Eastern Michigan to Install Gray Field Turf for Upcoming Season
This will look quite odd.
Anything that has people talking about their program is a good thing. Blue turf has worked wonders at Boise, and red turf led to a national championship I believe for that FCS team (can't remember if it was Eastern Kentucky or Eastern Washington, ect. ect).
I'd say what's worked wonders at Boise State is three increasingly successful coaches: Koetter, Hawkins, and Peterson. If they'd hired Charlie Weis and Tim Brewster, the blue field would be a joke.
Well, if they're going to do it right, the turf itself won't be enough—they'll have to bring in broken beer bottles, rusted auto parts, tires, used tampons and condoms, old Burger King wrappers, dog feces, cigarette butts, and bloody syringes.
don't understand Eastern Michigan
Installing a grey field is admittedly a superficial change, but it is an earnest attempt at standing out. Anything EMU can do to make a name for itself they have to try. It will be interesting to see which is why I am heading out for the Morgan State game to see it.
The Western Washington and Boise St games are on TV all the time and I have only had one sezuire while flipping channels. Gray would be an improvement though I might prefer two tone green with some 50 yard line Rat Fink pin stripes.
I get it. EMU has to do something to get people talking about their program, but the only way you can really do that is win. And all I can say to that is good luck. The man who finds a way to win at EMU might be on par with Nick Saban.
A grey field. Makes me proud to be on faculty at EMU. I mean, what else could you do with that 500k?
If they have to redo the field anyway...it really doesn't matter cost wise if it's green or grey.
Michigan just redid it's field turf not too long ago. It doesn't last forever.
Better to be a good FCS program than horrible FBS. One of my degrees is from EMU, it is just a tough challenge to get mindshare of students (let alone recruit) with AA just down the road. CMU and WMU don't have MSU a few miles away, they have more local and regional following and more student body interest because of residential student populations not to mention much better game day environments. Many EMU students commute so once they leave campus, they are gone. Given the Hurons, oops, Eagles performance, most students prefer watching or going to UM games or watching other major college games of interest.
I hope the new coach has some success, I really do, and, I for one don't think grey turf is going to help him.
Winning is imperative to create interest. MAC is fun conference. Even winning is not a guarantee of filling Rynearson though, but crowds of 15-20k would be a huge improvement.
Schools with odd colored turf look really annoying and cheesey and makes the program look like a circus. At least Boise beat almost everyone they played so they could play the novelty card.
And, where is EMU finding the money?
If it's supposed to be like a parking lot, is there a handicapped area near the end zone that EMU gets to try to score from?
Western Michigan was going to have a brown field installed before last season but the NCAA told them they were not allowed to because the color of your field can not match the color of the football or the color of your jersey. So instead they installed the brown turf in their practice facility. I am assuming boise state was grandfathered in when this rule was made. So i am assuming EMU will not where their all gray uniforms for home games.
Including Boise.
Do what you want with the endzone.