SUNY Morrisville Football Unveils Playing Field With Black Turf

The program's athletic director said the new field marks the beginning of a “bold, new direction.”

In recent decades, a number of college football programs across the country have gone against the grain by opting for an unconventional field color on its playing surface versus the traditional green grass or artificial turf.

On Tuesday, SUNY Morrisville added its name to the list by unveiling its new, eye-popping black turf at Drake Field. SUNY Morrisville (an NCAA Division III member) is based about 30 miles southeast of Syracuse in upstate New York.

The installation of new turf at the stadium marks the first time it has been changed since 2006. In addition to the traditional markings for football, the black turf includes red lines for men’s lacrosse, powder blue markings for women’s lacrosse, lime green for soccer and yellow designations for field hockey.

Matt Grawrock, the program’s athletic director, said in a statement that the new field signals a new beginning for Mustangs athletics.

“We wanted to move in a bold, new direction that would give our department and student-athletes a unique identity to rally around,” Grawrock said. 

Discussions on replacing the field began in the first half of 2022, according to the university. The actual physical labor started in May and was completed earlier this month.

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— Matt Rogers (@CoachRogers13) July 6, 2023

SUNY Morrisville joins six other NCAA programs to have a nontraditional field color: Boise State’s iconic blue field at Albertsons Stadium, Coastal Carolina’s teal surface at Brooks Stadium, Eastern Michigan’s gray surface at Rynearson Stadium, Central Arkansas’s purple and grey field at Estes Stadium, Eastern Washington’s red surface at Roos Field, Division II New Haven’s blue surface at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium and Division III Luther College’s blue surface at Carlson Stadium.

While the black surface likely won’t make for the coolest field during the spring and summer months, Grawrock believes the new surface will serve as a “true home-field experience and advantage” for its competitors.

The university plans to hold an official ribbon cutting ceremony in the coming weeks.