John McDonnell Field
Encyclopedia
John McDonnell Field is the outdoor track facility at the University of Arkansas
in Fayetteville, Arkansas
, and is home to the Arkansas Razorbacks
. The field is named after former head coach John McDonnell
, who ended his thirty-six year collegiate head coaching career as the most successful coach in NCAA track history, attaining a total of 42 NCAA Championships (although the University was stripped of two due to NCAA sanctions) in three different sports with the Razorbacks.
Outdoor Championships, Arkansas razed the old facility and rebuilt from the ground up. The original 2,000-seat venue was transformed into one that would hold potentially 10,000 spectators. The facility is one of only four IAAF Class 1 certified track and field complexes in the United States (along with Hayward Field
in Eugene, Oregon
, Hutsell-Rosen Track
in Auburn, Alabama
, and Icahn Stadium
in New York City
).
The track itself is nine lanes. All competition areas are surfaced with a Mondo Super X Performance track surface. There are multiple jumping and throwing areas, with the vaulting and jumping areas being reversible to take advantage of wind conditions. There also two sets of pole vault and jumping areas so that multiple events (usually men's and women's) can be contested simultaneously. A 16 feet (4.9 m) by 9 feet (2.7 m) LED
video board is installed in the north end of the stadium. The start-finish line was moved from the southwest to northeast corner of the track. Originally designed to be a bowl shaped structure, seating in the north and south was omitted from construction due to budget and deadline issues. During track meets large tents are set up and teams usually set up camp on a large grass area in the open south end. The track is flanked by two large grandstands to the east and west that run the length of the 100-meter front and back stretches. Luxury suites were also supposed to be included in the large press box that runs the length of the east grandstand, however in the summer of 2008 they were converted into offices for men's and women's coaching staff as well as a team lounge. During that time, men's and women's locker rooms which share a common athletic training room were added under the east stands. Capacity is currently set at 7,000 but can potentially hold up to 10,000 with additional construction or temporary seating.
The new John McDonnell Field was rededicated on May 12, 2006 during the 2006 SEC Championships, which was the first meet held at complex since renovations. In 2008 the facility hosted the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships and will host of the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The track also hosts the annual John McDonnell Invitational as well as Arkansas high school state championships. The facility hopes to eventually host national junior events, USA Outdoor Championships, and Olympic Trials.
In 2008 John McDonnell Field was named the outdoor track and field facility of the year by the American Sports Builders Association for exhibiting excellence in design and construction.
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
, and is home to the Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
. The field is named after former head coach John McDonnell
John McDonnell (coach)
John McDonnell is the retired head coach for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks track team. He began as the cross country track coach for the University in 1972 and became head track coach in 1978...
, who ended his thirty-six year collegiate head coaching career as the most successful coach in NCAA track history, attaining a total of 42 NCAA Championships (although the University was stripped of two due to NCAA sanctions) in three different sports with the Razorbacks.
History
Originally called University Track, Arkansas' outdoor track facility has gone through four major renovations. First in the late 1980s, prior to hosting the Southwest Conference Championships a new track surface was laid and the press box facility was renovated. When Arkansas hosted the 1994 Southeastern Conference Championships the runways and jumping areas were updated. During the same renovation project, a fully automated computer timing system and scoreboard located in the southeast corner of the track were added. In 1998 the track was stripped down to its foundation and resurfaced, the press box was gutted to its frame and built to twice its original capacity and wrought-iron fencing was erected around the perimeter of the facility. The two-year project continued with the pouring of concrete runways for the pole vault along the outskirts of the infield, allowing nearly every outdoor track and field event to be competed simultaneously if needed. The nine-lane, 400-meter track had permanent seating for more than 2,000 spectators and was open to the public for recreational use. On September 26, 1998, the track was re-dedicated in honor of men's track coach John McDonnell.2006 Renovations
The most recent and dramatic renovations occurred in 2005. In preparation for the 2006 Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Outdoor Championships, Arkansas razed the old facility and rebuilt from the ground up. The original 2,000-seat venue was transformed into one that would hold potentially 10,000 spectators. The facility is one of only four IAAF Class 1 certified track and field complexes in the United States (along with Hayward Field
Hayward Field
Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, is one of the best-known historic track and field stadiums in the United States. Nearly a century in age, it was the home of the University of Oregon's football team from 1919 through 1966, and has been the home to the Ducks' track and field teams since 1921...
in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, Hutsell-Rosen Track
Hutsell-Rosen Track
Hutsell-Rosen Track is an outdoor track and field facility located in Auburn, Alabama on the campus of Auburn University. It is the official outdoor track and field facility for the Auburn Tigers track and field teams...
in Auburn, Alabama
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...
, and Icahn Stadium
Icahn Stadium
Icahn Stadium is a track and field venue located on Randall's Island, in New York City, and is one of only four Class 1 internationally certified tracks in the United States.-Overview:...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
).
The track itself is nine lanes. All competition areas are surfaced with a Mondo Super X Performance track surface. There are multiple jumping and throwing areas, with the vaulting and jumping areas being reversible to take advantage of wind conditions. There also two sets of pole vault and jumping areas so that multiple events (usually men's and women's) can be contested simultaneously. A 16 feet (4.9 m) by 9 feet (2.7 m) LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
video board is installed in the north end of the stadium. The start-finish line was moved from the southwest to northeast corner of the track. Originally designed to be a bowl shaped structure, seating in the north and south was omitted from construction due to budget and deadline issues. During track meets large tents are set up and teams usually set up camp on a large grass area in the open south end. The track is flanked by two large grandstands to the east and west that run the length of the 100-meter front and back stretches. Luxury suites were also supposed to be included in the large press box that runs the length of the east grandstand, however in the summer of 2008 they were converted into offices for men's and women's coaching staff as well as a team lounge. During that time, men's and women's locker rooms which share a common athletic training room were added under the east stands. Capacity is currently set at 7,000 but can potentially hold up to 10,000 with additional construction or temporary seating.
The new John McDonnell Field was rededicated on May 12, 2006 during the 2006 SEC Championships, which was the first meet held at complex since renovations. In 2008 the facility hosted the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships and will host of the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The track also hosts the annual John McDonnell Invitational as well as Arkansas high school state championships. The facility hopes to eventually host national junior events, USA Outdoor Championships, and Olympic Trials.
In 2008 John McDonnell Field was named the outdoor track and field facility of the year by the American Sports Builders Association for exhibiting excellence in design and construction.
Men's Track Records
Even though the track was completely rebuilt, all of the old records carried over and are accepted to be the facility records.| Event | Athlete, Affiliation, Year | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Meters | Richard Thompson Richard Thompson (athlete) Richard "Torpedo" Thompson is a sprinter from Cascade, Trinidad and Tobago who specializes in the 100 metres. He was the silver medalist in the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, running a personal best of 9.89 seconds.... , LSU, 2008 |
9.97 |
| 200 Meters | Wallace Spearmon, Jr. Wallace Spearmon Wallace Spearmon, Jr., is a sprint athlete, who specializes in the 200 meters. He is a two-time NCAA outdoor champion in the 200 m and won the silver medal in the event at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics... , Nike, 2007 |
19.87 |
| 400 Meters | Roddie Haley, Arkansas, 1985 | 44.67 |
| 800 Meters | James Hatch, Unattached, 2008 | 1:46.27 |
| 1,500 Meters | Joe Falcon, Arkansas, 1988 | 3:35.84 |
| 3,000 Meters | Johan Boakes, Arkansas, 1990 | 7:59.97 |
| Steeplechase | Daniel Lincoln Daniel Lincoln Daniel Lincoln is a world-class American track and field athlete and the American record holder in the 3000 meter steeplechase.-Education:... , Arkansas, 2002 |
8:29.16 |
| 5,000 Meters | Josphat Boit, Arkansas, 2006 | 13:52.17 |
| 10,000 Meters | Mark Curp Mark Curp Mark Curp is a former world and American record holder in the half marathon. He attended the Central Missouri State University.... , Kansas City TC, 1982 |
28:51.26 |
| 110-Meter Hurdles | Aries Merritt Aries Merritt Aries Merritt is an American hurdler who specialises in the 110 meters hurdles.Merritt had a successful college athletic career: in 2006 he won the NCCA Championships, was undefeated in all hurdles events that year, and he broke Willie Gault's University of Tennessee hurdles record... , Tennessee, 2006 |
13.22 |
| 400-Meter Hurdles | Rueben McCoy, Auburn, 2008 | 50.12 |
| 4x100-Meter Relay | Arkansas, 1985 | 38.81 |
| 4x400-Meter Relay | Baylor | 3:04.91 |
| High Jump | Doakes/Jenkins, Arkansas/Tennessee, 1994 | 7'-5.75" |
| Pole Vault | Lawrence Johnson Lawrence Johnson Lawrence Johnson is a pole vaulter, born in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. LoJo began pole vaulting in 1989 and since has records on all stages and led the charge to return the US to the international medal podium... , Tennessee, 1994 |
19'-0.25" |
| Long Jump | Erick Walder Erick Walder Erick Walder is an American long jumper.His personal best was 8.74 meters, achieved in April 1994 in El Paso.-Collegiate career:... , Arkansas, 1994 |
27'-4.75" |
| Triple Jump | Mike Conley, Arkansas, 1985 | 56'-3.5" |
| Shot Put | Marty Kobza, Arkansas, 1985 | 66'-9.5" |
| Discus | Rashaud Scott, Kentucky, 2008 | 199'-10" |
| Javelin | Bob Roggy Bob Roggy Bob Roggy was a javelin thrower from the United States. He set the world best year performance in 1982, throwing 95.80 metres in Stuttgart, West Germany on 1982-08-29. Earlier in 1982, Roggy set the American record in the Javelin at the Bruce Jenner Invitational, beating Mark Murro's 12 year old... , Southern Illinois, 1977 |
267'-10" |
| Hammer | Cory Martin, Auburn, 2008 | 239'-10" |
| Decathlon | Chris Helwick, Tennessee, 2006 | 7,765 pts. |