Mihalik-Thompson Stadium Renovation Photo Gallery
Turf Layout (PDF)
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Mihalik-Thompson Stadium on the campus of Slippery Rock University will take on a new look for the fall of 2012. Renovations began this month to install a new field turf on Bob DiSpirito Field with a completion date set for mid-June.
“We're very excited about this project,” said
Paul Lueken, SRU director of athletics. “The new turf is going to provide an excellent playing surface for many of our teams and is going to feature some aesthetic improvements for the fans as well.”
Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, which received a name change last fall to honor current and long-time head football coach
George Mihalik, is home to all Rock football, field hockey and lacrosse games. The stadium also serves as the home field for multiple men's and women's soccer contests throughout the year and is home to the Bill Lennox Track and Field Complex as well.
The new field turf, which is scheduled to be completed by June 15 pending the weather, will feature an upgraded surface that will feel more similar to grass than the previous turf.
The most notable change will be seen in the end zones, as the traditional field-colored green end zones will be replaced by a filled-in end zone, colored light gray. One end zone with feature large “SRU” type, while the other will read “ROCK,” both in white lettering with black outlines.
The center circle will feature a large white “S” logo in white type and black outline.
The final aesthetic change to the field will be a permanent marking in one corner that reads “Bob DiSpirito Field” in black type.
The Rock football team will kick off its 2012 season on the new turf with a Thursday night game, Aug. 30 against Seton Hill at 7 p.m.
The initial phase of laying the turf has been started, with the center of the field and end zones now in place. To view photos of the current renovations, visit the photo gallery linked above. To view the final anticipated layout, click the PDF linked above.
Updates on the progress of the renovations will continue to be posted to www.RockAthletics.com throughout the summer and the photo gallery will be updated to show the changes in the progress.
