WHITEWATER, Wis., June 27, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The football team at Wisconsin-Whitewater proved to be the best in all of Division III last season, and now the Warhawks have chosen the best artificial turf on the market to enhance their championship pedigree. UW-Whitewater Athletics Director Paul Plinske and FieldTurf Tarkett CEO Joe Fields have announced that FieldTurf will be installed at Perkins Stadium. The latest-and-greatest polyethylene version of FieldTurf will be in place when the Warhawks open their 2008 home season against St. Xavier on September 5.
Wisconsin-Whitewater not only captured the NCAA Division III championship last season by winning the Amos Alonzo Stagg bowl, the Warhawks have advanced to that title contest in each of the last three years. In those last three campaigns, Wisconsin-Whitewater has posted a 42-3 record and captured three straight WIAC crowns without losing a single conference game (21-0).
"UW-Whitewater has always aspired to have the best athletic facilities in Division III," said Plinske. "Our football stadium is revered as one of the best football venues in America, but after hosting playoff games in November and December the past three years, we knew we needed to explore other surface options. We love playing on natural grass, but it just doesn't meet our current and long-term needs anymore. Our goal is to host more football games, band competitions and concerts. FieldTurf is the most respected artificial surface company in America. They have a great handle on their product, they do an outstanding job of educating their customer and they are service-oriented. Our players and coaches are ecstatic about the opportunity to play on FieldTurf. Our institution is looking forward to a long-term partnership with FieldTurf as we strive to build outstanding facilities for current and future Warhawk student-athletes."
"At FieldTurf, we consider ourselves to be the best in the world at what we do," said Fields. "It is an honor to be associated with a football program like Wisconsin-Whitewater that has proven year-in and year-out that they are also the very best at what they do. Perkins Stadium is getting the finest artificial turf there is, and we will provide Coach Leipold and the Warhawks with the absolute safest and most playable surface in existence."
"Our football program is extremely excited about the installation of FieldTurf at Perkins Stadium," said Head Football Coach Lance Leipold. "When the decision to change to a synthetic surface was made and we had the ability to go with the leader in this product, we knew that Perkins Stadium will stay amongst the best facilities in small college football. Personally, I have had past experiences with FieldTurf at Nebraska and at Nebraska-Omaha. I am well aware of the benefits it will give our team in dealing with the different weather conditions we have in Wisconsin, in practice, preparation both in-season and off-season and in games."
Originally named Warhawk Stadium, the facility's name was changed to Perkins Stadium to honor Forrest Perkins who coached football at UW-Whitewater for 29 years, while also serving as the school's athletics director and baseball coach. The stadium opened in September, 1970, and it is the sixth-largest Division III football facility in the country. Entering the 2008 season, the Warhawks have won 25 consecutive games at Perkins.
More than 50 major NCAA universities have FieldTurf in their stadiums, including Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Washington, Oregon, Boston College, Rutgers, Kansas State, Louisville and Missouri. Twenty-one of the NFL's 32 teams use FieldTurf at their stadium and/or practice facility. In addition, MLB's Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays have FieldTurf at their respective stadiums.
FieldTurf Tarkett is the largest entity in the sports surfacing industry and provides unparalleled leasing capabilities, engineering and manufacturing resources. In addition to its world-renowned FieldTurf and Prestige brands of artificial turf, FieldTurf Tarkett provides an equally impressive range of sports flooring products that includes synthetic and hardwood basketball, volleyball and gymnasium flooring, squash and racquetball courts, floor protection and covering systems, and weight room flooring. Also in the range of FieldTurf Tarkett products are indoor and outdoor running tracks including the high performance Le Monde track system, the Resisport track system, the Beynon track surfaces, playground surfacing, commercial and residential landscaping, and a complete range of tennis and golf surfaces. For more information, visit www.fieldturftarkett.com.