2003 blue raider football a winning tradition 2003 Blue Raider Football 1 GoBlueRaiders.com 2003 Blue Raider Football 2 GoBlueRaiders.com 2003 Blue Raider Football 3 GoBlueRaiders.com home of the blue raiders floyd stadium west side of the stadium. The face of Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium changed again prior to the 1971 season. How- ever, this change was not related to the grand- stand infrastructure. The opening of Riverdale and Oakland high schools in Murfreesboro and the subsequent use of Floyd Stadium by these schools prompted Middle Tennessee to install artificial turf on Horace Jones Field. The first MT game played on the turf took place on Oct. 2, 1971, against Chattanooga. The Raiders did not disappoint, as they defeated the Mocs, 23- 13. Success at the I-AA level and a desire to put the University into the national spotlight led to discussion of a move to NCAA Division I-A football. The qualifications for the move included an attendance average of 17,000 per game and a stadium seating at least 30,000. The move to NCAA Division I-A football was the catalyst for the most recent renova- Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium has seen a number of facelifts during its history, but none tion to Floyd Stadium. On August 24, 1995, was more important than the upgrade given in 1998. Placed in the heart of the athletic the University announced plans for a $25 mil- complex, Floyd Stadium provides a huge advantage for the hometown Blue Raiders. lion renovation for Floyd Stadium, which was Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium has become come a long way since the humble beginnings approved by the State Building Commission. a place feared by Middle Tennessee’s oppo- of the facility. Several renovation projects have After a lengthy bid process, ground was offi- nents. While every team in college football shaped the stadium from a mediocre field to cially broken for the stadium in January of 1997 strives to have a home field advantage, few the top quality football facility it is today. with Turner Construction handling the project. have attained this goal as well as the Blue The story of Floyd Stadium begins in 1933 Upon completion, the stadium featured Raiders. As a member of I-A, the Blue Raid- with the birth of 30,788 seats with only the east side grand- ers are 16-4 in their friendly confines and en- Horace Jones Field. ter 2003 having won 14 of their last 16. The site of Middle Floyd Stadium’s Top Crowds Sun Belt Conference opponents have not Tennessee’s home 1. 27,568 Tennessee State 9/5/98 W 28-27 had an easy time at Floyd Stadium, either. In turf consisted of a 2. 27,519 Southeast Missouri 9/28/03 L 24-14 two years, the Blue Raiders are 5-1 against playing field and a league foes at home. few portable bleach- 3. 23,106 Idaho 10/6/01 W 70-58 Since Horace Jones Field was first used ers. This was the 4. 21,723 Troy State 9/8/01 W 54-17 in 1933, the Blue Raiders are a stellar 241-88- layout of the site 5. 20,113 Arkansas State 11/3/01 W 54-6 13 at home. This record also includes a 31- until a major renova- 6. 17,427 Louisiana-Monroe 10/14/00 W 28-0 game home winning streak from 1987-1994 tion took place in the that was the longest in college football at the late 1940s that gave Horace Jones Field a time. concrete grandstand structure. stands remaining from the original structure. Floyd Stadium has become synonymous The stadium remained the same until the The old press box gave way to a five-story with the success of Blue Raider Football, but first of a series of major renovations took place tower that included luxury suites on the third the version of the stadium in place today has in 1960. The capacity of Floyd Stadium grew level, a large press area and a few suites on from 6,200 to 10,000 with new seating loca- the fourth level, and a camera deck on the fifth Attendance at Floyd level. The renovation also included the addi- Since Becoming a I-A Member (1998 was qualifying year) tions and the addition of a press area. In 1968, the facility saw another major tion of more chair-back seats as well as a club Year G/Avg. renovation. The construction more than level. 2002 -------- 5/11,163 In addition to the gameday facilities, the 2001 -------- 5/17,857 doubled the seating capacity of the east grand- stands, putting the capacity at approximately new stadium complex includes a gameday 2000 -------- 5/12,165 team meeting room, position meeting rooms, 1999 -------- 5/12,472 14,000. In addition to the extra seating capac- a 10,000 square foot weight room for use by 1998 -------- 4/21,314 ity, a new, larger press box was added to the all Middle Tennessee teams, a new academic 2003 Blue Raider Football 4 GoBlueRaiders.com floyd stadium facts Capacity: 30,788 First Game: 1933 vs Jacksonville State MT Record: 241-88-13 Longest Win Streak: 31 Important Dates 1933: Horace Jones Field Opens 1940: Permanent concrete stands added to Horace Jones Field 1956: 100th game - Oct. 6 vs EKU 1960: Horace Jones Field expanded to 10,000 seats 1968: Stadium officially becomes Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium/Horace Jones Field 1968: Seating capacity expanded to 14,000 1971: Artificial Turf installed 1975: 200th game - Oct. 18 vs Murray St. 1994: 300th game - Oct. 1 vs EKU 1998: Complete renovation expands seating capacity to 30,788 1998: Largest crowd (27,568) sees MT defeat TSU 2000: First-ever home game vs I-A opponent (Louisiana Tech) 2001: First SBC home game (Idaho) center for use by Blue Raider student-athletes, The suites in as well as access to the Murphy Athletic Cen- Floyd Stadium ter from the stadium by means of a new walk- rate as some of way. The stadium also allows for further ex- the best in the pansion that would provide an increase of ap- country. All proximately 40,000 seats, putting capacity over have their own the 70,000 mark. restrooms, The first game in the renovated stadium refrigerators, took place on Sept. 5, 1998. The game, in bars, lockable which Middle Tennessee hosted local rival wood cabinets, Tennessee State, drew a school and OVC and plush seat- record 27,568 fans. The attendance helped ing areas. push Middle Tennessee over the top for its I-A qualifying attendance of 17,000 per game. Floyd Stadium is not only the home of Blue Raider football: the TSSAA uses the fa- cility as well. The high school state champi- onship game, the Blue Cross Bowl, has been floyd stadium is played at Floyd Stadium the past three years. equipped with 16 During its existence, Floyd Stadium has indoor suites and been the site of many thrilling victories and a 22 outdoor few heartbreaking defeats. It has taken many boxes. forms and is now poised to become one of the nation’s most recognized college football ven- ues. 2003 Blue Raider Football 5 GoBlueRaiders.com all we want ... is all you got strength & conditioning meeting room is fully equipped with high-tech audio/visual equipment to enhance learning. The weight room is supervised by head strength and conditioning coach Matt Riley, foot- ball strength coach Robb Rogers, and assistants Darren Edgington and Cedric Walthaw. Riley, a former Middle Tennessee football player, oversees the entire operation and was responsible for the design and layout of the facil- ity. Following his graduation from Middle Tennes- see in 1988, Riley was the head strength and conditioning coach at Tennessee Tech in 1989 and 1990 before taking over the same role at Southern Miss in 1991 and 1992. Rogers, the National Strength Coach of the Year in 1996, is in his fifth season with the Blue Raiders. The coordinator for all football strength and conditioning programs, Rogers came to Middle Tennessee after serving as the head strength trainer for the St. Louis Blues of the NHL. Along with strength training, Rogers is widely known for speed development and injury One of the biggest changes in college ath- sion. Other Hammer strength equipment in the prevention. letics over the past few years has been the atti- facility includes a bench press, a military press, Every member of the staff is highly re- tude toward strength and conditioning. Perform- a rowing machine, neck machine, pull-up, and spected and very knowledgeable in the field, ing in the weight room has become just as im- pull-over. which is a big reason Middle Tennessee athletes portant as on-the-field competition, and Middle An impressive array of dumbbells is also are in better shape today than in years past. Tennessee has one of the very best staffs in the provided for the student-athletes’ use. Two sets nation and is committed to making student-ath- each of dumbbells ranging from five to 150 letes the best they can be. pounds are kept on racks around the room. Mir- It all happens in the Blue Raiders’ 10,000- rors ring the walls of the room to help student- plus square foot weight room facility located ad- athletes ensure that they are using proper form jacent to the north end throughout their work- zone of Floyd Stadium outs. Cardiovascular “Our athletes spend and designed for use by equipment, such as all Middle Tennessee stu- a great deal of time treadmills and station- dent-athletes.