This is a good time for colleges to do some grading.
Not the kind that involves a red pen and a Scantron machine, but the kind with dirt and a big yellow tractor.
A handful of Division III schools are currently renovating their stadiums or building new ones. If you’re looking for news on those projects, you can strap on some boots and head out to the nearest construction site. Or we’ll just give you a quick and clean rundown on the construction we’re aware of here.
Allegheny is modernizing the Robertson Athletic Complex in a project that includes new Field Turf, lights and a pretty cool scoreboard which you can see here (scroll down a little and click on the photo to enlarge). The Gators are doing a nice job tracking progress with photos and related news stories online.
Catholic University is installing Field Turf at DuFour Stadium. The next phase will include improvements to the grandstand and press box. Do I hear “Coleman-Martel Memorial Stadium?†The Cards’ home opener comes against Ohio Wesleyan on September 9.
Delaware Valley is upgrading the playing surface at James Work Memorial Stadium. According to the release, the “$300,000 project includes upgrading the drainage systems, a new irrigation system, regrading the fields and track areas and the addition of heavy weight bluegrass sod.â€
Interestingly the lead gift comes from Del Val alum Robert A. Lipinksi, a local entrepreneur who garnered attention by buying Terrell Owens’ NFC Championship ring in an auction. When asked about the field, Owens’ agent said he had no comment. Del Val opens 2006 at home against FDU-Florham on September 9.
Eureka! We found news on this Illinois school’s renovation project and figured we’d add it to the list. Actually it wasn’t that hard to find since the Red Devils’ thankfully posted the release on our site. They are redoing the press box and grandstand at McKinzie Field, which fans and broadcasters always appreciate. And who knew that the “Gipper” was a Eureka alum?
At Grove City, Robert E. Thorn Stadium is getting a major upgrade. The work includes new lights, new style artificial turf provided by CSTurf and a new eight-lane track. GCC opens at home against Carnegie Mellon on September 9.
Ohio Wesleyan is installing “Omni Grass Surface†at Selby Field as part of the “Remembering Mr. Rickey†campaign. You can follow along with the progress here. Ohio Wesleyan’s home opener is September 16 against Bethany.
The campaign namesake is Branch Rickey who helped integrate baseball by signing Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers and later drafted Roberto Clemente. He graduated from OWU in 1913.
Macalester is installing Field Turf at Macalester Stadium in place of the natural grass surface battered by the football team and both soccer teams that shared the field. You can check out the release here or wait for the Scots’ home opener against Principia on September 9.
Montclair State also put in new Field Turf at Sprague Field and it should be ready for the September 23 home opener against Salisbury. The Red Hawks have played on Astroturf since 1979, redoing the carpet three times before this year. You can check out the progress here, including interesting photos of the crew sewing logos on the field.
Minnesota-Morris will have a new stadium this season thanks to a joint construction project with Morris High School. UMM has a ton of photos on its site, including the one above. According to the photo caption on the Cougars’ website, the end zone will be where the tiny horsies are. We’ll assume they’ll be invited to the festivities when UMM opens shop against Lawrence on September 2.
Waynesburg will trade in its natural grass for Field Turf at Wiley Stadium. Waynesburg will try out the new style rug when Wooster comes to town on September 9.
If you’re aware of other construction efforts, please post them below.
Also, Guilford is redoing the Armfield Athletic Center…
http://www.guilford.edu/athletics/index.cfm?ID=a001970
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Probably not as big of a deal as most of these projects, but Bridgewater (Va.) is putting $20,000 into planting patriot bermuda grass on Jopson Field. It’s the exact same grass used in Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium.
I’m following it’s progress (and there’s some good discussion on the pros & cons) on my BridgewaterFootball.com blog;
http://bridgewaterfootball.blogspot.com/2006/05/jopson-field-getting-facelift.html
Cal Lutheran is in the process of building a new athletic complex and football stadium. The gym will be opened this fall. The football stadium should be done for 2007.
I don’t mean to pick on poor UM-M, because they’ve had more than their fair share of bad breaks already, but horses in the endzone in Morris? My guess is they won’t be cougar horses…
It’ll be a great addition to the UM-M program though– can’t believe they haven’t started yet though!
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060526/NEWS01/605260317/1002/NEWS17
Denison University $2.9 Million Football Stadium Upgrade…
Johnnie Esq:
Morris has started construction. That photo was from October 2005. You can see the progress here:
http://www.morris.umn.edu/athletics/football/2006_News/Stadium_Page_New.html
Sorry for the confusion. I still say the horsies should be invited.
Thanks for all the other updates on Bridgewater, Denision, CLU and Guilford.
McMurry changed the football surface from Bermuda grass to Field Turf, and upgraded the track from 6 to 8-lanes over the winter.
According to the runners, the track surface compared favorably to UT-Austin’s. The old grass field is shown below.
http://www.mcm.edu/athletics/indianstadium.htm
Ralph, just out of curiosity, why did McM paint soccer lines on their nice new field turf? Is there an issue with the soccer field that they built a couple of years ago?
The football field looks nice, even with the soccer lines, though. That stadium is beginning to come around.
Josh, as I understand it, the soccer lines are primarily for the use in intramurals and as a backup when the grass field gets flooded. You know Abilene rains. You can get 3 inches in 3 hours from a thunderstorm and flood everything. (And that will be the only 3 inches you get that season.)
You would not want to trash a turf if you did not have to.
I know when the question of the new field surface was being considered, its multi-purpose uses, by football, by intramurals, by the band, by the track team, as a soccer field and the chance to use the field for high school playoffs and band competitions were seriously considered. The field improvement was a commitment to the McMurry community.
One other bit of good news is that we are closing in on $2.2M to renovate the Bynum Band Hall. 😉
I just added information on Allegheny’s project above. Thanks to the heads-up from the college.
Seems like the renovation bug is a pandemic in West PA. 🙂
Shenandoah is adding an end zone building with locker rooms for opponents, conference rooms for game day, filming deck, etc. There is also a building being constructed on the visitors side with restrooms and referee dressing rooms. http://www.su.edu/temp_news.cfm?urlnum=598
Excellent. That will complete an already-fine facility.
Chapman started last year on a major campus renovation which included demolishing their stadium and building a new satdium for football, soccer, and other general uses.
http://www.chapman.edu/athletics/facilities.asp
expected completion – Spring 2008
Huntingdon College has some major building projects going on in their stadium. Although the football program is very young, barely 3 years old. there appears to be a great deal of support for it.
http://football.huntingdon.edu/
Central (Iowa) is revamping their football stadium:
http://www.central.edu/athletics/facilities/facilities-Football.htm
This is a test…
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