Frostburg Athletics Facilities See Major Upgrades
Sep 26, 2018 3:25 PM
By Robert Spahr ’13
When FSU’s student-athletes and their fans returned to campus this fall, they were greeted by a number of upgrades and renovations to athletic facilities that happened over the summer, most notably in Bobcat Stadium and to the tennis courts.
One of the most visible changes, the installation of a large, state-of-the-art video scoreboard in Bobcat Stadium, is made possible thanks to a very generous donor who wishes to remain anonymous. The scoreboard will greatly enhance the game-day experience for fans and athletes on the teams that compete in Bobcat Stadium: men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s lacrosse, field hockey, track & field and football.
“This is a really incredible upgrade for Bobcat Stadium, our athletes and their fans,” said FSU athletic director Troy Dell. “With its giant high-definition screen, the scoreboard brings larger-than-life live game footage and instant replays, giving each fan an up-close view of the action. It also allows us to share student-athlete stats, trivia, photos and more with our fans, all of which should make for an amazing experience when the Bobcats take the field.”
All improvements were funded through student athletics fees, gifts from alumni and friends to the FSU Foundation or auxiliary funds. As is the case for all Bobcat Athletics activities, no tuition or state dollars were spent on athletics.
While the scoreboard is the most visible change, athletes will also find a new and improved surface beneath their feet. In June, the field at Bobcat Stadium was resurfaced in FieldTurf Classic HD, an artificial turf commonly used by collegiate and professional sports stadiums around the world. Ball-stopper netting was installed at the same time to create a safer playing and viewing environment for lacrosse games. The previous artificial playing surface, which had been installed in 2006, was due for replacement.
Frostburg’s tennis courts, which sit beside Bobcat Stadium, are also being updated. All six lighted playing courts were resurfaced over the summer after the previous surface had reached the end of its expected lifetime. Tennis facility updates are continuing into the fall thanks to another generous donor, alumnus Kurt Pfluger, Class of 1980, and his wife Bonnie, who are funding the tennis complex’s new scoreboard, which is still to be installed.
The scoreboard’s installation should be completed by late fall. The dedicated scoreboard will have the capacity to simultaneously display live statistics for matches on all six courts.
At Homecoming, the women’s tennis locker room will be formally dedicated in memory of Pfluger’s sister, Lea Pfluger Flaim, a 1982 alumna. Flaim played for the Bobcat women’s tennis team during the years in which the team saw its first individual state champion (1979) and earned a second-place team finish in the state championship tournament (1980).
Frostburg’s athletics facilities are also available for use by community groups, such as Maryland Special Olympics, each summer. This summer, 25 groups utilized those facilities, bringing about 7,500 guests to campus.
For information about making a gift to support athletics through the FSU Foundation, call John Short, vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the FSU Foundation, at 301-687-4068 or visit www.frostburg.edu/foundation/ways-to-give.
