A Decade at the Dana

On a hot September day in 2016, the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits football team routed Drake University, 56-28, to open its brand new home — Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium — in style.

The opening of the new stadium signaled a new era for the program, one filled with national championships, attendance records and just a handful of losses. 

This season marks a decade in what many experts consider the country's premier FCS stadium.

Here's a look back at some of the key events and stats that have made Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium one of the most imposing environments for opposing teams. 

Winning ways

• 33 – Longest home winning streak (started on Nov. 6, 2021, and ended on Oct. 25, 2025) in program history. That ranks as the fourth-longest home winning streak in FCS history.
• 17-1 – Home record in FCS playoff games
• 5 – Undefeated home seasons in first 10 years of operation 
• 66-10 – The Jackrabbits’ all-time record at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium (.868 winning percentage)
• 16 – Number of times SDSU has scored 50-plus points in a game at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
• 2,834 – Number of points scored by SDSU in its 76 games played at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium (average of 37.3 points per game)

Other stadium facts and figures

• Total cost of the facility was $65 million.
• The seating capacity of 19,340 includes 27 suites, 144 loge seats, 1,200 club seats, approximately 3,500 seats dedicated to students, 500 seats for The Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band and 404 accessible seats. The structure was constructed with potential expansion of up to 40,000 total seats at a later date.
• Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium has a landmark footprint of 14 acres.
• Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium stands 100 feet high.
• With an area of 11,000 square feet and a ceiling height of 25 feet, the stadium’s club room is the largest room both on campus and in the city of Brookings.
• About 2.6 acres of soy-based artificial turf was used in the stadium project. New turf was installed in spring 2026.
• More than 350 workers from South Dakota and six other states collaborated to build Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. Nearly 50 contractors and subcontractors worked on the project.
• More than 1,000 tons of steel support the stadium superstructure, and the seating bowl features more than 82,000 square feet of closed aluminum seating tread and risers.
• An estimated 23,000 square feet of precast structural concrete exists in the west tower alone.

Written by University Marketing & Communications