MORGANTOWN, W.V., April 23, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- It was another major score for FieldTurf when it was announced that West Virginia has selected the world's artificial turf leader for the installation at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. The announcement was jointly made by West Virginia Director of Athletics Ed Pastilong and FieldTurf Tarkett CEO John Gilman. The installation of the new FieldTurf at Milan Puskar is scheduled to begin in mid-May. The Mountaineers will play the first game on their new FieldTurf on September 1 when they host Western Michigan in the '07 opener.
FieldTurf will replace the existing AstroPlay surface that was installed at Milan Puskar Stadium in 2002. Known for its raucous atmosphere and enthusiastic fans, Milan Puskar opened in 1980 and currently has a seating capacity of 60,000.
FieldTurf has become the turf of choice in The Big East. With the addition of West Virginia, five of the Big East's eight football schools will now play their home games on FieldTurf. WVU joins Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers and Syracuse as part of FieldTurf's Big East family.
"I am convinced we are installing the best surface out there," said WVU Head Coach Rich Rodriguez. "Not only will FieldTurf play extremely firm and fast, but it's the safest surface you can play on today."
"There's no doubt that earning the installation at West Virginia's Milan Puskar Stadium is another very significant notch in FieldTurf's belt," said Gilman. "The Mountaineers have one of the nation's top college football programs, and it's an honor to be associated with WVU. Coach (Rich) Rodriguez is one of the game's outstanding coaches, and I know how important it is to him for his players to play on the most state-of-the-art turf available. Mountaineer fans can absolutely count on seeing the world's best turf when their team takes the field against Western Michigan on September 1."
The Mountaineers are coming off a highly successful 2006 campaign that saw them finish with a record of 11-2, including a 38-35 victory over Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl. WVU's 11-2 slate earned them a spot in the Top Ten.
More than 40 major NCAA universities have FieldTurf in their stadiums, with many more utilizing it at their practice sites. In addition to the previously mentioned Big East schools, other universities who have FieldTurf in their football stadiums include Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin, Boston College, Oregon, Washington, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Missouri. In addition, 21 of the National Football League's 32 teams have FieldTurf at their stadiums and/or practice complexes. Also, Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays have FieldTurf at their respective stadiums.
FieldTurf is the result of years of research -- evident in the patented FieldTurf infill mix of silica sand and cryogenic rubber and patented layering process that delivers a system which emulates natural grass. Additional benefits are found in improved player safety, reduced maintenance costs and flexibility for conversion -- allowing stadium managers to quickly change the field from one sport to another or to easily host a variety of sporting events, concerts and other special events on top of the FieldTurf surface.
Over the past few years, the quality and performance of FieldTurf's patented system has resulted in over 1900 installations in more than 40 countries, and has made it the first choice for top stadiums around the world. FieldTurf is a privately held company that has revolutionized the artificial turf industry with its patented products and installation technologies. FieldTurf also offers a full range of artificial grass solutions. For more information on FieldTurf, please visit www.fieldturf.com