MONMOUTH, Ill. — By the fall of 2009, Monmouth College’s outdoor stadium for football and track and field will have an entirely new look.

Construction began this week on the first of two phases of renovation of the Fighting Scots’ home field. Phase one, which will involve construction of new seating and a new press box, will be completed prior to the Scots’ first home game against Lawrence University on Sept. 13.

The second phase of the project will be completed during the spring and summer of 2009. A synthetic turf field will be installed and lights will be added for evening events and intramural sports.

Walter S. Huff Jr. ’56

Walter S. Huff Jr. of Atlanta, Ga., an emeritus trustee of Monmouth College who graduated in 1956, has provided the naming gift for the project in memory of his late wife, April Zorn Huff, Monmouth College Class of 1959. Huff has contributed to major projects at his alma mater in the past, most notably the Huff Athletic Center, which was completed in 2003.

"April was very fond of Monmouth College football," said Huff. "That fondness goes back to her days as a student, when she participated in the Pep Club and school band. She enjoyed going to football games, whether it be high school, college or professional games. April’s family will be thrilled to have her alma mater’s stadium named in her memory."

Other donors are stepping forward to support the stadium renovation. Monmouth College will celebrate the project’s completion by holding a dedication ceremony for April Zorn Memorial Stadium at the start of the 2009 football season.

The new synthetic turf field will remain known as Bobby Woll Memorial Field.

"The stadium project continues the improvement and transformation of the Monmouth College campus," said president Mauri Ditzler. "Our intercollegiate football and track and field programs and our intramural sports will all benefit greatly."

In the first phase, the field’s predominantly metal bleachers and wooden press box will be replaced by attractive concrete and brick structures. The enclosed press box, which will remain on the east side of the field, will be 120 feet long, spanning the distance between the two 30-yard lines.

The bleachers will extend farther on both sides and, beyond them, the hillside will be terraced into seven or eight levels.

"Fans in those areas will either be able to sit on the retaining wall that separates each terrace, or they’ll be able to put their lawn chairs on the flat areas, which will be about six feet deep," said Don Gladfelter, MC’s vice president for finance and business.

Other new seating will include 144 red fold-down seats in the top three rows beneath the press box.

"We haven’t decided exactly how we will use those, but they might be available for season ticket holders or for parents on Family Weekend," said Gladfelter.

On the west side, permanent seating will replace the moveable bleachers that have been used for many years.

"Our goal is to become the most hospitable venue in the Midwest Conference for visiting teams and their fans," said President Ditzler. "The upgrades on the west side of the field will contribute to that goal."

All told, the seating renovations will expand the stadium’s capacity from 1,400 to 2,600.

Atop the "home" bleachers will be a first-class press box. Gladfelter called it a "huge improvement," with upgrades including three separate booths for broadcast media and rooms for home and visiting coaches and special guests of the college, in addition to the normal space reserved for game day personnel and print media reporters.

"We are also going to add sophisticated camera equipment, including a camera on the west side of the field that can be operated by remote control," said Gladfelter. That type of upgrade is necessary, Gladfelter explained, as the college is now required by the Midwest Conference to webcast all of its home football games, among other sports. "We’ll now have the potential for three different camera angles during a broadcast."

In 2009, broadcasts will show the Scots and their opponents playing on synthetic turf, making Monmouth the fifth of 10 schools in the conference to switch to that type of playing surface. Both the lights and the synthetic turf will be of great benefit to the college’s growing intramural program as well, alleviating space concerns and allowing outdoor recreation and other events, such as marching band practice, to continue into the evening hours.

The Fighting Scots have been playing at their current location since the 1980 season, when a field that was constructed in 1968 was expanded north to East Euclid Ave. The original football field, built in 1923, was located just south of the current facility.

Metzger-Johnson Architects, Inc., of Galesburg is in charge of the stadium’s design. Russell Construction of Bettendorf, Iowa, is the general contractor.