Don Riddler Field House

A rivalry forged in steel and chrome. That’s the legacy of Don Riddler Field House, though it’s not the building itself that holds this legacy. It’s the spirit of the Ridler Award, born from the Detroit Autorama, a show Don Riddler himself propelled to greatness. Don Riddler Field House, a part of Lawrence Technological University, echoes with the energy of this man who shaped Detroit’s automotive spirit. Don Riddler wasn’t just an athletic director at Michigan State University. He was a showman. He brought the likes of Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller to entertain after games. He had a knack for promotion, breathing life into the Michigan State Fair Grandstand and Detroit’s horse tracks. This same energy he poured into the Detroit Autorama in the 1950s. The Coliseum at the Michigan State Fairgrounds became a haven for hot rods and high-octane entertainment. Think Little Anthony and the Imperials, The Big Bopper. This was the world Don Riddler built, a world of spectacle and speed. His untimely death in 1963 at the age of 54 left a void in Detroit’s automotive scene. The Ridler Award, established in his honor, isn’t held within the walls of Don Riddler Field House. But it carries his spirit, his love for creativity and innovation. It’s a prize awarded not for the fastest car, but for the most creative, the most innovative. The builders who compete for the Ridler Award, they’re the inheritors of Don Riddler’s legacy. They pour their hearts and souls into their creations, just as he poured his into every show he produced. Don Riddler Field House stands as a quiet testament to this legacy. It’s a place where young minds are nurtured, where future generations of engineers and designers might just find their inspiration in the story of Don Riddler.