| InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field | |
|---|---|
| Full name | InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field |
| Location | Akron, Ohio, USA |
| Broke ground | February 18, 2008[1] |
| Opened | September 12, 2009 |
| Owner | University of Akron |
| Operator | University of Akron |
| Surface | Prograss |
| Scoreboard | 84 ft. wide, 64 ft. tall |
| Construction cost | $61.6 million USD |
| Architect | HNTB Architecture, Inc. |
| Project Manager | Welty Building Company[1] |
| Structural engineer | E.P.I. of Cleveland, Inc.[1] |
| General Contractor | Marous Brothers Construction[1] |
| Capacity | 27,881[1] |
| Record attendance | 27,881 |
| Tenants | |
| Akron Zips football (NCAA) | |
InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field is the home stadium of the Akron Zips football team at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. New for the 2009 football season, the official ground-breaking ceremony for the stadium was held on April 4, 2008[2] and it opened on September 12, 2009 for a sold out game between the Akron Zips and the Morgan State Bears.[3] The stadium was constructed to replace the Rubber Bowl, which was the prior home of the University of Akron Zips football team.[4]
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InfoCision Stadium is part of the continuation of a building initiative undergone by the University of Akron called the "New Landscape for Learning."[5] The $300 million construction program was completed in the fall of 2004 and included the construction of nine new buildings, the renovations or updating of 14 other buildings and structures, and numerous capital improvement projects. The New Landscape for Learning included a new Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences building, Honors Complex, a new Student Recreation and Wellness Center, and a new Student Union. Several public streets were closed to provide a more friendly environment for pedestrians and new greenspace.[6]
The Rubber Bowl, the former home of the Zips football team, was located six miles (10 km) off of the Akron campus.[7] An on-campus stadium had been long desired, and, in light of this and due to the high maintenance costs for the Rubber Bowl, the decision was made to construct an on-campus stadium.[8]
In order to build the new stadium, several dormitories had to be demolished and the properties of local tenants were acquired using eminent domain.[9][10][11] In order to house the displaced students, the University spent $22.6 million to purchase Quaker Square, a former Quaker Oats Company oat silo that was converted into a hotel.[12][13]
InfoCision Stadium holds 27,000 spectators in traditional seating with an additional 3,000 the grassy knoll on the south end of the stadium.[14] The cost for the stadium complex, including the endzone facility, was $61.6 million.
There are two team shops, one located on each side of the stadium. The scoreboard is 84 feet (26 m) wide and 60 feet (18 m) tall[15], and there are video ribbon boards located throughout.
The seven-level press tower contains concession stands, restrooms, 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m2). of academic space, and also a number of premium seating options. They include[16]:
The stadium also has a sloped, grassy hill at the south end of the field that, in addition to standing-room only areas, holds 3,000 people.[17] The section is used to accommodate spillover from the 5,000 seat student section, also known as the "Roo Zoo" that is located in the bleachers adjacent to the hill on both sides of the field.
The home opener of the 2009 football season marked the first game held in InfoCision Stadium. In it, the Zips defeated Morgan State 41-0.[18] To mark the occasion, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to inaugurate the new stadium. Amongst those who cut the ribbon were Don Plusquellic (Mayor of Akron), Betty Sutton (member of the United States House of Representatives), and Luis Proenza (President of the University of Akron).[19]
Four companies hold naming rights to various parts of the stadium. The stadium is named for InfoCision Management Corporation and the playing field for Summa Health System. In the press tower on the stadium's west side, the club seating is named after the Akron-based FirstMerit Corporation and the press box for the local Towpath Credit Union.
Principal naming rights for the stadium were purchased through a personal donation by Gary Taylor, Founder and Chairman of InfoCision Management Corporation, a firm based in nearby Bath Township that operates call centers.[20] Through Taylor's $10 million donation to the university, InfoCision secured naming rights for the stadium for twenty years.[21]
Summa Health System, an Ohio Non-Profit Hospital, purchased (by means of its for-profit insurance company, SummaCare) twenty years of naming rights for the field with a $5 million donation.[22]
FirstMerit Corporation, a diversified financial services company headquartered in Akron, purchased (by means of its charitable giving arm, FirstMerit Foundation) naming rights for the club level seating of the press tower for ten years.[23]
Towpath Credit Union, formerly called the "Akron Teachers Credit Union", pledged $100,000 over five years to secure naming rights to the press box located in top level of the press tower. The press box will be referred to as the Towpath Credit Union Press Box at least until 2013, with an additional option for a five year extension through 2018.[24]
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