Other than the ancient ruins that make up the Blakeslee Stadium stands, it’s hard to find too much fault in the football facilities at Minnesota State University.

The grass field inside the stadium is pristine, and the practice fields next door are immaculate. Across the street, there appears to be almost everything a high-end Division II college program needs to be successful.

For 52 years, Minnesota State was the home of Minnesota Vikings Training Camp, and it served the state’s favorite pro sports team well over that time, especially in more recent years with those lush fields and fine facilities.

And as the idea of NFL training camps became just as much about an experience for fans as a development period for players and teams, there was plenty of space on campus and in the Mankato community for the Vikings’ event to grow.

Certainly, the school — and the city — could have continued to host the Vikings for years to come. Instead, the team secured land in the Twin Cities suburbs and built a massive campus of its own, a headquarters that includes everything it needs to hold all of its practices — including training camp.

The Vikings opened its 2018 camp at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan last week, and after the first full-team workouts on Saturday, several players and coaches were asked to compare and contrast their new digs with what they had for so long in Mankato.

No one took a cheap shot at our little river city, but they weren’t necessarily missing it much.

How could they? Their new compound has everything they and their fans could ever want — with the exception of Jake’s and Pagliai’s pizza, of course — including their own small stadium and practice fields, a massive indoor practice field, a gorgeous locker room and state-of-the-art strength- and athletic-training facilities, as well as a large team store and museum.

“I think the biggest part is just the resources, having the hot tubs, the cold tubs and the world-class facility,” said receiver Adam Thielen, who was at Minnesota State as a college player for five summers and then five more as a Viking. “Having the trainers in the big training room where they have all their stuff ... and the equipment staff, things like that, I think that’s the biggest difference. Other than that, it’s very similar to training camp in Mankato.”

Walking around the TCO Performance Center, it’s easy to think, “I don’t think we’re in Mankato anymore.” But seeing that spread, which not only replaces training camp but the team’s former Winter Park headquarters in Eden Prairie, one also has to think, “This only makes sense.”

According to Forbes’ ranking of NFL teams’ value last fall, the Vikings are worth $2.4 billion. Millions of dollars are invested in players. Everyone involved in such a franchise should have a place like that to report to for work every day. Although several NFL teams still go away for training camp, a mid-summer retreat to a college campus seems out of date at best and, at worst, out of touch with how the modern-day athlete operates.

Decades ago, players used training camp to get back into shape after months of doing little to nothing following a season’s end. Nowadays, there’s no sitting around. Players may have time off, but they’re using it to repair; to rehab; to get bigger, faster, stronger. Training camp then is for building rosters and for learning offenses and defenses.

"Mankato was great,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “They were outstanding hosts. But, you know, you go down there for 2 ½ weeks, and back in the days when you’d go for five weeks or six weeks, it was probably a little bit different.”

Mankato is missing not having the Vikings in town, but there’s at least one player on the roster who vows to return.

“We’ll find a way,” Thielen said. “Mankato’s a special place for me and my wife and I, and we’ll get back down there.”

Shane Frederick is a Free Press staff writer. Call him at 507-344-6373 or email him atsfrederick@mankatofreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @puckato.

Follow Shane Frederick on Twitter@puckato

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