Paulson Stadium

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Allen E. Paulson Stadium
nickname = "The Prettiest Little Stadium in America"


location = Lanier Dr.
Statesboro, GA 30458
coordinates =
broke_ground = 1983
opened = September 29, 1984
renovated = 2007
demolished =
owner = Georgia Southern University
operator = Georgia Southern University
surface = Prescription Athletic Turf
construction_cost = $4.7 million USD
architect = Heery-Fabrap, Inc
former_names =
tenants = Georgia Southern University Eagles (NCAA) (1984-Present)
seating_capacity = 18,000

Allen E. Paulson Stadium is an 18,000-seat on campus football stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. [ [http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/vtour/paulson.php Campus Tour: Paulson Stadium] , Accessed July 28, 2008] It is home to the Georgia Southern Eagles football team and the focal point of Erk Russell Athletic Park.

Paulson Stadium was dedicated on Sept. 29, 1984 with a 48-11 rout of Liberty Baptist University. The game was a fitting end to four years of planning one of the finest I-AA facilities in America [ Georgia Southern Football Media Guide, 2004. 9 ] . The phrase "Prettiest Little Stadium in America" was coined by former Coach Erk Russell. [ [http://www.georgiasoutherneagles.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=18700&ATCLID=1247792 Allen E. Paulson Stadium - Georgia Southern University Eagles Athletics ] ] The stadium has also come to be known as "Our House" to reflect the extreme home field advantage. [ Georgia Southern Football Media Guide, 2004. 187 ]

History

The stadium is named for the late Allen E. Paulson, founder and owner of Gulfstream Aerospace, who donated more than $1 million toward construction of the facility. The late State Senator Glenn Bryant of Hinesville donated over a quarter-million dollars for the property. To recognize his gift, the playing surface of the stadium is named "Glenn Bryant Field".

The first game in Paulson was originally scheduled for September 1, 1984, against the Florida A& M Rattlers, but construction delayed by wet weather forced this game to be played in Savannah. The first touchdown scored in "Our House" was a 36-yard run around the right side by quarterback Tracy Ham against Liberty Baptist University on September 29, 1984.

Features

The stadium features a Prescription Athletic Turf with special Bermuda on a clay, sand and gravel base over an elaborate drainage system. The playing field was designed to accommodate both soccer and football. Special climate-controlled VIP boxes with luxurious interiors, private restrooms and food service areas, plus a 50-seat pressbox and film deck overlook the playing surface on the south side of the stadium. Prior to the start of the 2005 season, a brick façade was built along the walls of Paulson Stadium while the video scoreboard was also surrounded with a brick garden/façade. Built in 2006, the Gene Bishop Fieldhouse sits in the western open end of the natural bowl, replacing the Lupton Building, the stadium's original fieldhouse. The field level of the Bishop Fieldhouse includes team and officials dressing rooms, while the second level houses a hospitality room and club-level seating. In the summer of 2007, the south concourse was improved with red brick walls on the consession stands and a paver sidewalk, and the stadium's parking area was also updated. The north concourse received similar renovations during the spring semester of 2008.

Constructed at a cost of $4.7 million, the stadium was designed with two expansion phases in mind. The first would increase the capacity to approximately 35,000, while the final phase would expand seating to 50,000. However, because of the lack of effort on the part of school leadership, neither of these additions have been implemented. Permanent light fixtures were added prior to the 1994 season.

pecial Events

Paulson Stadium hosted the 1989, 1990 and 1991 NCAA Division I National Football Championship Games. 25,725 fans, the largest crowd in Paulson Stadium history, saw Georgia Southern defeat Stephen F. Austin University in the 1989 NCAA Championship Game. Temporary bleachers were brought in and installed in the east endzone and on the northern concourse to handle the standing-room-only crowd.

The stadium has also hosted concerts for artist such as Brad Paisley and 3 Doors Down. [ [http://www.statesboroherald.com/news/archive/3387/ Brad Paisley to perform in Statesboro Friday (Archives) ] ]

References

External links

[http://www.georgiasoutherneagles.com/sports/facilities.aspx?sport=1004 Georgia Southern Eagles Sports Facilities]