Security for the most part kept fans from running away with a piece of Metrodome history Sunday after the Vikings closed the facility for good with a 14-13 win over the Detroit Lions, FOX 9 reports.
At least 100 extra security officers wearing yellow jackets marched onto the field between the third and fourth quarters of the game to establish their presence, and extra on- and off-duty Minneapolis police officers were brought aboard to prevent any looting efforts.
The scene after the game was much different from when the Vikings closed down Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington more than 31 years earlier, when fans swarmed the field, tore down the goal posts and ripped seats out of the stands.
Despite the increased security presence at Sunday’s game and a warning of “zero tolerance for removing things” from the announcer, at least four seat backs in Section 100 were missing from the Metrodome when all was said and done.
Stolen #Metrodome seat backs pic.twitter.com/GkqY6UIphU
— Aaron Goodyear (@acgoodyear) December 29, 2013
Plus, the Pioneer Press says, the seat plate marking seat No. 27 in Section 101, Row 5 was stolen, the location of Kirby Puckett’s game-winning home run in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series.
Meanwhile, at least one person is trying to capitalize on the nostalgia of the old Met Stadium amid all the Metrodome hype.
KAAL reports that Mark Satterstrom of Harris, Minnesota, found about 600 hundred seats in North Dakota in 2006 and paid $4,000 for them.
Satterstrom has since restored the seats and is charging fans $175 to $200 each to those who want a piece of the stadium’s history. The seats are made of either plastic or wood, and were restored to their original colors.
Metrodome seats, if you want them, are running a bit cheaper. The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Authority has hired Albrecht Sign Company in Fridley to sell general seats for $60 each plus tax, and special location seats for $80 each plus tax. Nonprofit organizations can buy seats for $40 each.
