Blacknbengal
Well-Known Member
Fixing the problems
Southern chancellor discusses plans to upgrade facilities
By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
jschiefelbein@theadvocate.com
Advocate sportswriter
Advocate staff photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Southern University head football coach Pete Richardson inspects ruts in his field prior to his team's game against Miles College on Saturday.
Mudford, no more?
A combination of poor drainage and untimely wet weather had turned the football field at Southern University's A.W. Mumford Stadium into a mucky surface on game days in recent seasons.
To fix that problem, Southern University Chancellor Edward Jackson said Thursday the school plans to install a new drainage system and re-surface the field "beginning in March, no later than April."
Jackson discussed the field as well as two other major projects for athletics -- a $5 million sports complex under the west side of Mumford Stadium and a $750,000 second phase of renovations at baseball's Lee-Hines Field -- to begin this year.
In addition, Southern Athletic Director Floyd Kerr said the installation of lights for the football practice fields will begin next week.
The lights will then be ready for spring practice, scheduled to begin in mid-March.
Of the projects, "it means we can build a competitive edge throughout the SWAC," said Kerr, who acknowledged that lagging facilities had hurt Southern in recruiting in a range of sports.
Currently, the school is finishing a multimillion dollar renovation to the F.G. Clark Activity Center, with a key feature being new locker rooms for home and visiting teams and game officials. Finishing touches also are being put on a new baseball stadium at Lee-Hines Field.
"We were so far behind, but we're heading in the right direction as far as trying to refurbish some things," said football coach Pete Richardson, who sent a letter to the head of the board of supervisors last month detailing the program's infrastructure problems.
Advocate file photo
Southern University chancellor Edward Jackson.
"I'm excited about it."
Richardson has never had a losing season in 10 years at the school. His staff turned a 1-5 team to a 6-6 final record despite dealing with arguably the worst conditions in college football.
With a late-September fire in the Clark Center, the equipment, dressing, and training rooms moved temporarily to Seymour. Meanwhile, with the sloppy turf at Mumford, the team couldn't practice under the lights there, instead working into darkness on muddy practice fields.
"These plans have been in the works since February 2002, when the board authorized us to proceed with the plans you see here today," Jackson said. "A lot of work had to be done to get to the point where we're at now."
FOOTBALL FIELD: Jackson said work to the football field will cost between $250,000 and $750,000. He said the school had two estimates in hand and was seeking a third.
"We will put in a new football field this spring, hopefully beginning in March, and no later than April," Jackson said.
Jackson said the new drainage system will direct water south toward Harding Boulevard., while the old system went north. The new system will tie into the pipes currently being placed at Harding as part of the road's expansion.
"We've had some difficulties owing to a poor drainage system under the field," Jackson said. "The crown was removed when work was done to the field two or three years ago, and it went downhill from there."
The Jaguar Athletic Group, begun in March, had tried to raise $600,000 to do the work. Though the JAG fell short, it bought a field-specific turf mower (with the school matching).
SPORTS COMPLEX: Jackson said architects are working on blueprints for the sports complex, with construction starting in late June or early July and taking 12-to-14 months.
The facility, envisioned to be 29,000 square feet, will include strength-and-conditioning rooms, sports medicine, track and field offices, football offices, meeting rooms, equipment rooms and locker rooms.
"It could be a selling point in recruiting," said Richardson, who said he liked the consolidation of his program.
In years past, Southern's football team dressed in the Clark Center and its foes in Seymour.
While there is currently an old, unused dormitory under the west side, Jackson said "that structure will be demolished, and the new structure will be put in place. ... It will be a brand-new facility, not a remodeling of the old structure."
A $6.5 million press box was in place for the 2001 season and a new scoreboard, with video replay, debuted last season.
To help pay for the facility, a $3 surcharge will be added to all tickets beginning in the fall.
BASEBALL: Blueprints for the second phase of the baseball stadium are already in place, with Jackson displaying those Thursday.
That phase calls for the construction of two structures: a bathroom/concessions stand behind the stadium and locker rooms/offices behind the left-field fence.
Jackson said construction on the bathroom/concessions stand should begin in late March/early April. If so, the structure could be complete for the Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament May 1-4.
"That's something that can be done relatively quickly," Southern baseball coach Roger Cador said.
Jackson said the construction of the locker rooms/offices should begin by late summer or early fall and take three to four months to finish. That one-story building would include lockers for both teams as well as the umpires, office space for both the assistant coaches and the head coach and a large team meeting room.
Those facilities would cap the rapid improvement to Lee-Hines Field. Lights were added in the 2001 season, and an impressive new stadium structure, complete with covered seating and an enclosed press box, and a new scoreboard in right field are in place for this season.
"Progress is good," Cador said. "It takes a lot of people to get involved. You have to have the backing of the administration, from President Leon Tarver and Chancellor Jackson. They worked together to make it happen, with the business leaders in the community.
"This took a little longer, but sometimes progress takes awhile. The key is to not give up."
Southern chancellor discusses plans to upgrade facilities
By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
jschiefelbein@theadvocate.com
Advocate sportswriter
Advocate staff photo by Richard Alan Hannon
Southern University head football coach Pete Richardson inspects ruts in his field prior to his team's game against Miles College on Saturday.
Mudford, no more?
A combination of poor drainage and untimely wet weather had turned the football field at Southern University's A.W. Mumford Stadium into a mucky surface on game days in recent seasons.
To fix that problem, Southern University Chancellor Edward Jackson said Thursday the school plans to install a new drainage system and re-surface the field "beginning in March, no later than April."
Jackson discussed the field as well as two other major projects for athletics -- a $5 million sports complex under the west side of Mumford Stadium and a $750,000 second phase of renovations at baseball's Lee-Hines Field -- to begin this year.
In addition, Southern Athletic Director Floyd Kerr said the installation of lights for the football practice fields will begin next week.
The lights will then be ready for spring practice, scheduled to begin in mid-March.
Of the projects, "it means we can build a competitive edge throughout the SWAC," said Kerr, who acknowledged that lagging facilities had hurt Southern in recruiting in a range of sports.
Currently, the school is finishing a multimillion dollar renovation to the F.G. Clark Activity Center, with a key feature being new locker rooms for home and visiting teams and game officials. Finishing touches also are being put on a new baseball stadium at Lee-Hines Field.
"We were so far behind, but we're heading in the right direction as far as trying to refurbish some things," said football coach Pete Richardson, who sent a letter to the head of the board of supervisors last month detailing the program's infrastructure problems.
Advocate file photo
Southern University chancellor Edward Jackson.
"I'm excited about it."
Richardson has never had a losing season in 10 years at the school. His staff turned a 1-5 team to a 6-6 final record despite dealing with arguably the worst conditions in college football.
With a late-September fire in the Clark Center, the equipment, dressing, and training rooms moved temporarily to Seymour. Meanwhile, with the sloppy turf at Mumford, the team couldn't practice under the lights there, instead working into darkness on muddy practice fields.
"These plans have been in the works since February 2002, when the board authorized us to proceed with the plans you see here today," Jackson said. "A lot of work had to be done to get to the point where we're at now."
FOOTBALL FIELD: Jackson said work to the football field will cost between $250,000 and $750,000. He said the school had two estimates in hand and was seeking a third.
"We will put in a new football field this spring, hopefully beginning in March, and no later than April," Jackson said.
Jackson said the new drainage system will direct water south toward Harding Boulevard., while the old system went north. The new system will tie into the pipes currently being placed at Harding as part of the road's expansion.
"We've had some difficulties owing to a poor drainage system under the field," Jackson said. "The crown was removed when work was done to the field two or three years ago, and it went downhill from there."
The Jaguar Athletic Group, begun in March, had tried to raise $600,000 to do the work. Though the JAG fell short, it bought a field-specific turf mower (with the school matching).
SPORTS COMPLEX: Jackson said architects are working on blueprints for the sports complex, with construction starting in late June or early July and taking 12-to-14 months.
The facility, envisioned to be 29,000 square feet, will include strength-and-conditioning rooms, sports medicine, track and field offices, football offices, meeting rooms, equipment rooms and locker rooms.
"It could be a selling point in recruiting," said Richardson, who said he liked the consolidation of his program.
In years past, Southern's football team dressed in the Clark Center and its foes in Seymour.
While there is currently an old, unused dormitory under the west side, Jackson said "that structure will be demolished, and the new structure will be put in place. ... It will be a brand-new facility, not a remodeling of the old structure."
A $6.5 million press box was in place for the 2001 season and a new scoreboard, with video replay, debuted last season.
To help pay for the facility, a $3 surcharge will be added to all tickets beginning in the fall.
BASEBALL: Blueprints for the second phase of the baseball stadium are already in place, with Jackson displaying those Thursday.
That phase calls for the construction of two structures: a bathroom/concessions stand behind the stadium and locker rooms/offices behind the left-field fence.
Jackson said construction on the bathroom/concessions stand should begin in late March/early April. If so, the structure could be complete for the Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball tournament May 1-4.
"That's something that can be done relatively quickly," Southern baseball coach Roger Cador said.
Jackson said the construction of the locker rooms/offices should begin by late summer or early fall and take three to four months to finish. That one-story building would include lockers for both teams as well as the umpires, office space for both the assistant coaches and the head coach and a large team meeting room.
Those facilities would cap the rapid improvement to Lee-Hines Field. Lights were added in the 2001 season, and an impressive new stadium structure, complete with covered seating and an enclosed press box, and a new scoreboard in right field are in place for this season.
"Progress is good," Cador said. "It takes a lot of people to get involved. You have to have the backing of the administration, from President Leon Tarver and Chancellor Jackson. They worked together to make it happen, with the business leaders in the community.
"This took a little longer, but sometimes progress takes awhile. The key is to not give up."
