Field Maintenance

Field maintenance included measures to carefully manage the amount of water entering the turf. This involved the installation of canvas tarps on the field whenever rainfall was expected for several days preceding a game or practice session. The tarps were stored in large rolls along the sides of the field for easy access. The full- and part-time members of the maintenance crew working at the stadium or involved in maintenance operations at any of the numerous practice and playing fields under the control of the Athletic Department were the personnel needed to pull the tarps in place. Also, since the primary avenue by which water left the soil after infiltration was through evapotranspiration, irrigation was carefully monitored and controlled to limit the amount of water infiltrating the turf. A large traveling sprinkler with an adjustable speed control was used for irrigation. Based on the amount of moisture in the soil, the control was adjusted to set the speed at which the sprinkler traveled across the field. Given the flow rate of water through the nozzles of the sprinkler, controlling the sprinkler's rate of movement across the field controlled the amount of water applied to the turf. Through the combination of tarping and irrigation management, the turf's moisture requirements were met and a firm playing surface was maintained during the playing season.

Mowing was also an important component of the program for maintaining proper playing conditions. Since a football turf should provide a firm and resilient surface for secure footing, but also permit fast running speeds, close mowing heights are typically employed. Mowing too closely, however, could reduce turfgrass recuperative capacity and lead to pest problems. At Beaver Stadium, the turf had been mowed at 0.9 inch for many years. While higher than many coaches normally preferred, Bob mowed more frequently to produce a turf of high density that looks like it is mowed lower. A multifaceted cultivation program was employed each spring immediately following the intersquad game. This involved scalping (mowing at 0.63 inch), vertically mowing to remove excess thatch, coring with 0.75-inch-diameter tines at a 2- to 4-inch spacing, and matting to reincorporate the cores into the turf. Usually, an overseeding with perennial ryegrass was included just after coring but before matting. Fertilization practices were followed to sustain healthy growth while avoiding the soft and succulent growth that often results from excessive N use and to maximize wear tolerance. This usually involved the application of a complete fertilizer in May, immediately following the cultivation program, including 65 lb/acre from a combination of quickly available and slowly available N carriers. Using these same carriers, an additional 65 lb of N were applied in mid-August, followed by 9-lb applications every 2 weeks during the early part of the football season to sustain healthy growth. Finally, an additional 88 lb/acre of slowly available N were applied in late October to promote fall color and root growth, and early spring green-up the next year. In addition to cultural operations, maintenance activities also included lining the field. This involved usually two applications of an exterior latex paint before each game, and several additional applications in spring just before the intersquad game and in mid-August just before the start of the football season. At 60 gallons of paint per application and $5/gallon, lining the field constitutes a significant component of Bob's maintenance budget. Regardless of the care taken to control soil water, aeration, and fertility and protect the turf from paint-induced phytotoxicity of the turf gradually deteriorated. Annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass, whose presence is often indicative of poor drainage and excessive soil compaction, eventually invaded. As a consequence, the field had to be resodded several times since the time it was originally established to obtain acceptable turf quality. The last resodding was in the summer of 1993.