good number of visiting fans who make the trek to Hammond on game day. The Lions biggest rivalry is with Nicholls State, just 90 miles south of Hammond; the two schools battle it out every year in the River Bell Classic. When Nicholls State, Northwestern State, or McNeese State visit you can expect to find plenty of visiting fans; the attendance record in recent years was set during the 2019 River Bell Classic, with over 10,000 fans, while the all-time attendance record is 12,000, which occurred during a 1981 game with Jackson State.
The Lions fans that do show up are knowledgeable about the history of the program; you'll find a mix of older folks who remember the first incarnation of the football program. You will also find a good number of alumni who turn out for games, as many of the alumni continue to live in the area after graduation. During the game the fans seem into the game, and stay throughout. The band sits on the east side bleachers and plays throughout the game, while Roomie, the Lions mascot, can be seen constantly interacting with fans and students on both sides of the stadium. Roomie became the mascot in 1964, and is named after a longtime professor and avid Lions supporter, Hollis “Roomie” Wilson. The original mascot was a live lion named Lobo, which is Spanish for wolf, but that didn't sit over well.
Another thing I think is cool is all the different uniform combinations the Lions wear for the games – you'll almost never see them wearing the same jersey and pants, similar to how Oregon does their uniforms.
Access 3
Getting to Hammond is fairly simple – the city is conveniently located right on the 1-12 and I-55 corridor, about 40 miles to the east of Baton Rouge and 45 miles northwest of New Orleans. Getting to SLU’s campus is pretty easy; just take I-12 to Exit 40. SLU is then about 2.5 miles north of the exit, a few blocks north of downtown.
Along the way you'll pass by all the shopping at Hammond Square, and you'll have a nice drive through downtown. You won't miss Strawberry Stadium, as it's at the front entrance of campus behind Friendship Circle. Louis Armstrong International Airport, closer to New Orleans, will be your main airport if flying in for the weekend – I-55 ends near the airport, and Hammond is a straight 45-minute drive up I-55. This drive will take you through Manchac Swamp on the second-longest bridge in the country. Sometimes the GPS will advise you to take Lake Pontchartrain Causeway to the North Shore, which is the longest bridge in the country, but it can sometimes take over 2 hours to get from New Orleans to Hammond, with traffic, if you use the Causeway.
The one issue you may have once on campus is parking; they did build a parking garage attached to the west side of Strawberry Stadium, but this is reserved for season ticket holders and those who have premium seating. There is also plenty of parking on campus for $25, which I thought was kind of high. Alternatively, for free parking there is plenty on the north side of campus near University Center, home of the basketball team.
Return on Investment 4
This season tickets are priced at $25 for metal bleacher seats and $40 for chairbacks, if purchased at the front gate or through the athletics website. However, my advice would be to purchase through a third-party site like Vivid Seats instead, where you can get tickets for less than $10.
Attending a Lions games remains a cheaper alternative than attending an LSU game, for example, if you are looking for a college football game to attend in Louisiana. The Lions put a great product on the field, and the game day atmosphere rivals some of the best FCS colleges in the country. I consider seeing a game at Strawberry Stadium to be a good return on investment – you get to watch really good competitive football for this level, and Hammond is a very off the radar city to visit in Louisiana.
Extras 5
The Lions have had 23 players drafted into the NFL in the history of their program, including two players drafted since football was started back up in 2003. Cornerback Robert Alford is the highest draft pick from SLU, picked 60th overall by the Falcons in 2013. The Lions also have one Walter Payton Award winner in Quarterback Cole Kelley, who won the award in 2020.
Besides being home to Lions football, Strawberry Stadium is also home to the Lions women's soccer team, which was added in 2013. The facility is also a historic high school venue for the state, having hosted many LHSAA state championship games over the years. The venue currently serves as the home stadium for local St. Thomas Aquinas High School, which is located in town. Hammond High School also plays their rival Ponchatoula High School every year here in Strawberry Stadium, and that game usually draws a sold-out crowd.
Strawberry Stadium has also seen a few legendary players play on this historic field – three future Pro Football Hall of Famers all went down in defeat when they played here. For example, in 1967 the Lions upset a Roger Staubach-led Pensacola Naval Air Station Goshawks military team, while one week later SLU beat a Terry Bradshaw-led Louisiana Tech team for Homecoming. Halloween 1970 also welcomed another future Hall of Famer to Strawberry Stadium, when Ron Jaworski and the Youngstown State Penguins lost to the Lions.
Another bonus is the turf here being first used at Caesar’s Superdome – the playing surface was installed at the Superdome after the Saints won their first Super Bowl in 2010, and two years later was moved to Strawberry Stadium, where it remains to this day.
Another bonus for Strawberry Stadium honoring local strawberry farmers – at one time the North Shore of Louisiana was home to over 14,000 acres of strawberry farms, and today the strawberry remains an integral part of Louisiana's agriculture. In fact, Tangipahoa Parish, where Hammond is located, is the state's leading strawberry producing area, accounting for 75% of the state's strawberry consumption.
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