University of Illinois Memorial Stadium Reliefs: The Welcome of the American Soldiers in France - Champaign, IL - World War I Memorials and Monuments on Waymarking.com

The angel faces outward, while the soldiers are shown in profile. The two men in the center shake hands in front of the angel. Hats are worn by all of the soldiers, and a few on the proper right side hold guns.

Memorial Stadium Relief Sculptures Overview
Memorial Stadium is decorated with a set of three medallion-type reliefs and six rectangular reliefs on limestone panels mounted on the brick walls of the outside of the stadium. These are repeated at each corner tower of the stadium, for a total of 84 panels and medallions. (The coordinates for this waymark are for the northwest corner. All are visible from the outside, even when the stadium is not open.)

The “The Welcome of the American Soldiers in France,” “The Presentation of the Victory Wreath” and the “Athletes and the University Seal” reliefs are located above each of the corner doorways into the stadium. The “Education,” “War” and “Athletes” reliefs are located on the Stadium Towers, high over the large windows. The repeating group of three relief medallions showing the helmeted head of Athena (representing war); the Discus Thrower, and the owl of Athena (signifying wisdom) are located high above at each corner.

About the History of Memorial Stadium
From (visit link)
Memorial Stadium, which seats over 70,000, was built in 1923 as a memorial to the 189 University of Illinois men and women who gave their lives for their country during World War I. Their names appear on the columns that support the east and west sides of the stadium upper stands. Donations of approximately $1.7 million by more than 200,000 students, alumni and other friends of the University made the construction possible. The stadium opened Nov. 3, 1923, when Illinois defeated Chicago, 7-0, in a Homecoming victory.

The stadium was dedicated officially Oct. 18, 1924, a day that Illinois not only defeated Michigan, 39-14, for a Homecoming victory, but Harold "Red" Grange accounted for six touchdowns in what remains as the single greatest performance in Memorial Stadium history. In the first 12 minutes of that game, Grange ran for a total of 265 yards and scored four times. He had his hands on the ball only six times and left the field before the end of the first quarter. In the third quarter, Grange returned and ran 13 yards for his fifth touchdown, and in the final period he passed to Marion Leonard for his sixth score of the day. In 42 minutes of playing time, Grange gained a total of 402 yards, carried the ball 21 times and also completed six passes for 64 yards. Legendary coach Amos Alonzo Stagg called it "the most spectacular single-handed performance ever delivered in a major game."

From (visit link)
On November 16, 2002, the University of Illinois extended the stadium's original dedication to honor all members of the Illinois family who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and, in particular, those who gave their lives in our nation's wars and conflicts. The new veterans' memorial honors the 932 alumni, students, faculty and staff who were killed in our nation's wars and conflicts since 1918. Their names are engraved on one of four impressive limestone tablets at the entrances to Memorial Stadium's east and west colonnades alongside the names of their fallen World War I comrades.

For a timeline of memorable events at the stadium see (visit link)

Trivia from (visit link)
During construction of the stadium, a rainy season caused a bulldozer to sink into what became the football field. Officials found that it would be cheaper to leave the bulldozer buried beneath the field rather than attempting to excavate it. It's still there.

A dvd offer for those who want to learn even more about Memorial Stadium - (visit link)

Date the Monument or Memorial was built or dedicated: 10/17/1924 Private or Public Monument?: Government Name of the Private Organization or Government Entity that built this Monument: University of Illinois Geographic Region where the Monument is located: North America Website for this Monument: [Web Link] Physical Address of Monument: Memorial Stadium Towers, U of Illinois, 200 East Florida Avenue Champaign, IL USA Rate this waymark: Photo or photos will be uploaded.: yes

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