Paulson Stadium

Allen E. Paulson Stadium is a 24,300 seat on campus football stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.^[2] 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 win over Liberty University. The game was a fitting end to four years of planning one of the finest I-AA facilities in America.^[3] The phrase "Prettiest Little Stadium in America" was coined by former Coach Erk Russell.^[4] The stadium has also come to be known as "Our House" to reflect the extreme home field advantage (Overall record of 171-32 and home playoff record of 33-3).^[5]

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 Motz Group's Prescription Athletic Turf^[6] using Bermuda grass on a clay, sand and gravel base over an elaborate drainage system. The playing field was designed to accommodate both soccer and football. 26 climate-controlled luxury V.I.P. Skyboxes with lavish interiors, private restrooms and food service areas, along with separate Eagle Club and President's Luxury Sky Suites, 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 concession 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. Also after the passing of legendary coach Erk Russell a bust was added along the fence near the Gene Bishop Fieldhouse.

Expansion

The stadium was scheduled to undergo a massive construction and expansion project beginning in the offseason of 2012. However, the start of the project was delayed until the 2013 offseason.^[7] This expansion project will add additional seating to the stadium (increasing total capacity to 24,000+), and move all of Georgia Southern's football facilities to a state-of-the-art Football Operations Center at Paulson Stadium. At the time the plan was originally announced, the 57,000 square foot facility was intended to be first of class at the FCS level and rival many at the FBS level; by the time of completion, GSU will be a transitional FBS member in the Sun Belt Conference. The operations center will consist of coaches' offices, team meeting rooms, locker rooms, rehabilitation rooms, weight room and the Georgia Southern Football Hall of Fame. The $10 million facility is the largest privately funded project in the history of Georgia Southern University.

Special events

Paulson Stadium hosted the 1989, 1990 and 1991 NCAA Division I-AA National Football Championship Games. 25,725 fans, the largest crowd in Paulson Stadium history, saw Georgia Southern defeat Stephen F. Austin 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 artists such as Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, 3 Doors Down, The Fray, and The Band Perry.^[8][9]

References

External links

• Georgia Southern Eagles Sports Facilities
• Allen E. Paulson Stadium

Coordinates: 32°24′44″N 81°46′59″W / 32.412161°N 81.783135°W / 32.412161; -81.783135