University of Georgia Athletics
Board of Directors Approves Practice Field Renovation
September 20, 2013 | General
Sept. 20, 2013
ATHENS--------- The University of Georgia Athletic Association Board of Directors approved a $3 million expenditure for renovation of the football practice fields during its quarterly meeting in Athens on Friday.
Included in the project are resurfacing both of the artificial turf practice fields, replacing the concrete wall that surrounds three-fourths of the field area, and erecting three permanent filming towers to replace the hydraulic lifts currently used by the Georgia video staff.
During the meeting director of athletics Greg McGarity also updated the Board on progress towards the renovations at Foley Field and conducting further study on improvements to the equestrian facility.
University of Georgia President Jere Morehead made a point to note last year's football game at Missouri and the hospitality of the entire Missouri Tigers community. He said he hoped that the Georgia community would make the Tigers' trip to Athens on Oct. 12 as pleasurable for Missouri as the Bulldogs trip to Columbia, Mo., was.
Morehead also trumpeted the success the Georgia student-athletes have recently been experiencing in the classroom. Twenty-eight percent of the student-athletes achieved a grade point average [GPA] of 3.5, while 56 percent recorded a GPA higher than 3.00. The recipients of the Faculty Athletics Representative Award were also announced to the board, the winners for the past academic year were men's cross country (3.18 GPA) and women's tennis (3.48 GPA).
McGarity also introduced new head baseball coach Scott Stricklin who briefly addressed the board. Sticklin highlighted his coaching philosophy, which includes a heavy emphasis on discipline and competing in every facet of life on and off the field. He also shared with the board that he was born in Athens, Ohio and played for the Athens Bulldogs growing up so felt coaching at Georgia was a perfect fit.
At the conclusion of McGarity's report he presented a game ball to President Morehead to mark the football team's first victory of Morehead's tenure against South Carolina. The ball featured a special panel sewn onto one of the four sides that include the score, date and opponent.
