The St. Thomas Dance Team performs outside the main gates of Target Field before the Tommie-Johnnie football game. (Carolyn Meyer/ TommieMedia)
A group of Johnnie fans called “The Rat Pack” poses for a photo outside the front gates of Target Field. (Carolyn Meyer/ TommieMedia)
The Summit Singers perform the National Anthem at Target Field before the start of the Tommie-Johnnie football game. (Carolyn Meyer/ TommieMedia)
Members of the St. Thomas and St. John’s ROTC spread a large flag across the football field for the National Anthem. (Carolyn Meyer/ TommieMedia)
Tommie fans wearing the T-shirts provided by the Undergraduate Student Government cheer following a play. (Sophie Carson/ TommieMedia)
A St. Thomas fan reacts to a play in the fourth quarter. The Tommies beat the Johnnies 20-17 Saturday. (Sophie Carson/ TommieMedia)
A St. Thomas football fan hits the wall during the Tommie-Johnnie game Saturday. Many students leaned over the barrier to cheer during moments of excitement. (Sophie Carson/ TommieMedia)
A Tommie fan reacts to a play in the third quarter. Students congregated at the front of the student section to watch the game and were just steps away from the football players. (Sophie Carson/ TommieMedia)
The St. Thomas student section cheers from the stands during the Tommie-Johnnie game at Target Field. The goalposts sat snugly against the section, and fans caught footballs kicked through the posts. (Sophie Carson/ TommieMedia)
A Tommie fan wears a rally towel on her head for shade. Temperatures topped 90 degrees in the Twin Cities Saturday, tying a record from 1937. (Sophie Carson/ TommieMedia)
The St. Thomas defensive line readies to take on the Johnnies as students watch on. (Sophie Carson/ TommieMedia)
St. Thomas football fans look on during the Tommie-Johnnie game at Target Field. The game was the first football game ever played at the baseball stadium. (Sophie Carson/ TommieMedia)
A St. Thomas fan hits the bleachers in front of him to make noise during the Tommie-Johnnie football game at Target Field. (Sophie Carson/ TommieMedia)
Saturday’s Tommie-Johnnie match-up at Target Field drew the largest crowd the rivalry has ever seen, smashing the Division III attendance record with a whopping 37,355 fans — more than double the record set in 2016 by Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Tommies of all types flooded the Minnesota Twins’ baseball stadium to watch St. Thomas defeat St. John’s 20-17. The characteristic rowdiness of Tommie-Johnnie was somewhat tamed by the organization imposed by Target Field.
Officials prepared for the crowds, with Target Field issuing rules about alcohol, profane clothing and rushing the field. St. Thomas provided free T-shirts and shuttles to the game, and school administrators warned misbehaving students would be in the hands of the Minneapolis Police.
Crowd control
The entrance to each section of bleachers was the most obvious point of tension between students and the new rules. Fans were only allowed into the section for which they had a ticket, and Target Field employees turned away many students hoping to meet up with friends in other sections.
During an announcement instructing fans not to rush the field when the game ends, a fan hopped the short barrier onto the field. Security guards immediately tackled him and escorted him away. When the Tommies won, officers armed with zip ties– for easy handcuffing– lined the field facing the St. Thomas student section. No one stormed the field.
Heat
The talk of the event ended up being the oppressive heat. The Twin Cities tied a 1937 record for the day at 90 degrees.
The line for the drinking fountain was “longer than the beer line,” one fan remarked incredulously, and some students draped the Tommie-branded rally towels over their heads for shade.
Some fans required medical attention in the heat, and the call “First Aid, move to the side!” was common in the stadium hallways as medical workers rushed stretchers and supplies through the packed concourse.
Alcohol
One beer vendor– wearing a button that read “one drink per valid I.D.”– said she didn’t encounter students using fake I.D.s., but employees’ awareness was heightened by the special single-drink rule.
Student Experience
Students found ways to keep the wild spirit of Tommie-Johnnie alive despite the security and oversight. Some girls cut the free shirts from Undergraduate Student Government into party-ready tops, and purple glitter was ubiquitous.
The St. Thomas student section was situated directly behind the end zone so fans could catch the footballs kicked through the goalposts.
Despite the change of venue, this year’s iteration of the annual rivalry was can’t-miss.
“It’s Tommie-Johnnie, we’ve got to go,” junior Becca Cameron said.
Sophie Carson can be reached at sophia.carson@stthomas.edu.