Rate this venue        
A bit of a dumpSubstandardGood standardExcellent facilitiesWorld-Class venue (4 votes, average: 2.75/5)
Loading ... Loading ...

Hattiesburg, Mississippi // USA | Home to: Southern Miss Golden Eagles NCAA I-A - C-USA // College Football

Mapping

Profile


M. M. Roberts Stadium is an American football stadium located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is the home of the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles football team.

Capacity 33,000
Opened October 29, 1932
Owner Univ. of Southern Mississippi
Operator Univ. of Southern Mississippi
Surface
Location College Dr & Eagle Walk
Hattiesburg, MS 39406
Construction cost $6.3 million (1976 renovation)

The stadium was originally opened on October 29, 1932 as “Faulkner Field”, with a wooden grandstand which held 4,000 spectators at the time. It was named for local businessman L.E. Faulkner, who financed the materials and equipment for the stadium, which was built for free by local jobless workers during the Great Depression. In 1938, permanent concrete stands which also housed dormitory space for student-athletes were built on the east side of the field, with the help of Southern Miss football players hauling the concrete. It was from this that the stadium received the nickname “The Rock” (in reference to prison work crews-none of which were used to build the stadium).

The stadium was expanded again in 1950, when the 7,500-seat West Stadium Dormitory stands were built for $350,000. Later, 2,000 bleacher seats were added, as well as new lights (the stadium had lights as early as 1934) and a new scoreboard. By the end of this expansion, the stadium sat 15,000.

In 1976, the stadium was rebuilt, with two sets of double-decked grandstands on either side for $6.3 million. It was opened on September 25, 1976 with a game against in-state rival Ole Miss. The new stadium (but not the field itself) was renamed for M. M. Roberts, an alumni of then-Mississippi College and member of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. He is credited for helping to build the school up to its current university status, the largest such school in Mississippi south of Jackson.

In 1989, the current press box was added. Other improvements to the stadium include the Southern Miss Athletic Center, a field house and athletics training facility opened in 2002 in the north end zone, new lighting poles, new south stands that are being added, as well as the new Momentum Turf field added in 2004. The new playing field was renamed Carlisle-Faulkner Field in honor of the contributions of Gene Carlisle, an entrepeneur and alumnus who funded much of the project to add an artificial surface to the stadium.

The stadium has seen many great Southern Miss players throughout its years, including Derrick Nix, Sammy Winder, Reggie Collier, Hall of Fame kicker Ray Guy, and future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.

(source .. wikipedia) reproduced under GFDL

[ Anything to add? Spotted an error? Click here to improve this entry ]

Images

Why not add your photos?
Some of the above images are reproduced from external sources under the license of the Creative Commons Project

Useful Links


The ACC.com - The Official website of the Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Association website
University of Southern Mississippi
Southern Miss Golden Eagles

[ Anything to add? Spotted an error? Click here to improve this entry ]

Your Reviews

Add your Review

Your review:
Offensive content and language will be removed

By clicking submit, I agree that these comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of sportingsights.com.