Topic: DAILY MAIL: MARSHALL FOOTBALL: New turf’s benefits aren’t just looks alone

[biggreenarms]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — When the new artificial turf is placed at Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium, the benefits will go beyond the cosmetic.

That field won’t just please student-athletes’ eyes. Athletic department officials said the new turf will please their knees, ankles and other body parts as well.

Marshall began tearing out the stadium’s nine-year-old turf on the Monday following the Thundering Herd football team’s Green-White spring game, said Scott Morehouse, Marshall’s associate athletic director for game operations and facilities. The new turf, AstroTurf GameDay Grass MT, should be done by June 8, he said. The Tarmac material around the field will be done between June 28 and July 5.

The total cost of the project is $750,000.

Tom Belmaggio, Marshall’s head athletic trainer, said the project should better save student-athletes from injury. The design of the new turf, plus the fact that it’s new, should cut down on players twisting knees and ankles with as much force as before.

“When we see lower extremity injuries, the athlete will say it felt like their foot got stuck,” Belmaggio said. “With the new turf, there’s going to be less of that. There will be less rotational force on the ankle, the knee, the hip, all way up to the back if you look at whole kinetic chain.”

Belmaggio added that the new turf also should help in cutting down on concussions. He said that was the case when Marshall installed the same turf at its new soccer stadium.

“When players dive to the ground for a play, it helps for that situation,” he said. “People think concussions just happen when athletes collide. Yes, they do happen then, but concussions also can occur when head hits the ground.”

The infill of the turf will be a rubber-sand combination, as it is with the turf that was installed at the soccer stadium and will be installed in Marshall’s new indoor athletic complex, Morehouse said. New technology should help it last longer as well. Morehouse said the polymers that make up the turf fibers are lasting longer and the sun won’t cause the fibers to deteriorate as quickly.

He added that it also should last longer because there won’t be as many feet treading upon it. The recently removed Edwards Stadium turf welcomed not just the football team, but the baseball team, women’s track team and both men’s and women’s soccer teams. The new soccer stadium, plus the new indoor facility, should reduce that impact.

“We hope it takes less wear and tear and hope to go nine, 10 or 11 years with the new turf,” Morehouse said. “The longer, the better for us.” The look of the turf won’t change much. Marshall’s block “M” logo, with “The Herd” stripped across it, will adorn midfield. The Conference USA logos will be the new red, white and blue version. Both will face the home sideline, but one will be on the west part of the field and one will be on the east part. There will be a slight color difference in the end zones, which will have “Marshall” spelled out in both. Morehouse said they’ll look a little more like Kelly green.

The trucks carrying that new turf should be at Marshall by May 19, Morehouse said, and everything right now is on schedule.

“We’re right where we need to be,” Morehouse said. “The timing is great, as long as we have decent weather.”

Belmaggio is happy that it won’t just look better, but feel better as well.

“To the sports medicine staff, we think this is great,” Belmaggio said. “It will add more of prevention component to treating injuries.”

http://www.charlestondailymail.com/article/20140513/DM03/140519690/1311

[herd2win]

Nice to see that the endzones will be Kelly green instead of the same as the playing surface.  I wanted a little more update but this will look nice.

[lexkyherdfan]

Nice to see that the endzones will be Kelly green instead of the same as the playing surface.  I wanted a little more update but this will look nice.

I think this will look more natural and nice.  The Kelly Endzones will look great.  I am surprised more posts are not here about thsi as big of deal as so many made about the looks of the new turf.  It will really make the field look nice this fall.

[SuperAnjario]

Anyone have a link to the thread with all the mock-ups?  Pretty sure this exact design was tossed around as a possibly. 

[Surbadger]

Anyone have a link to the thread with all the mock-ups?  Pretty sure this exact design was tossed around as a possibly. 

Here you go: http://www.herdfans.com/12thman/index.php?topic=73177.0

[srvfla14]

Marshall has a 118-19 overall record at Joan C. Edwards stadium for a winning percentage of .866. That is the highest home winning percentage in NCAA Division 1 FBS. The University of Alabama ranks second with an .825 winning percentage at Bryant-Denny Stadium


ENOUGH SAID

[Sam-I-am]

I like the idea of Kelly endzones.  I remember a story from an old timer who sat in the north endzone during the Fairfield days.  If you remember, those endzones were white, but the white did not go all the way to the out of bounds lines.....it stopped a foot or so short.  He said he remembered MU losing a game because the WR caught the ball outside of the white, but inside of the OOB line.  However the ref waived the catch OOB.  Always wondered if that story was true.   We could have pulled a Boise and had the entire field Kelly green.   ;D

[Herdmeister]

Marshall has a 118-19 overall record at Joan C. Edwards stadium for a winning percentage of .866. That is the highest home winning percentage in NCAA Division 1 FBS. The University of Alabama ranks second with an .825 winning percentage at Bryant-Denny Stadium


ENOUGH SAID

Just think what it would have been minus the Snyder years?

[The E-Man]

Just think what it would have been minus the Snyder years?

Ty you beat me to it, I was thinking the exact same thing..

[Herdmeister]

Ty you beat me to it, I was thinking the exact same thing..

E-man, I would say that great minds think a like but I don't think you'd appreciate me lowering your intelligence level to mine.   ;)

[The E-Man]

E-man, I would say that great minds think a like but I don't think you'd appreciate me lowering your intelligence level to mine.   ;)

LOL, If I had a fraction of your intelligence, I'd be a genius!  ;D

[herdfan429]

LOL, If I had a fraction of your intelligence, I'd be a genious!  ;D

Or spell check.  Sorry Eman I had to haha

[The E-Man]

Or spell check.  Sorry Eman I had to haha

Thanks, bro,, LOL   :D , I would be a genius, if only I could spell it.. lmao :P

[Thunders]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing with the record. Take the Snyder years out of that and we have a winning record no one would touch.

[banker]

Snyder was 17-12 at home. Doc is 17-6. Pruett was 57-3.  Donnan was 45-4.

I add that up and I get 136-25 all time at the Joan including IAA playoffs.  So I get an .8447 winning percentage.  I have seen the 118-19 number, but not sure where it comes from or whether it's just old. Obviously, that's only a 137 games, but we have played 161 games in the Joan.

[gochneaur645]

Lol, Snyder had 12 losses in 5 years while the others have 13 losses in 18 years.

[MarshallMatrix]

GameDay Grass
http://www.astroturf.com/gameday-grass/