Slippery Rock University Athletics

Bob DiSpirito Field at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium, the site of Rock home games since 1974, has a new look and feel.

In the fall of 2003, artificial turf and lights were added to the facility.

The Rock football team is also housed in a renovated locker room area.

DiSpirito Field at Thompson Stadium has been the scene of many exciting moments during its 31-year history:

October 19, 1974: The Rock rolled past Waynesburg, 41-3, in the first-ever game at the stadium.

Nov. 23, 1974: The Rock defeated West Chester, 20-7, to capture a third successive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship.

Nov. 22, 1997: The Rock defeated Ashland (Ohio), 30-20, in the opening  round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. That was The Rock’s first-ever win in NCAA postseason action.

Oct. 10, 1998:  Freshman wide receiver D.J. Flick caught a 51-yard “Hail Mary” pass from sophomore quarterback Randy McKavish as the final buzzer sounded to give The Rock a 27-21 win over archrival Indiana of Pa. That win propelled SRU to a second successive PSAC-Western Division championship.

Nov. 28, 1998: The Rock defeated Shepherd (W. Va.), 31-20, to advance to the NCAA Division II national semifinals for the first time in school history.

Nov. 13, 1999: The Rock defeated Lock Haven, 38-17, to “threepeat” as PSAC-Western Division champions.

Sept. 13, 2003: The Rock hosted Gannon in the first-ever night game at Thompson Stadium. That was also the debut on the AstroPlayer artificial turf surface.

Through the years, N. Kerr Thompson Stadium, named in honor of the legendary coach, has been a tough place for opponents to win.

Rock teams have had a .686 success rate, having won 109 of 161 games played at the 10,000-seat facility. SRU has compiled a 60-24 record at home since 1990 and a 37-12 mark in the last eight seasons.

During current head coach Dr. George Mihalik’s 18 seasons at the helm, The Rock has won 65 of 95 home games, a .684 success rate.

Mihalik-coached Rock teams won 19 straight home games before dropping the season-finale in 1999.

Rock teams have recorded perfect home records in five seasons at Thompson Stadium, highlighted by a 7-0 mark in 1998 and 6-0 records in 1982 and 1997.

The playing surface got a name of its own in 1995 when the university recognized Bob DiSpirito – the third winningest coach in school history – by dedicating the field in his honor.

DiSpirito’s Rock teams won 79 of 142 games and three PSAC championships during his 15-year reign as Rock head coach. That win total ranks as the third best in school history behind Thompson’s 24-season, 126-58-11 mark and Mihalik’s 19-season, 127-77-4 record.

DiSpirito’s Rock teams enjoyed most of their success on Thompson Field, the previous home of Rock football games. SRU won the final 13 games and 18 of the last 22 games played on the field located adjacent to Morrow Field House on the SRU campus.

In the final game played on old Thompson Field, SRU swamped Lock Haven, 76-0.

The move from the south side of the SRU campus to the east side and new Thompson Stadium wasn’t exactly a smooth one.

The stadium was originally scheduled to open in 1972, but construction delays ruined plans.

Construction was completed and the stadium was thought to be ready for its inaugural game on Sept. 21, 1974, against Muskingum (Ohio).

Heavy rains on the eve of that anticipated first game forced SRU to move the game and the following week’s game vs.  Edinboro to Butler High School, though.

Three weeks later, after 16,000 square feet of sod and two chimney drains on each side of the field were installed, The Rock finally got to play its first game at Thompson Stadium.

The Rock rolled over Waynesburg that afternoon in a memorable Homecoming contest and has continued to gather no moss in the 32 seasons it has called Thompson Stadium its home.

Of course, that analogy is now lost on Rock football fans since home Rock football games are now played on “fake grass.”

But the message is the same: Rock football teams are hard to beat at home, as the chart below clearly shows.