Mihalik-Thompson Stadium

Locating Mihalik-Thompson Stadium

• Campus Map

• Mihalik-Thompson Stadium On Google Maps

Driving Directions

• From I-79, take Exit 105 (Slippery Rock). Turn left at the stop sign at the end of the exit ramp and follow State Route 108 north into Slippery Rock. At the traffic light, turn right onto Main Street. Follow Main Street to the second traffic light (Keister Road). Turn left onto Keister Road and proceed to the flashing light.

• At the flashing light, turn left and proceed to the dead end. At the dead end, turn right. Take the second right, Stadium Drive (Eisenberg Classroom Building will be on your left, West Lake Parking Lot on your right). Follow Stadium Drive to the stop sign (you will pass the Abersold Student Recreation Center and James Egli Field on your left and Jack Critchfield Park on your right). Mihalik-Thompson Stadium will be directly in front of you. Turn left at the stop sign to get to the public parking area, which is on the lower level directly ahead of you.

• Please note: Parking on the upper level of the stadium is reserved for the handicapped, game day staff and VIP parking.

Mihalik-Thompson Stadium Quick Facts

• Opened: 1974

• Last Renovated: 2020 (new turf playing surface)

• Sports: Field Hockey, Football, Lacrosse, Soccer

• Capacity: 10,000

• Surface: Artificial Turf (Astroturf RootZone 3D3 Blend - put down in 2020)

• Admission: There is no fee for all home Rock field hockey, lacrosse and soccer games. Click HERE for football ticket prices.

• Tailgating Rules: HERE

Bob DiSpirito Field at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium is the home field for all Slippery Rock University football, field hockey and lacrosse games. The stadium is also used for select home soccer games and includes the Jerry Bejbl Weight Training Center, the Bill Lennox Track and the Field Hockey and Lacrosse complex.

The stadium debuted as N. Kerr Thompson Stadium in 1974 and has been home to The Rock football team since that season. Over the past 10 years the stadium has seen massive upgrades to make it one of the best facilities in western Pennsylvania.

In 2003 the grass surface was replaced by artificial turf and lights were installed at the stadium, allowing for the first night football game to be played. Since then, The Rock's football team annually plays at least one night game, while the men's soccer, women's soccer, field hockey and lacrosse teams all play multiple night games as well.

In 2007 the Slippery Rock Field Hockey and Lacrosse Center opened next to the visitors bleachers at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. The 4,700 square foot facility provides Rock lacrosse and field hockey with home locker rooms, coaches offices and an athletic training center just steps from their home field.

In the summer of 2012 the 10-year old turf was removed and replaced by a new synthetic field surface, called GameDay Grass 3D, which was installed by Astroturf and made its debut the opening weekend of the 2012 season. That surface was replaced again in 2020 for a new AstroTurf synthetic surface that includes better drainage and additional padding under the field.

Prior to the start of the 2015 season a state-of-the-art scoreboard was installed. The 20 feet by 37 feet hunter green LED scoreboard is nine feet taller and four feet wider than The Rock’s previous scoreboard. Its biggest feature is an 11 feet, seven inch by 19 feet, 11-inch video board. Slippery Rock is one of only four schools in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference with a scoreboard that is equipped to display video at an outdoor stadium. The scoreboard was made possible thanks to a generous donation by former SRU football All-American Charles Sanders.

The stadium is named after two of the legends in Slippery Rock football history in head coach N. Kerr Thompson and current head coach and former quarterback George Mihalik, whose name was added to the stadium in 2011.

The field itself is named after another former Rock legendary football coach, Bob DiSpirito.

The Rock's football team enjoys the comforts of a large locker room at the stadium, while the coaches also have meeting rooms and a separate locker room.

Along with the weight room, full service athletic training facilities are featured on both sides of the stadium. One is located directly next to the football locker room, while the other is in the field hockey and lacrosse building. That building also houses the locker rooms and coaching offices of both of those teams.

Before the stadium was completed in 1974, Slippery Rock's football team played on the field at Old Thompson Stadium, which is now used as a recreational field next to Morrow Field House. The stadium was originally scheduled to be completed in 1972, but massive flooding forced the project to be delayed.

Slippery Rock is annually among the top schools in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in home football average attendance. In 2017, The Rock ranked 13th in the nation, and first in the PSAC, in both total attendance (32,344) and average home attendance (6,469).

Tailgating is allowed in the paid parking lots outside the stadium on football game days. Tailgaters are allowed in the lots three hours before the game and two hours after the game, but must attend the game and cannot tailgate during the game.