Featured Testimonial About Creighton University
It’s 2025! And there’s no better way to celebrate the promise and potential of the new year than to reflect on the legendary figures, historic buildings and milestone moments that paved the way for Creighton’s future success.
Our annual anniversaries feature highlights the debut of the campus’ 15,000-seat football stadium and a campus-wide fundraising program that helped get it built (buy a cement bag for $1). And, the opening/closing/reopening of the dental school, Creighton’s primetime TV debut and the walk signal’s return.
Plus, we have quick tributes to the Rev John P. Schlegel, SJ, the Rev. Francis G. Deglman, SJ, and Charles Heider, BS’49, HON’10. And a shoutout for Creighton President the Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, who’s been serving our campus for 10 years.
On to the 2025 anniversaries!
(Note: This story and stories like this are made possible by the great work of the University Archives and Special Collections, the keeper of Creighton’s history. Please consider making a gift to the Archives and helping us preserve these incredible stories for generations to come.)
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100 years ago
1925: Creighton builds a football stadium
The football team needed a home. So, the campus rallied together to make it happen.
The result was a 15,000-seat stadium that hosted football games, commencement ceremonies, track meets and other events. The stadium stood south of Burt Street and directly west of the Old Gymnasium, where the Eppley Building, Criss Complex, parking lot and solar panels now reside.
And seriously — it really did take a campus-wide effort to get it built.
Most of the $300,000 cost was covered by a loan, but to make up the difference, Creighton launched a fundraising campaign: “Buy a bag of cement for Creighton Stadium.”
More than 1,500 Creighton students set out to sell enough $1 sacks of cement to build the north and south units of the stadium. Partnering with local businesses, Creighton offered the top salespeople prizes, including typewriters, scholarships, summer vacations, even automobiles.
The stadium was home to the football team until 1942. It was eventually demolished over several years in the 1960s. Read more about its history.
Ten years earlier, in 1915, Creighton opened its Gymnasium. Check out this story detailing the history of the legendary Old Gym and a man who grew up next door.
50 years ago
1975: Accelerated Nursing Program begins
Creighton announced in 1975 that it would condense a four-year nursing curriculum into one year for college graduates. The idea was to allow non-traditional students the opportunity to enter the nursing profession.
That was the start of the Accelerated Nursing Program. And so many success stories followed.
Creighton’s now-renowned ABSN, a nationally ranked program and one of the longest running BSN programs in the country, continues to prepare students to use their expertise to care for and serve patients.
30 years ago
1995: Creighton on Primetime TV
Hollywood came to Creighton’s campus. For a few short hours on a Tuesday morning in November.
There were camera crews, sound engineers and semi-trucks full of props and equipment. And… Shannen Doherty! A star on Beverly Hills 90210, Doherty was on the Mall to film a scene for a made-for-TV movie, titled Gone in the Night.
The filming took place in two spots: outside the entrance to Creighton Hall and by a bench near St. John’s Church. A few Creighton students were even recruited to join the paid extras as background performers.
In the end, 17 million tuned in to watch the movie’s primetime debut on a Sunday night in January 1999. Creighton made the final cut! A two-minute scene took place on campus and you can see a professor walking in front of Swanson Hall, Deglman Hall, the St. John’s fountain and Creighton Hall before the camera zooms in for his conversation with Doherty’s character.
10 years ago
2015: Unveiling The Flame
The family of Charles and Mary Heider commissioned a sculpture to honor Creighton’s Jesuit community. On April 23, “The Flame” made its debut. Artist and Creighton professor Littleton Alston revealed it at a special dedication ceremony.
“Go set the world on fire” is the inscription etched into the base of the sculpture, which stands over 20 feet tall and sits just outside of the Mike and Josie Harper Center.
Sadly, just a few months later, Charles Heider, BS’49, HON’10, died at the age of 89. He and his wife, Mary, HON’10, were the school’s largest donors. The Heider Family Foundation's support continues to strengthen Creighton today.
The Heider College of Business, named after Charles and Mary, is Creighton’s first and (so far) only named school or college.
2015: Fr. Hendrickson starts as Creighton President
Creighton University’s 25th president, the Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, stepped into his new leadership position. He’s spearheaded innovation and growth in the decade since, strengthening Creighton’s presence globally while prioritizing its Jesuit roots and its commitment to student success. In 2024, Creighton enrolled its third-largest class of freshmen and reached a school record with a retention rate of 94%.
During Fr. Hendrickson’s tenure, Creighton has launched Forward Blue, the most transformative fundraising campaign in its history. Philanthropic support generated under Fr. Hendrickson’s leadership made possible the construction or reimagination of 13 campus buildings, including the Health Sciences – Phoenix Campus. The campaign has supported more than 380 areas of campus and created 469 new scholarships.
5 years ago
2020: The walk signal is now on (again)
The renovation and remodeling of the pedestrian crosswalk along 24th Street — the Physicians Mutual Crossing — temporarily resulted in the removal of an iconic voice.
Instead of a voice recording of a woman announcing that the "walk signal to cross 24th Street is now on" …
… the new crosswalk featured only a series of beeps.
The Creighton community soon responded with requests to bring the voice back. There were T-Shirts. And a few weeks later (after several necessary code and compliance checks were completed), the walk signal returned.
120 years ago
1905: School of Dentistry opens
Opening as the “Creighton University Dental College,” the school welcomed 39 students for instruction. Creighton also opened its dental clinic to serve the community.
Since then, Creighton University School of Dentistry has prepared more than 5,000 dentists for lives of professional excellence, community leadership and compassionate service. The school's clinic also hosts serves more than 14,000 patients each year.
In 1905, Creighton’s College of Pharmacy also opened to students. It was at the time the first such college in Nebraska.
80 years ago
1945: Dental school announces its closing
There were just three first-year applicants for the School of Dentistry in 1945. And World War II had previously eliminated two full classes of dental students. So, in May, Creighton announced that it simply could not justify the cost of keeping faculty on board without enough students to enroll.
Two weeks later…
1945: Creighton’s dental school won’t close after all
New School of Dentistry Dean Herbert King would later tell The Omaha World-Herald that for a couple weeks in May, it looked to be “impossible” to bring dental students back to Creighton’s campus.
But that changed. Creighton’s dental school had a lot of help.
The Omaha District Dental Society launched an influential committee. Creighton alumni, the Nebraska State Dental Association, local social service agencies, and the Omaha Chamber of Commerce were among the other groups that were involved in preventing the school’s closing.
“It was only through the intense loyalty of the people of Omaha, and the untiring efforts of civic leaders that we are able to reopen,” King said on the first day of summer school in July 1945.
Today, Creighton’s School of Dentistry is thriving as one of the nation’s most renowned programs for aspiring dentists. It opened the new Creighton Dental Building, a 200,000-square-foot clinic and facility, in 2018. And Creighton continues to train practice-ready dentists who are prepared for excellence both personally and professionally.
70 years ago
1955: Deglman Hall construction begins
It had been decades since Creighton added a new building to campus. But in 1955, Creighton President the Rev. Carl M. Reinert, SJ, laid the cornerstone at a special dedication ceremony to celebrate the construction of the new residence hall on campus.
Deglman Hall was named after the Rev. Francis G. Deglman, who died in 1955 after serving Creighton students for nearly 30 years. When it opened in 1956, Deglman housed 200 male students in double rooms.
60 years ago
1965: Swanson Hall opens
“Not a luxury hotel but a functional laboratory.” That was how Leo Zabinski, director of residence halls, described Swanson Hall to the Creightonian in 1965.
The 10-floor dorm opened to more than 700 male students as a welcoming place that fostered community and intellectual growth.
Among Swanson Hall’s touted amenities in 1965 were carpeted hallways, an intercom system for accepting phone calls, sinks in rooms and TVs on three separate floors. Plus, lounge space, study rooms and two music rooms with upright Steinway pianos.
25 years ago
2000: Fr. Schlegel gets inaugurated
During 11 years as Creighton’s president, The Rev John P. Schlegel, SJ, spearhead dynamic campus expansion (especially to the east) and strengthened the University’s corporate and community relationships within Omaha. He was very diligent about promoting Creighton’s faith identity and Jesuit heritage as he positioned the University for growth nationally.
And it all began in 2000. Fr. Schlegel was inaugurated as Creighton’s 23rd president.
Fifteen years later, in 2015, Fr. Schlegel died after a battle with cancer. Earlier that year, the Creighton Center for Service and Justice was renamed Fr. John P. Schlegel, SJ, Center for Service and Justice.
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Interested in more important moments in Creighton history? Check out previous anniversary roundups from:
