ACCESSING THE ARCHIVES
In this retrospective , we examine historic issues of SportsTurf magazine , predecessor to SportsField Management magazine . This month , we take a look at 1989 via the pages of SportsTurf .
SportsTurf continued its heavy coverage of golf during 1989 with half of the issue covers that year being devoted to golf-course-management-related cover stories . But there were still plenty of articles focused on sports field management . Some of the highlights are as follows :
The January issue kicked off with coverage of field preparations for Super Bowl XXIII in Miami . Joe Robbie Stadium had been selected as the site for the game when the stadium was nothing more than a set of architectural drawings . The article delved into early challenges of the new field and the efforts to get it ready for the NFL ’ s biggest event .
The main sports field focus of the February 1989 issue was sports field drainage , while the March issue examined the impact of drought and stress on weed control .
The April issue of SportsTurf shared how sports field managers in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas came together to help each other battle the impact of the previous summer ’ s heat and drought . Greg Petry , superintendent of parks for Waukegan , Illinois , and Mike Schiller , park superintendent for Glenview , Illinois , worked with Harry
Gill , superintendent of grounds for the Milwaukee Brewers , and Ken Mrock , superintendent of grounds for the Chicago Bears , to share insights with each other — as well as other area professionals — into handling field renovation , game preparation , and especially heat and drought .
The May issue outlined how the athletic fields at Towson State University went from being deemed unsafe for play to award-winning playing surfaces . The effort started at the top — with the president of the university — and was an ongoing process through increased funds and improved strategies .
“ I think universities today have to make a commitment to proper turf care if their athletic facilities are to remain safe and in use ,” said Joe Ardolino , assistant athletic director at Towson State University . “ Our dark days are over , and we intend to keep it that way .”
What was then a state-of-the-art training facility for the San Francisco 49ers was the highlight of the June 1989 issue of SportsTurf . The Marie P . DeBartolo Sports Centre included a two-story main building , a maintenance building , one artificial turf field and two natural turf fields . The main building featured executive offices , a swimming pool , audio / visual center , cafeteria , weight room and lockers .
36 SportsField Management | April 2024 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com