Paulson Stadium

Allen E. Paulson Stadium

The Prettiest Little Stadium in America Our House The House that Erk Built
Location	207 Lanier Dr. Statesboro, GA 30458
Operator	Georgia Southern University
Capacity	25,000
Record attendance	25,735
Surface	Shaw Legion 41 synthetic turf[1]
Construction
Broke ground	1983
Opened	September 29, 1984
Renovated	2005, 2007-08, 2014
Expanded	2014
Construction cost	$4.7 million ($10.7 million in 2016 dollars[2]) $10 million (2014 expansion)
Architect	Heery-Fabrap, Inc.
Tenants
Georgia Southern University Eagles (NCAA) (1984-present)

Allen E. Paulson Stadium is a 25,000 seat on campus football stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.^[3] 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.^[4] The phrase "Prettiest Little Stadium in America" was coined by former Coach Erk Russell.^[5] The stadium has also come to be known as "Our House" to reflect the extreme home field advantage (Overall record of 177-33 and home playoff record of 33-3).^[6]

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 $250,000 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 was a 36-yard run around the right side by quarterback Tracy Ham against Liberty Baptist on September 29, 1984.

Features

Paulson Stadium during the pregame show with the Southern Pride marching band.

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.

From the stadium's opening in 1984 until the end of the 2015 season, Paulson Stadium used a natural grass surface. On February 5, 2016, the university's athletic department announced that an artificial surface supplied by Shaw Sports Turf of Calhoun, Georgia will be installed for the 2016 season.^[1]

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 increased Paulson Stadium's total capacity to 25,000 and moved all of Georgia Southern's football facilities to a state-of-the-art Football Operations Center onsite. 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; at the time of completion, Georgia Southern was a transitional FBS member in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ted Smith Family Football Center consists 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. The northern mid-deck was completed in time for the Spring 2014 commencement ceremony while the Ted Smith Family Football Center was formally dedicated on August 16, 2014.^[8]

Attendance records

Special events

Paulson Stadium hosted the 1989, 1990 and 1991 NCAA Division I-AA National Football Championship Games. 25,725 fans, 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 Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, 3 Doors Down, The Fray, and The Band Perry.^[9][10]

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