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One of the most unique sporting events of the 21st century occurred last week about 40 miles southwest of Chicago. The Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League played an exhibition game at the historic Old Joliet Prison.
The Old Joliet Prison dates back to 1858 and was the filming site for the movie Blues Brothers and the television series Prison Break. The event drew a sold-out crowd of 5,500 fans. Although the event seems to be a one-off novelty for the Slammers, Old Joliet Prison's viability as a football venue is worth investigating.
The dimensions of the baseball diamond were a cramped 230 feet to left field and 280 feet to center field and right field. However, the placement of the outfield bleachers on the prison's lawn led to the short dimensions, making placing a 100-yard field more realistic than it seems.
The Chicago metro area is home to several Division II and Division III football programs. However, a program just outside of this region may be the best candidate from the exposure boost of a game Old Joliet Prison. Eureka College, with its claim to fame being Ronald Reagan's alma mater, has struggled with attendance in recent years.
The Red Devils averaged 440 fans per home game in 2025, with their last two games having an announced attendance of 440 fans. The previous year, Eureka refused to announce attendance for two home games and peaked at 450 fans during its season opener.
Although Eureka is around 100 miles from Old Joliet Prison, there is not much risk with moving a home game to the prison. Furthermore, the costs for the Old Joliet Prison or city itself to cover Eureka's travel should be marginal. Both Eureka and the Old Joliet Prison should be able to profit from this venture. Most importantly, it could give Eureka a much-needed enrollment and interest boost.
The attendance of the Joliet Slammers game at the prison is nearly 10 times the school's 2024 enrollment. Beyond the novelty, the game could boost applications from the Joliet and Will County areas, which is a different pocket of the Chicago area than where Eureka's Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference counterparts Aurora, Benedictine, and Concordia-Chicago reside.
According to the 2020 Census, Joliet has a population of 150,362, while Will County has 696,355 residents. With attendance and enrollment numbers so low, Eureka should be willing to try anything.
Baseball at a closed prison is a bizarre occurrence, but the right amount of creativity could bring a much-needed interest boost to a struggling Division III program in the Land of Lincoln.
A pre-Civil War prison hosted a professional baseball game between the Joliet Slammers and the Gateway Grizzlies. It's the same location Prison Break was filmed in.
The Big House Ballgame. Frontier League baseball. Joliet Slammers vs Gateway Grizzlies at Old Joliet Prison. How cool is this?
