New Turf To Be Installed At Homer Bryce Stadium
5/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
May 20, 2004
NACOGDOCHES, Texas-- A former Lumberjack football letterman has made the single largest donation ever to the athletic department for the sole purpose of replacing the artificial surface at Homer Bryce Stadium. The gift will cover the entire cost of the new surface, estimated at $225,000. Work is scheduled to begin in mid-June and should take about five weeks to complete.
"This gift enables us to replace the Astroturf 12 surface we currently have with a surface called Momentum 51. The company we are working with has not installed any fields in Texas, and was looking to put a field down in this area. They just finished putting this surface in at Southern Mississippi and the Baltimore Ravens have been playing on the surface for the past two seasons," said athletic director Steve McCarty.
The current field, a nylon weave called Astroturf 12, was installed in 1998 just before the widespread use of the current type of polyethylene fields began. The new field will feature 2 1/2" blades of polyethylene grass woven into a sturdy backing material, then filled with a mixture of kiln-dried sand and ground rubber pellets. The field is described as stable, firm and fast, with traction and cushioning qualities rivaling natural grass.
"We should benefit in several ways by moving to this type of surface. Not only will the new field have a similar feel to natural grass, but it will also help make the stadium more attractive for high school playoff games late in the year. Coach Santiago and his staff will also benefit from the field in the recruiting of high school student-athletes who have become accustomed to playing on this style of surface," said McCarty.
The donation from the former Lumberjack letterman has allowed the university to move forward with the replacement of the turf without the expenditure of any university funds. The 'Jacks will open the season on the new turf against Henderson State on Thursday, Sept. 2 at 7:00 p.m.
