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Field conditions at Ohio Stadium

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OSU losing turf war, might replace grass field

Ohio State thinking about joining six other Big Ten stadiums that use artificial surfaces next football season.


By Doug Harris
Staff Writer

Friday, September 22, 2006


COLUMBUS ? Ohio State may have to replace the turf in its football stadium for the second time in four years, and coach Jim Tressel said the school probably will have discussions in the offseason about installing artificial turf.
Because of unfavorable weather conditions in August and September, the Ohio Stadium field is wearing away.
A long scrimmage during a downpour last month, extended use of a tarp because of rain before the opener and then unusually cool weather of late have conspired to prevent Don Patko, OSU's director of facilities, and his staff from producing that lush layer of grass they normally provide.
And with OSU and Penn State set to do battle Saturday, it's only going to get worse.
"With a grass field, it's hard to determine how it will recover," Patko said. "Obviously, if I had a month (of inactivity), I'd be feeling pretty good. But I don't."
The field will be assessed after the game. And if it doesn't look as if it will come around before the Buckeyes play at home again Oct. 7, it will have to be junked.
Patko has made arrangements with the Cygnet Turf farm near Bowling Green to provide new sod in strips 42 inches wide and 35 feet long. The cost of replacing the field is about $100,000, and Patko said the new turf would be safe to play on within a week.
Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern and Penn State are the only other Big Ten schools that play on natural grass. And Tressel said it's a continual battle to maintain those surfaces in Midwestern climates.
"I know in '02 our field was on its third (and final) year and was starting to slip a little bit, and it's kind of where we are now," he said.
OSU had an artificial surface for about 20 years in the 1970s and '80s, and Tressel is willing to consider installing another one in the offseason.
"The whole discussions (against them) were injuries and how hard the turf was back then, and those products are improved now," he said. "I'm sure those discussions will happen ? especially when you talk about the time, energy and money you spend keeping your field good in this part of the country."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125
or at [email protected].
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coastalbuck;614348; said:
If you're going to do that to a natural grass field, you might as well use artifical turf. I see it constantly in all sports, if you abuse the field and use it when conditions are not acceptable, it will show it.
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JT explained during his call-in show on 1460 yesterday that the goal is to divide practice time proportionately to the playing surfaces the team will play on in games, e.g some practices on grass, some on field turf, and on rare occassions the old-school astroturf.

On Hooley's radio show yesterday evening, Gene Smith said that the new field is already a done deal. They are ripping the old field out immediately after Saturday's game, and the new field will be completed by Sunday, so it'll have two weeks to sit before it is played on.
 
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The only bad thing about putting new sod down is that we lose the artificial layer that holds the turf together. New grass is going to get more torn up than the field has in the past. I would hate to see the Shoe go back to any type of fake turf, but I hear the new stuff is pretty good
 
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I am playing at Fawcett tonight which is field turf and I will tell you if i like it or not. My school practiced at Paul Brown on wednesday night which is the good ole' astroturf. The old stuff doesn't feel to great when you get tackled on it.
 
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Bucks21;614455; said:
I am playing at Fawcett tonight which is field turf and I will tell you if i like it or not. My school practiced at Paul Brown on wednesday night which is the good ole' astroturf. The old stuff doesn't feel to great when you get tackled on it.
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I assume you are talking about the practice facilities because the field at PBS is a brand of fieldturf not astroturf.
 
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Football should be played on grass. End of discussion, far as I'm concerned. They were able to play football in the mud too, I should add. I recognize of course that there is an increased injury risk when the playing surface is poor, and I'm obvioulsy not in favor of risking these kids playing futures. Still, football has been played for a very long time and on crappy surfaces and I don't know that injuries were more prevelant back in 1950 than they are in 2006. (They may well be more prevelant now (Or then), I'm just not aware of them being so)
 
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CrabMan;614504; said:
I assume you are talking about the practice facilities because the field at PBS is a brand of fieldturf not astroturf.
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I'm guessing that he's talking about Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massilon. I believe it's still astroturf, and is a lot closer to Wooster than Cincinnati is.
 
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Buckeyeskickbuttocks;614507; said:
Football should be played on grass. End of discussion, far as I'm concerned. They were able to play football in the mud too, I should add. I recognize of course that there is an increased injury risk when the playing surface is poor, and I'm obvioulsy not in favor of risking these kids playing futures. Still, football has been played for a very long time and on crappy surfaces and I don't know that injuries were more prevelant back in 1950 than they are in 2006. (They may well be more prevelant now (Or then), I'm just not aware of them being so)
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We're not watching the same game as the one from the 50's. This game is alot more fun to watch if you have better conditions for the teams. Three yards and a cloud of rubber debris doesn't fly in today's football.
 
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