COLLEGE TO BUILD
PERFORMANCE STADIUM AND TRACK posted
11/2/05, updated 12/2/05
Trustees approve major building project; More Adrian
teams to play on campus soon
When junior Taz Wallace first visited
Adrian, he remembers when he found out the College didn’t
have its own football field.
Stadium rendering. Click image
for larger view. |
“I was pretty surprised; it
wasn’t what I expected at the college level,”
he said.
Wallace chose Adrian anyway, because
he liked the people and the winning program. These days
the All-American middle linebacker doesn’t complain
before home games, when he and his teammates load onto
a bus to head across town to the field. The sign outside
reads “Maple Stadium,” named for the high
school team that also plays there.
“Nothing can stop us from playing,
but it would be great to have our own stadium,”
Wallace said.
His wish is about to come true. At
their meeting last weekend, the Adrian College Board
of Trustees approved a $6.5 million project to construct
a multisport performance stadium and a new track. The
project is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2006.
In the 1950s the campus
used to have a football stadium, as shown in this
archival photo. It was located next to Caine Student
Center (then called Ridge Gymnasium). It was later
razed to make way for new academic buildings.
The College entered a cooperative arrangement
in the 1960s to use the new high school stadium,
which the College helped build.
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“This marks the beginning of
great things for Adrian College,” said President
Jeffrey Docking. “These changes will put us in
stride with the ever-increasing pace of higher education,
and will provide our students with an excellence of
experience that they can expect from Adrian College.”
The stadium will seat at least 2,500
fans. Features will include state-of-the-art synthetic
turf, stadium lighting, a fully-wired press box, and
an endzone section of student seating. The design of
the field may make the addition of new athletic programs
possible in the future.
There will be an Alumni Picnic Pavilion
at one end of the field. In addition, plans include
a dome that will be inflated at the conclusion of the
fall sports season that will cover half the field. It
will be heated and will nearly double Adrian’s
indoor winter athletic space.
In this archival photo, the
old Adrian College marching band takes the field.
In the background is an unfinished Ridge Gymnasium. |
The track will be constructed simultaneously,
and will be completely separate from the stadium. The
all-weather, eight-lane facility will include all required
amenities for post-season play, including a steeplechase
pit and all jumping and throwing areas.
“It won’t be long until
our teams will be playing at home, at their own facilities,”
said Rick Creehan, executive vice president and head
of the project. “Imagine having these events right
on campus, where it’s a short walk for students
to cheer on their classmates and have a great time.”
The football team will be playing
on campus for the first time since the late 1950s.
Funds for the project will be raised
through the Adrian College Development Office. Both
the stadium and the track are golden opportunities for
naming rights.
The new multisport performance
stadium and track will be located behind the Merillat
Sport & Fitness Center by September of 2006.
Pictured at the proposed site are (back row, l-r)
Rick Creehan, executive vice president; Jeff Webb,
head track & cross country coach; Jim Lyall,
head football coach; Tavarski “Taz”
Wallace, football; Matt Eichorn, football; Joel
Howland, football. In front are (l-r) Henry Mensing,
athletic director; Angela Hardesty, cross country;
Jeanine Carpenter, cross country; Carlos Lozano,
football; Dr. Jeffrey Docking, president; Gabe Garcia,
football. |
Architectural services will be provided
by Hastings & Chivetta, an industry leader in higher
education facilities. The firm designed the Merillat
Sport & Fitness Center on campus. Construction management
will be provided by the Douglas Company.
The project is a component of the
first of two phases being initiated by President Docking,
who became president in July. Renaissance I will focus
on athletic facilities, residence halls, and extracurricular
life. Renaissance II will focus on academics.
It is anticipated that the new track
and stadium will boost the campus atmosphere and school
spirit, and will help the College enroll more student
athletes. Taz Wallace – who, incidentally, is
just the kind of quality person and student leader that
President Docking says Adrian likes to have –
thinks it will work.
“It would be great to have more
students out to support us, and that would happen if
we were right on campus,” he said. “And
I think it will improve the kinds of students we can
get.
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