Moye Complex

Moye Complex
Mercer University Stadium
Full name Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex
Location 1400 Coleman Avenue
Macon, GA 31201
Owner Mercer University
Operator Mercer University
Capacity 10,200
Surface AstroTurf 3D Extreme
Construction
Broke ground November 12, 2011
Opened August 31, 2013[1]
Construction cost $14 million
Architect McMillan-Pazdan-Smith
General contractor Chris R. Sheridan & Co.
Tenants
Mercer Bears football team
Homer and Ruth Drake Field House
Moye Complex (under construction, view from the Homer and Ruth Drake Field House)

The Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex (also known as Moye Complex or Five Star Stadium) is a 10,200 seat football and lacrosse stadium on the campus of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States.[2][3] Construction began on November 12, 2011 and was completed in 2013; the AstroTurf 3D Extreme surface was completed in 2012, the football team conducted its first practice in the stadium on August 27, 2012.[4][5] The university initially announced the complex would have 6,000 seats; the number was increased to 10,200 in 2012.[6] The first football game at Moye Complex was on August 31, 2013; Mercer defeated Reinhardt University in front of an overflow crowd of 12,172 spectators.[7][8]

The complex has the following components: the Homer and Ruth Drake Field House, the William H. Anderson II Family Field, the Marshall and Jane Butler Family Plaza, and the Tony and Nancy Moye Family Football and Lacrosse Complex. Messrs. Drake, Anderson, Butler, and Moye are university trustees and were major donors towards the stadium.

On February 26, 2015, the stadium portion of the complex was named Five Star Stadium in recognition of a multi-million dollar financial commitment to Mercer athletics by Five Star Automotive Group, which owns dealerships in Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina.[9] The president of Five Star Automotive Group, Charlie Cantrell, is also president of the Mercer Athletic Foundation.

The complex is located adjacent to Mercer's other athletic facilities including Hawkins Arena (basketball and athletic department offices), Claude Smith Field (baseball), and Sikes Field (softball). There is a 101-room Hilton Garden Inn on university-owned land adjacent to the complex. Parking lots are available for visitors-spectators arriving via the Mercer University Drive exit off of Interstate 75.

Mercer has an NCAA Division I athletic program and fields teams in eight men's and ten women's sports; all university-sponsored sports compete in the Southern Conference except women's lacrosse and women's sand volleyball, which are not sponsored by the SoCon, and thus compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Football Ticket Office to Release Berm Seating Monday Morning". Mercer Athletics. August 14, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  2. ↑ Mercer : Mercer Unveils Plans, Breaks Ground for Football/Lacrosse Complex
  3. ↑ Shirley, Daniel (November 12, 2011). "Mercer Officially Breaks Ground on Stadium". The Telegraph (Macon). Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ Shirley, Daniel (July 31, 2012). "Mercer Complex Nearing Final Stages". The Telegraph (Macon). Retrieved July 31, 2012.
  5. ↑ Shirley, Daniel (August 27, 2012). "Mercer Hits the Football Practice". The Telegraph (Macon). Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  6. ↑ Lough, Michael A. (September 17, 2012). "Mercer’'s Lamb Enjoying Friday Nights". The Telegraph (Macon). Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  7. ↑ Shirley, Daniel (September 5, 2012). "Mercer to Host Reinhardt in 2013 Opener". The Telegraph (Macon). Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  8. ↑ Lough, Michael A. (September 1, 2013). "Mercer Makes History with First Victory". The Telegraph (Macon). Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  9. ↑ Daniel Shirley, "Mercer football/lacrosse stadium renamed following major donation", ‘’The Telegraph’’, February 26, 2015
  10. ↑ "Mercer University Accepts Invitation to Join the Southern Conference". Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Dawn of a New Era: Mercer Joins Southern Conference". Retrieved 19 September 2014.