With spring practice in the rearview mirror, the University of Washington has started the process of replacing the 8-year-old artificial turf at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium.
The new surface features AstroTurf’s latest technology and includes a shock pad that is engineered to reduce injuries. It is also the same product that was installed on the Huskies’ practice field in 2019.
Interestingly, Washington was one of the first major college football programs to install AstroTurf at its stadium in 1968. The surface has been replaced with newer variations multiple times since, including in 1972, 1977, 1987, 1995, 2000, 2009 and 2013, the last of which came during a massive stadium renovation.
The new design isn’t all that different than its predecessor, with Washington’s primary logo at the 50-yard-line, gold team word marks in the purple end zones and the Pac-12 logo and Alaska Airlines logo at the opposing 25-yard lines. The colors of the conference logo have been inverted, however, while the team benches and the out-of-bounds area from the 10- to 25-yard line are now purple instead of white.
The bench areas also include the Huskies’ Block “W” and the phrase “The Greatest Setting” as a nod to the views of Mount Rainier, Lake Washington and the Seattle skyline.
“We are excited to continue our relationship with AstroTurf with the installation of a new field at Husky Stadium,” Washington associate athletic director of events and facilities Dan Erickson said in a statement. “Our student athletes and staff are thrilled with the performance, durability and aesthetics of our practice field. The new stadium field will be a tremendous enhancement to ‘The Greatest Setting in College Football.’”
The Huskies will host their first game on the new turf on Sept. 4 against the Montana Grizzlies.
Photo courtesy of AstroTurf.
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