Allen E. Paulson Stadium at Evans Family Field is a 25,000-seat on-campus football stadium in Statesboro, Georgia.[2] It is home to the Georgia Southern Eagles football team and the focal point of Erk Russell Athletic Park.
The Prettiest Little Stadium in America Our House The House that Erk Built | |
 Paulson Stadium on September 25, 2014, where a then-record crowd of 24,535 saw Georgia Southern defeat Appalachian State | |
  Allen E. Paulson Stadium Location in Georgia  Allen E. Paulson Stadium Location in the United States | |
| Location | 207 Lanier Dr. Statesboro, Georgia 30458 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°24′44″N 81°46′59″W / 32.412161°N 81.783135°W |
| Owner | Georgia Southern University |
| Operator | Georgia Southern University |
| Executive suites | 26 private booster boxes, film deck and a two-level working press box. |
| Capacity | 25,000 |
| Record attendance | 26,483 |
| Surface | FieldTurf Vertex Prestige with CoolPlay |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1983 |
| Opened | September 29, 1984 |
| Renovated | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014 |
| Expanded | 2012, 2013, 2014 |
| Construction cost | US$4.7 million ($13.8 million in 2023 dollars[1]) $10 million (2014 expansion) |
| Architect | Heery-Fabrap, Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| Georgia Southern Eagles (NCAA) (1984–present) | |
| Website | |
| https://www.gseagles.com | |
Paulson Stadium was dedicated on September 29, 1984, with a 48–11 win over Liberty University. The game was a fitting end to four years of planning one of the finest I-AA facilities in America.[3] The phrase "Prettiest Little Stadium in America" was coined by former Coach Erk Russell.[4] The stadium has also come to be known as "Our House" to reflect the extreme home field advantage (Overall record of 193–41 and home playoff record of 33–3).[5]
History
editThe stadium is named for the late Allen E. Paulson, founder and owner of Gulfstream Aerospace, who donated more than $1 million toward construction of the facility. The late State Senator Glenn Bryant of Hinesville donated over $250,000 for the property. To recognize his gift, the playing surface of the stadium was named Glenn Bryant Field until 2024. The field was renamed to Evans Family Field ahead of the 2024 season after Brianna and RT Evans of Evans General Contractors donated $3 million to the Georgia Southern Athletics, the single largest donation in university history.[6]
The first game in Paulson was originally scheduled for September 1, 1984, against the Florida A&M Rattlers, but construction delayed by wet weather forced this game to be played in Savannah. The first touchdown scored was a 36-yard run around the right side by quarterback Tracy Ham against Liberty Baptist on September 29, 1984.
Features
edit
26 climate-controlled private boxes, along with separate Eagle Club and President's Luxury Sky Suites, plus a 50-seat pressbox and film deck overlook the playing surface on the south side of the stadium. Prior to the start of the 2005 season, a brick façade was built along the walls of Paulson Stadium while the video scoreboard was also surrounded with a brick garden/façade. Built in 2006, the Gene Bishop Fieldhouse sits in the western open end of the natural bowl, replacing the Lupton Building, the stadium's original fieldhouse. The field level of the Bishop Fieldhouse includes team and officials dressing rooms, while the second-level houses a hospitality room and club-level seating. In the summer of 2007, the south concourse was improved with red brick walls on the concession stands and a paver sidewalk, and the stadium's parking area was also updated. The north concourse received similar renovations during the spring semester of 2008. Also following the death of legendary coach Erk Russell, a bust was added along the fence near the Gene Bishop Fieldhouse.
From the stadium's opening in 1984 until the end of the 2015 season, Paulson Stadium used a natural grass surface. On February 5, 2016, the university's athletic department announced that an artificial surface supplied by Shaw Sports Turf of Calhoun would be installed for the 2016 season.[7] In 2023, the playing field and adjacent newly constructed Anthony P. Tippins Family Training Facility were outfitted with new FieldTurf Vertex Prestige artificial turf with a CoolPlay top layer.[8]
Expansion
editThe stadium was scheduled to undergo a massive construction and expansion project beginning in the offseason of 2012. However, the start of the project was delayed until the 2013 offseason.[9] This expansion project increased Paulson Stadium's total capacity to 25,000 and moved all of Georgia Southern's football facilities to a state-of-the-art Football Operations Center onsite. At the time the plan was originally announced, the 57,000-square foot facility was intended to be first of class at the FCS level and rival many at the FBS level; at the time of completion, Georgia Southern was a transitional FBS member in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ted Smith Family Football Center consists of coaches' offices, team meeting rooms, locker rooms, rehabilitation rooms, weight room and the Georgia Southern Football Hall of Fame. The $10 million facility is the largest privately funded project in the history of Georgia Southern University. The northern mid-deck was completed in time for the Spring 2014 commencement ceremony while the Ted Smith Family Football Center was formally dedicated on August 16, 2014.[10]
Attendance records
edit| Rank | Attendance | Date | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26,483 | Saturday, September 30, 2023 | Georgia Southern 38, Coastal Carolina 28 |
| 2 | 25,735 | Saturday, September 17, 2016 | Georgia Southern 23, UL-Monroe 21 |
| 3 | 25,725 | Saturday, December 16, 1989 | Georgia Southern 37, Stephen F. Austin 34 |
| 4 | 24,872 | Saturday, September 19, 2015 | Georgia Southern 48, The Citadel 13 |
| 5 | 24,535 | Thursday, September 25, 2014 | Georgia Southern 34, Appalachian State 14 |
| 6 | 24,134 | Saturday, August 31, 2024 | Boise State 56, Georgia Southern 45 |
| 7 | 24,078 | Saturday, November 11, 1989 | Georgia Southern 34, Chattanooga 13 |
| 8 | 23,551 | Saturday, October 17 2015 | Georgia Southern 56, New Mexico State 26 |
| 9 | 23,520 | Saturday, September 12, 2015 | Georgia Southern 43, Western Michigan 17 |
| 10 | 23,474 | Thursday, October 27, 2016 | Georgia Southern 10, Appalachian State 34 |
| 11 | 23,401 | Saturday, December 5, 2015 | Georgia Southern 7, Georgia State 34 |
| 12 | 23,389 | Thursday, October 26, 2023 | Georgia Southern 44, Georgia State 27 |
| 13 | 23,373 | Saturday, November 10, 2007 | Georgia Southern 22, Furman 24 |
Italics indicate games played as an FCS program (prior to the 2014 inaugural FBS season)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Campus Tour: Paulson Stadium Archived 2008-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved July 28, 2008
- ^ Georgia Southern Football Media Guide, 2004. 9
- ^ "Allen E. Paulson Stadium – Georgia Southern University Eagles Athletics". Georgiasoutherneagles.com. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
- ^ Georgia Southern Football Media Guide, 2004. 187
- ^ "Paulson Stadium Field to be Re-Named After Generous Donation From Evans Family". Georgia Southern University Athletics. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ Horsley, Kristina. "Shaw Sports Turf Selected to Provide the New Field for Paulson Stadium". Georgia Southern Eagles. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- ^ "New Turf Surface Installation Completed at Paulson Stadium". Georgia Southern University Athletics. 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
- ^ Cannady, Del (June 5, 2013). "Georgia Southern breaks ground on stadium expansion". Savannah, Georgia: WTOC-TV. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- ^ "Football Operations Center Ribbon Cutting and Eagle Fan Fest Set for August 16th". GSEagles.com. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.