Memorial Stadium to sport new turf

By Andrew Hartsock     Aug 12, 2000

Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo
Southwest Recreational Industries worked through the summer on KU's new AstroPlay field.

Fans hoping to buy a piece of Kansas University football history didn’t have an opportunity to purchase a souvenir chunk of Memorial Stadium’s aging AstroTurf.

In June, workers began tearing out the old Turf and replacing it with AstroPlay a new synthetic grass billed to be as player-friendly as natural grass without the maintenance headaches.

Most of the old carpet went to the landfill. KU officials decided the bulky old carpet the Turf itself, and its glued-on pad was too tough to handle.

“We talked about selling it, and we would have liked to sell it,” said Darren Cook, KU’s director of facilities. “It’s a nice thing for people who want a piece to lay down on their patio. We hate to see it thrown in the Dumpster. But there would have been an intensive amount of labor and equipment.”

Not all of the old Turf went to the scrap heap, however. They saved the Jayhawk from the middle of the field.

“In reality, it’s kind of ugly, it’s been painted so many times,” Cook said. “It’s not a thing of beauty.”

The new AstroPlay surface looks much like the old design.

Most of the markings will be painted on, with the exception of the five-yard markers, the coaches’ boxes and the field perimeter line. Those areas will be “in-laid” with white synthetic grass.

“It’s our feeling that painted surfaces look more natural,” Cook said, “so we decided to paint as much as we can.”

The Turf replacement project cost about $330,000 and took about four weeks.

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