STMA FOOTBALL FIELD OF THE YEAR

GOING LONG AT FITTON FIELDBy Bob Tracinski

Commitment to excellence is thedriving force throughout the cam-pus of the College of the Holy Cross

in Worcester, MA. Perhaps it stemsfrom the traditions of fierce determi-nation established by those early settlerswho carved their living from the NewEngland wilder-ness. Surely it'sbeen tempered bythe realities of cop-ing with theextremes of NewEngland weather.But most of all, it'sembedded in thespirit of the peoplefor whom "goodenough" means "thebest that can beaccomplished."

The College ofthe Holy Cross isa Jesuit, liberal artsinstitution, whichwas founded in1843. Current un-dergraduate enroll-ment is 2,800. Its175-acre campusis situated on thenorthern slopesof a modest hillnamed Mount St.James.

installation, and maintenance. All ofthe annuals used in planting and morethan 3,000 house plants are raised in cam-pus greenhouses. The general groundsdivision covers trash pickup and litter con-trol, general maintenance, mowing, andhedge trimming. The motor pool ser-vices and maintains 60 vehicles.

Commitment toexcellence is alsothe driving forcebehind the 1993

a running track, and a cross countrytrack. The only assistance they nor-mally require from the rest of the crewis for stadium clean-up the day after afootball game.

Superintendent of Grounds JamesD. Long is in his thirty-fifth year atHoly Cross. A neighborhood kid, he

joined the groundscrew as a laborerin the summer of1958. Soon after,Father Gillis, S. J.took him under hiswing. Gillis wroteto Pennsylvaniafor their agricul-ture program'sreading list, andLong developedthe routine of read-ing the books andgiving a full reportto Gillis. Long com-pleted the PennState agricultureprogram andabsorbed "every-thing that wasavailable" in exten-sion training fromthe University ofMassachusetts andthrough HolyCross.

"Father Gillismade me resource-

Practicing at Fitton Stadium is a treat for the Holy Cross football team.One reason is that problems with the turf are solved

by a team of dedicated specialists.

Sports Turf Managers AssociationFootball Field of the Year — FittonField, the varsity gridiron of the Collegeof the Holy Cross.

This is the ninth national award pre-sented to the grounds department staff— the 15 people who maintain those175 acres. The four divisions do the"whole thing" in-house. The greenhouseand landscape division handles the land-scaping for new construction, plant

A remarkable three-man crew main-tains and services the entire Holy Crossathletic grounds — foreman JohnBrosnihan, crew chief Sam Alcorn, andlaborer Steve McCann. In addition toFitton Field, these same three men areresponsible for the varsity baseball field,the freshman baseball field, five naturalturf practice fields, one artificial turffield, one intramural field, one softballfield, one soccer field, 13 tennis courts,

ful," says Long."He taught me togo out and get the

answer. It was the best combination ofpractical training and technical experi-ence. I loved what I was doing and themore I learned about it the more I want-ed to know.

"Everything that happens on campuscontributes to the excellence of the col-lege," he continues. "It was that waywhen I started in 1958 and it's thatway now. The work you do matters andhow you do that work matters, whether

22 sportsTURF

John Brosnihan refreshes paint on team logo in the endzone of Fitton Field.

you're on the board of trustees, part ofthe administration, part of the teachingstaff, part of the maintenance crew,or the college president. The entire teamis committed to excellence."

Long worked his way up on thegrounds crew, then on the greenhousecrew. In 1977 he was named superin-tendent of grounds.

"We 'team solve' problems," he enthus-es. "I meet with division foremen twicea day, in the morning and at noon. Weall know what needs to be accomplishedand how we're doing at reaching ourgoals. I meet regularly with my super-visor, Gerard A. Zimmerman [physicalplant director] on the same team solvingbasis. That process is followed through-out the college.

"Although each department has its ownareas of responsibility, everyone pitch-es in on any project when circumstancescall for it," he adds. "Grounds maintenancejobs don't go by the clock. We were all outthere moving mountains of snow inJanuary."

Long is a strong believer in continu-ing the learning process. He's an active

continued on page 24

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The Holy Cross crew is able to provide a deep-green natural turf fielddespite severe winters in Worcester with a combination of tarps,

fungicides, fertilizers, and charcoal chips.

STMA FootballField of the Yearcontinued from page 23

member of the New England Chapter andthe national Sports Turf ManagersAssociation and of the nationalProfessional Grounds ManagementSociety. And, he points out, his book-shelves "are loaded."

Long also believes in "giving back" tothe industry. He's served on the nation-al boards of both STMA and PGMS — hewas chairman of the STMA scholarshipand research grants committee for sixyears. He's written numerous articles formajor trade publications and pennedthe chapter on "Snow Removal withFacility Management, A Manual forPhysical Plant Administrators" for theAssociation of Physical PlantAdministrators.

The Holy Cross grounds are terracedon five levels. Fitton Field is located atthe base of the hill, on the lowest terracelevel. The varsity baseball field is nextto it, on the same level. Fitton Field, con-structed in 1905, has played host tosome of the greatest teams in college foot-ball history — Army, Harvard, Georgia,Syracuse, and Perm State, to name a few.

The area that is now Fitton Fieldwas originally a marsh bordering theBlackstone River. The football and base-ball fields were created by filling in themarsh with cinders from a nearby steel

mill. That cinder layer is approximate-ly four feet deep. It provides the drainagefor the grassy areas.

A heavy clay soil covers the cinders.For Fitton Field, this clay is topped withan 18-inch layer of loam. The original turfwas established by seeding and seed-ing is used during the annual renovations.The field has never been sodded.

Maintaining a college athletic field inNew England presents many challenges.One major problem is the late winter flood-ing that occurs when the snow meltingon Fitton Field is joined by the runoff fromMount St. James. Since Fitton Field is atthe lowest point on the campus, it becomesa natural repository for all drainage, somuch so that an early thaw followed bya freezing of the water sometimes givesthe field the appearance of a naturalice skating rink.

The stadium stands tend to blocksunlight from the field, extending the icyconditions in open winters. To alleviatethis potentially damaging situation, theice is fractured with an aerator. Then amix of approximately 50 percent 1/4-inch charcoal chips and 50 percent ureafertilizer is spread to cause melting.This procedure, along with the Novemberapplication of a fungicide to preventsnow mold, helps see the field safelythrough the harsh New England winter.

Other conditions have contributedto field maintenance problems in the

past. During the 1980s, Fitton Fieldserved multiple uses. Junior varsityfootball, lacrosse and field hockey wereplayed there, as well as varsity foot-ball. The field was used for such non-ath-letic events as rock concerts, an EvelKnievel stunt show, and a nationaldrum and bugle corps competition.

The field was irrigated using a mobilewater cannon. The cannon was pulled tothe field and hooked to a hydrant. It wascapable of delivering one inch of waterto an acre in one hour.

These conditions now have been alleviated through the implementation of afive-point plan, completed over a periodof six years, to upgrade the athleticfacilities of the college.

A new policy eliminates non-athlet-ic events from Fitton Field.

Five new turf practice fields havebeen added at the "top of the hill."

A new artificial turf outdoor prac-tice field was constructed, also at the "topof the hill." This field is a resource for allsports, which keeps play off the turffields when conditions are poor, avoid-ing excessive turf damage.

Irrigation systems, incorporatingToro 640 heads, have been installed onall turf athletic fields.

As part of the plan, the Fitton Fieldstadium was equipped with all new alu-minum seating in a horseshoe shapeand a new VIP box.

Fitton Field use is now limited tovarsity football's five games a year,though it's possible a Canadian Footballfranchise may make use of the field inthe future.

In the 1970s, when Long becamesuperintendent, there wasn't muchchoice in grass varieties. Maintainingquality turf sports fields was a constantbattle. There was little consistency in thegrasses. Discoloration was a major prob-lem when turf was cut short for fallplay. In 1977 and 1978, Long incorporatedherbicide weed control and the newManhattan perennial ryegrass into theathletic field program.

The 1990s seed mix is an athleticblend containing a combination ofKentucky bluegrasses and improvedManhattan Perennial ryegrass. Priorto spring fertilization, Fitton Field istopdressed with a 50:50 mix of screenedloam and washed brick sand, aerated, andvertically sliced and seeded.

The grass is cut at 2-1/2 to three inch-es during the summer months to devel-

24 sportsTURF

Jim Long credits Father Gillis formaking him resourceful.

op a strong root system. In late Augustand early September, the grass is croppeddown to 1-1/2-inch for seasonal play.

Depending on the weather, the initialcropping may cause discoloration andburning. In this event, an application ofnitrogen and iron fertilizer at half-rate,followed by heavy watering causes thegrass to green up within a week.

Fitton Field requires an average of1-1/2 to two inches of water per week dur-ing the season. Hot summers and areasof compaction, such as those along thesidelines and bench areas, make it nec-essary to guard against crabgrass andknotweed. Grubs, especially Japanese bee-tles and chinch bugs, are familiarinvaders.

The treatment program established forathletic fields includes applications priorto May 1 of crabgrass control, broadleafweed control, surface insect control, anda balanced fertilizer delivering one poundof nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.

A second treatment includes broadleafweed control, surface insect control, andanother balanced fertilizer application.The third treatment combines a bal-anced fertilizer application with broadleafweed control.

A fourth fertilizer application roundsout the fertilization program. In lateNovember, a fungicide for snow mold pre-vention is applied to Fitton Field and thevarsity baseball field.

The football field is aerated a sec-ond time during the fall season. Theadjacent baseball field, which doubles as

a parking area for home football games,receives more frequent aeration.

The now consistently excellent qual-ity of the athletic fields provides thesafest possible turf conditions for the col-lege's athletes. And safety, which hasalways been a major consideration, is evenmore so now in these times of greater con-cern over liability.

Long attributes much of the pro-gram's success to the Holy Cross admin-istration for its outstanding support ofexcellence in the quality of the collegegrounds and athletic facilities. "Thewhole secret is teamwork and a com-mitment to excellence," he says. "That sup-port has to come from the top."

To grounds managers who have thecapability but are frustrated by lack ofadministrative support for their efforts,the College of the Holy Cross serves asan example of the benefits that can bederived by investing in a sound groundsmanagement program. •

Editor's Note: Bob Tracinski is the man-ager of public relations for the JohnDeere Company in Raleigh, NC, andpublic relations chairman for the SportsTurf Managers Association.

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