Fresno State Athletics
Bulldogs Build Field of Dreams
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Michael Smoose
Fresno State Media Relations
FRESNO, Calif. - Bulldog fans who went past the corner of Bulldog Lane and Millbrook this summer may have look and seen only a ponding basin. Head coach Pat Hill saw something else. Along with athletic trainer Paul Schechter, Hill turned the ponding basin into the Bulldogs' new practice facility.
Plans for the new facility started last December after the season was over. The field had been torn up during football season and in the spring it was going to be used for parking by the Fresno Grizzlies minor league baseball team.
The old field needed to be renovated, but due to the bad weather and the Grizzlies, there was not enough time to repair the field. With this in mind, Hill and Schechter got started on finding the Bulldogs a new home.
"Shortly after we knew the field wasn't going to be usable, Paul and I went down and started taking measurements," Hill said.
Once he had the measurements done, Schechter started working with architects to get a design. Schechter also started working with local business to put the project in motion. Over 30 local business contributed time, money or material for the new facility.
With the blue prints complete it was time to start constructing the field. Before the field was turned into the new practice facility, it was used for parking and as an alternative soccer field. Before the new practice facility was constructed, men's and women's soccer had to share a field. Now both programs have their own dedicated practice fields.
Ground was broken on July 6th and in a little over a month, the field was complete. The new practice facility was unveiled during media day and what the media saw was one of finest facilities on the west coast.
"They were amazing," Hill said. "They worked weekends, nights and any other time they had to get the job done. That's the mentality of people in this community. It's as good as any practice facility in the WAC or in the PAC-10."
The main practice facility contains two natural grass fields, one 120-yards long and the other is 100-yards long. At the north end of the field is a multi-purpose building that house storage space with restrooms and a small conference area. Outside of the building is an area for a outdoor weight facility.
Twenty-five second clocks, which will be used during game simulation drills and scrimmages, are placed at the north and south ends of the 120-yard field. In years past, the Bulldogs would have to cut practice short later in the season because of the lack of daylight, but the new practice field has lights installed so the Bulldogs can practice into the evening.
Strange as it may seem, the players might be the most happy about practicing now. On top of dodging each other, the players had to avoid pieces of glass left over from tailgating and other debris on the old field.
"The new field is a lot nicer than the old one," senior Tim Skipper said. "At least we don't have to worry about getting cut by glass. I never realized how bad that old field was until we got on the new one."
Skipper's defensive teammate Jerry Lemon echoes Skippers' remarks.
"There's a great deal of improvement," Lemon. "The last one was like a parking lot. It's a nice little getaway."
One the features of the new practice facility, due in part to the old ponding basin, is that it is constructed below street level. When the team practiced east of Bulldog Stadium the coaches had to contend with traffic and other distractions.
"It's a lot better environment for practice," Hill said. "We don't have to contend with people walking by and guys falling on golf balls."
The new practice facility will also coaches in recruiting. Top facilities bring in top recruits. Considering student-athletes spend a good portion of their week practicing, a good practice facility is important to the program.
"This will help us draw recruits," Hill said. "We never showed them the old practice field."
Whether they're bringing in a top recruit, working on next week's game plan or going through summer conditioning, the Bulldogs have a facility of which they can be proud.
"This shows that Fresno State is a top Division-I program with first class facilities," Lemon said. "The new practice facility is proof that we're going in the right direction."
