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Home , Candlestick Park, Deacon Jones, John Brodie, Kezar Stadium, Merlin Olsen, Roman Gabriel

ATHLETIC FIELD MANAGEMENT , A COMMUNICATION DILEMMA By KENT W. KURTZ

Candlestick Park's natural field in 1980. Kezar (inset), the predecessor to Candlestick.

During the National Football sealed back in the early 70's when were also vocal on the subject of League playoff games in January, complaints out-ran the offense. In playing conditions in Kezar Sta- the media cursed and praised the most years the only turf surface dium. They actually urged the Los natural grass playing surface in San consisted of overseeded annual Angeles Rams' management to Francisco's Candlestick Park. Con- rye-grass and during damp protest the condition of Kezar Sta- troversy is not new to Bay Area weather or following rain, the dium. playing surfaces for back in the glossy, slippery surface attributed Said Olsen, "This is the last year days when the Forty to poor footing. that NFL Football should be per- Niners played their home games When played for Continues on page 24 in old , the turf or the in a game at absence thereof, was cussed and Kezar Stadium, he was heard to Dr. Kent Kurtz is professor, turfgrass discussed. Kezar Stadium, a city complain profusely because run- management, for Polytech- owned facility, has traditionally ning backs, wide receivers, and nic State Institute, Pomona, Califor- been plagued with over-use prob- slipped, slid and nia. He specializes in the care of playing fields and has observed the lems since it is used by colleges and spent much of the game on the sta- problems with natural and synthetic high schools for athletic events. dium floor. Other players such as fields. Kezar Stadium's doom Was and CANDLESTICK PARK from page 20 mitted in Kezar Stadium. Although when the plastic grass-like structed to meet the needs and de- they haven't had any rain here for blades broke down in the mands of both the grass plant and 48 hours, the footing was as bad as presence of sunlight. the competitor. if it had rained all morning. There's 3 - The seams split apart caus- no turf here and no drainage. It's ing a safety hazard to play- New Breed of Manager the league's worst field even when ers. The new natural grass playing it's dry." And Deacon Jones said, 4 - Wet, damp weather caused surfaces require a new breed of so- "It's unfair to NFL teams to play in poor traction, slippage in- phisticated turf manager, not just this joint. It is as bad for the 49ers as creased and players experi- an out-door janitor. He must know it is for the others. The field is pure enced conditionscompara- what to do, how to do it, and when dirt. You can't play football here, ble to those on the ryegrass at to perform any number of particu- and I think it's up to the commis- old Kezar Stadium. lar functions. Today's turf manager sioner to legislate some minimum Finally in 1979, Candlestick's must care and be concerned about standards. If he did, he'd have to 130,000 square feet of deteriorated the field he maintains and whether throw Kezar out." synthetic turf was ripped up. Para- or not he receives the credit due, he mount in the decision was the cost feels the satisfaction and inner The Move to Candlestick of replacing the wornout artificial pride of accomplishment. Candlestick Park was built and turf surface along with its pad for Although many concepts and in- opened in 1960 when the New over $6.50 per square foot. The eco- novations in the design and con- York Giant team moved nomics of staying with the artificial struction of natural grass sports- from the east coast. Baseball play- field was weighed against the cost fields are available today, the one ers complained about the soil on of returning to a less expensive but principle each has in common is a the skinned infield which, due to improved natural grass playing good soil mixture. The soil is the unpredictable swirling winds, surface. base or foundation on which the picked up soil particles and hurled field is constructed; therefore, the them into the faces and eyes of the basic component of each of these players. Advancements in Natural surfaces is sand. Sand affords good In order to resolve the com- Sportsturf drainage, excellent root develop- plaints an surface was Over a decade ago, everyone was ment and a consistent texture. selected and replaced the natural caught up in the fervor to eliminate Since sand can be managed in most grass playing field. Additional natural grass playing surfaces in any weather and is uniform, it pro- problems began when the San favor of the "trouble-free" and vides good footing and is predicta- Francisco 49ers moved into Can- "lower maintenance" synthetics. ble because it will not seal up under dlestick from Kezar Stadium and However, the science and technol- heavy use. the seating capacity was expanded ogy necessary to construct a good Recently the NFL players voted. from 42,500 to 58,000 (61,000 for natural grass playing surface was The playing surface which ranked football) in 1972. neither available nor perfected at highest was one with a sand root- The artificial surface was praised this point. In those days most zone; synthetic surfaces finished a as the "cure all" for all of the past sportsfields were seeded to on-site distant last. mistakes and ills. This praise, how- native soils with few modifications ever, was short-lived, and was for drainage or the like. Soils used The Allweather Field summed up on November 14, 1973 were often clay or silt which be- An example of a sand rootzone in a Los Angeles Times Sports Sec- came heavily compacted, water- system is the Sportsturf "TD" Field tion lead article, "Ban artificial turf logged or extremely hard. The re- (TD = total drainage). This system says Brodie before someone gets sult was a shallow root system, poor was installed in Candlestick Park killed." was the San soil aeration, sparse grass and wet, and developed by a man who has Francisco Forty Niners' quarter- soggy terrain. Worn-out turf and wide experience with sand fields back who played in Candlestick bare spots prevailed everywhere. and their construction, Melvin during the early 1970's. With the introduction of syn- Robey. The artificial turf surface at Can- thetic turf, shock waves were felt Like other multi-use , dlestick Park was considered the throughout the turfgrass industry Candlestick Park must endure full hardest surface to play on in the giving impetus and stimulation to season play of both the San Fran- NFL. Many reasons were given for new ideas and concepts. Many cisco Giants and the 49ers. Stadi- the decision to replace the artificial hours were spent by some of the ums which receive a lot of play surface at Candlestick Park and in- best minds and most progressive need special attention. clude the following: plant scientists and soils specialists The Sportsturf Field consists of to consider alternatives to artificial the following seven specific 1 - The under-padding deterio- turf. These alternatives were points: rated to the extent that resili- found, refined and perfected. 1. PURE SAND ROOTZONE ency was nonexistent and Today, the new natural grass The uniqueness of a Sportsturf the playing surface became sportsfields are functional and "TD" Field design is the all sand "rock-hard." highly sophisticated. They are en- rootzone which provides a superior 2 - The surface became matted gineered, well-planned, and con- Continues on page 26 CANDLESTICK PARK from page 24

natural grass playing surface, re- gardless of the weather at game time. Special characteristics of the sand allow the excess water to drain away, while maintaining the proper balance of air and water in the rootzone so a tough, deep rooted turf is developed. Careful Profile of Sportsturf rootzone. selection of the sand also elimi- nates the hard, compacted fields quired, special techniques for Candlestick, Club losing patience that are such a hazard to the burying the sprinkler heads be- over bad Conditions". players. The depth of the sand is 18 neath the surface of the grass have The players and coaches seemed inches throughout the stadium. been developed. to have mixed reviews. New York 2. SPECIAL SURFACE MIX 6. FLAT PLAYING SURFACE Giants coach, Ray Perkinds said, The zone immediately beneath the A new dimension is available in "it's still a horsebleep field." grass receives special attention be- athletic field design. The excellent Linebacker Jack Reynolds of the cause of the importance of this area internal drainage characteristics of 49er's, "it's like playing in a to the establishment of a tough root the all-sand rootzone permits the swampland," but running back system. Small amounts of carefully playing surface to be nearly level. (Dallas) said he was selected organic amendments - Gone is the need for the traditional not concerned about the field; he peat, bark, hulls, bagasse - are in- 18 to 24 inch crown that is neces- gained 91 yards in the game. corporated into the sand. The addi- sary on all other types of athletic Announcers for CBS said, "too tion of this material allows for the fields. Now everyone—coaches, much attention is being given to the rapid development of the grass by players, spectators—will have an playing surface." CBS announcer helping to produce an environment unobstructed view of the game. Irv Cross said, "everyone made a favorable for root growth. The or- 7. NATURAL GRASS PLAYING big deal about the field before the ganic material adds to the overall SURFACE game, but it is holding up well, in resiliency of the turf, while helping According to a survey among ath- fact it's in great shape, and it will be to hold nutrients and store moisture letes, a majority preferred to play okay in the second half." Further, in the sand rootzone. on a natural grass field. The natural announcer and former Oakland 3. FIELD MOISTURE CONTROL playing surfaces offer several ad- Raider's coach, , said, SYSTEM vantages. On a hot day the grass "I've never known any field that The network of four inch drainage acts as an air conditioning unit, eas- caused any team to win or lose a pipes (spaced at eight foot intervals) ily reducing the surface tempera- game," and O.J. Simpson com- beneath the field play a key role in ture by 30 degrees, when compared mented, "the players much prefer the control of the moisture in the to an artificial turf field. This is an natural grass, none of the players sand. It is this piping system, with a important factor in insuring the really want to play on Astroturf." unique modification contained safety of the players, whether it is within the pipe, that forms the nu- just a practice session or an impor- So What's the Problem? cleus of the Sportsturf "TD" Field. tant league game. Another feature In January an article in a Phoenix 4. PLASTIC BARRIER BENEATH of real grass is its natural resili- newspaper (Republic Sports Wires) SAND ency—the ability to absorb tremen- alluded to the fact that amateur To allow for total control of the dous impact helps to protect the groundskeepers all over the Bay water within the sand matrix, a players from many serious inju- area offered their theories as to plastic liner is frequently incorpo- ries. why the field is cursed. Some of rated into the design. This lines these amateurs theorized it was due aids in conservation of water and to the location of Candlestick— plant nutrients, reducing the over- The Current Dilemma excess moisture since it is adjacent all expenses of supplying these es- During the recent NFL playoff to San Francisco Bay. Others said it sential elements to the grass. An- games involving the San Francisco was due to the poor soil content. other important function of the 49ers and and One rumor, unsubstantiated of plastic barrier is to prevent external later the , newspa- course, that the drainage system water from the surrounding subsoil per headlines, player interviews under the field was put in upside from contaminating the sand. and the broadcasting media dis- down so the water actually drains 5. SURFACE IRRIGATION cussed the condition of Candle- up. Let's look at some of the facts to Supplemental surface watering is stick's playing surface. see what the situation really looks an important feature in the design Newspaper headlines read, like. of a natural grass field. The dupli- "Groundskeeper Tackling 49er's Originally the San Francisco Gi- cation of Nature's rainfall plays a Tacky Turf", "Sod Squad Prepares ants baseball team did not want significant role in the normal Candlestick for Game", "Candle- natural grass but opted for a new growth and development of a good stick Park has Started to Show its artificial turf carpet to be in- athletic field grass. Where it is re- Age", "Giants may Sue S.F. on Continues on page 28 CANDLESTICK PARK from page 26

stalled. The Probably the biggest problem is are run down, dirty, and plumbing wanted the natural grass field. due to city politics and a lack of and fixtures broken, 4) parking lot The field is maintained by the follow-through to see that prob- needs releveling and repaving and Giants' grounds crew during the lems are resolved. Ironically (ac- is poorly drained, 5) and lastly, the baseball season and through the cording to John Hillyer, San Fran- turf maintenance has been sub- first four football games. It is then cisco Examiner Staff Writer) it has standard. turned back to the City of San taken a super season by the 49ers to The blame for the neglect is re- Francisco Park and Recreation De- stimulate popular awareness of the ally difficult to pin down. Gener- partment to care for the field the re- problem at Candlestick. ally speaking the stadium is run by mainder of the football season. Hillyer further states that "years the Park and Recreation Depart- Baseball only mows the grass field; of indifference and neglect on the ment. However, Park and Recrea- they do not aerify, topdress, or part of the city have left Candle- tion customarily responds to the fertilize. The football grounds crew stick Park in such a shabby condi- ballclubs' problems by blaming is not sure what has been done, if tion that the patience of the Giants' City budget-makers for insufficient anything, so they do enough to organization finally is wearing funds. merely get by. In other words, the thin." The Giants continue to be Before an appropriation can be right hand doesn't know what the dissatisfied with park mainte- put to work, it must be cleared by left hand is doing. nance. However, to deal with the the Controller's office, the mayor's In October, Mick Jagger and the poor playing field would be merely office, the finance committee of performed at Can- to check off one item on the Giants' Board of Supervisors, and then the dlestick Park. The fans watched list of complaints about the City- full board, an unwieldly procedure and did whatever, on a field where owned facility. Complaints in- that might shed some light on why no protective cover was used and clude, 1) the sound system is terri- it's difficult to get things done at the results were devastating. ble, 2) there is concrete damage Candlestick. Since July 1, 1981, the Bay area throughout the park (seats coming Tom Mallory, General Manager has received 13 inches of rain, 5 loose, chunks of stairs missing, of Park-Recreation, says that "San inches more than normal, and 10 walkways cracking and grass and Francisco is great for something inches more than last year during weeds growing through them, 3) called 'deferred maintenance'." the same period of time. rust is everywhere, 4) the restrooms Continues on page 73 Are you a Miser with Fertilizer?

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"That's a polite term for letting the nomic assistance repeatedly, practices available to him. The San capital plan go to hell." There is no been contacted or approached Francisco Giants and 49ers must in- one at Rec-Park to manage Candle- for solutions? itiate a cooperative effort to com- stick the way Ray Ward operates There is nothing wrong with the municate about what the other is the . George design or the construction of the doing and then combine this infor- Kerwin supervises maintenance turfgrass field in Candlestick Park. mation into a yearly maintenance but has no voice in policy-making. The problem stems from the lack of program and schedule. Such a so- "We need a guy to stay on top of employing the "sophisticated turf lution will work as evidenced by things and make sure they get manager" alluded to earlier in this the cooperation, hard work and done," a Giants' official said. article. Someone needs to oversee dedication the City of San Fran- The Candlestick leases specify and manage the field on a year- cisco and their personnel gave to that maintenance of the playing around basis and must employ the George Toma during the NFL field is the Giants' responsibility current knowledge and cultural play-off games. WTT during the baseball season but the City's during the football sea- son. This clumsy system has not worked. Back in 1979 after the Giants had lost the fight to return to , the Giants suggested that an outside consultant be brought in to help di- -Hofrkin rect the turf maintenance. Coinci- dentally, it took a play-off bound team (49ers) and the NFL to put the NEW advice to work almost three years later. For the play-off games, the center of the field was stripped of cost effective control of all Kentucky bluegrass turf and re- placed with clay grown sod con- Johnsongrass, Bermuda, other grasses taining Kikuyugrass obtained from a city park. With George Toma from 1 Quick brownout. Kills entire 3 Up to 98% control of rhizome Kansas City supervising the opera- plant — roots and all — ends re- johnsongrass into the next tion, the field was in acceptable growth problems. season—even where foliar ma- condition for the games. But the Economical, easy to use. Free- terials alone fail to give good main problem is still evident—con- flowing. Completely water sol- control. tinually of field maintenance and uble, forms a true solution. one overall knowledgeable super- REVENGE is a highly effective, visor. low-cost herbicide for control of established annual and perennial Analyses and Solutions grasses. It combines contact ac- Before one can offer solutions to tion with systemic action that the Candlestick Park situation, per- moves chemicals through foliage haps the following questions and roots. Short soil residual should be addressed: permits replanting within a few 1 - Who or why didn't someone months. within the City of San Fran- REVENGE used at 15 pounds per cisco attempt to find out what 100 gallons of water, along with 2 was going on and make some quarts of Hopkins' Neptune" or overt attempt to resolve it? Agicide" Activator, gives fast, 2 - If the field failed to function as effective control of troublesome originally designed, why perennial grasses such as quack- wasn't someone in the city ask- grass, bermudagrass, johnson- ing questions or seeking help? grass and cattails. Don't just get 3 - Why weren't the field mainte- mad at grass problems — get nance problems recognized REVENGE. before they developed or cer- tainly before they got out of For nearest distributor, contact: hand where they could not be resolved by local officials? -Ho[skins 4 - Why wasn't the firm who de- signed and constructed the agricultural chemical co. MADISON, WISCONSIN 53707 Sportsturf TD Field, who had U.S.A. offered technical and agro- H-R-50R Circle No. 117 on Reader Inquiry Card