By Kyle Roberts
It’s hard to believe that James Field at Hoss Garrett Stadium has had field turf for over a decade.
And with the passage of time, the need for replacing the original has finally come.
Installing the turf will be Hellas which is headquartered in Austin, Texas, who was also did the installation of the first turf at the stadium.
Starting last week, the old turf has been removed and the new will be installed over the course of the summer. Ruston High head football coach Jerrod Baugh expects the installation to take somewhere between four and five weeks — however, he noted that the summer rainy weather could play a factor in the timeline.
“Them getting the bid was the best-case-scenario for us, because the shock pad (beneath the turf) is still under warranty,” Baugh said. “We’ve got another round of turf for that — if any other company had (gotten the bid), then it would have voided the warranty.”
Capital improvements funds that are set aside by the Lincoln Parish School Board for upkeep projects such as this one will be used to pay for the turf and installation.
And a benefit to the new redesign will be the removal of what is commonly referred to as the “Rutgers R,” which Ruston was asked by Rutgers back in 2019 to stop using. Replacing it will be the Bearcat logo at midfield.
The end zones will also be green now, as the letters in”Ruston” will be scripted out in red with a white outline. Baugh said the red color in the end zones faded faster than he expected over time on the previous turf.
“I think it’s going to be really nice,” Baugh said. “And then, we will have what they call “Eco-Therm”, which is supposed to keep the fold 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the other turf. They’re constantly upgrading things adding new technology.”
The turf is expected to be ready for Ruston’s season-opening matchup at home against Acadiana on Friday, Sept. 6.
