Tennessee State's 71-year-old Hale Stadium being renovated, again
A revitalization effort will start soon at Tennessee State to make Hale Stadium a more suitable place for the Tigers to play some of their football games and for the new women's soccer team to call home.
The bulk of the renovation will include the demolition and replacement of the press box at the historic venue along with installation of an artificial turf surface, according to TSU assistant athletic director for communications Nick Guerriero.
The field will also be enlarged to accommodate the women's soccer team. That will require removal of the concrete track around the field.
Hale Stadium, affectionately known as The Hole, has been renovated multiple times since it was built in 1953.
The Tigers football team played up to four games each season at the 15,000-seat venue from 2012-2020 after not playing there since 1999.
The press box was condemned in 2022 and only one game has been played there since. That game against Lane College is the only game TSU coach Eddie George has coached at Hale Stadium since his arrival in 2021.
The Lane game was played after the press box was condemned. Media, statisticians and TSU's radio broadcast team were situated on a makeshift workstation atop the visitor's bleachers for that game.
TSU plays most of its home games at Nissan Stadium. The Titans broke ground in February on a $2.1 billion, 60,000-seat enclosed stadium and TSU will continue to play there when that stadium opens in 2027.
Since George's arrival, the football team has used Hale Stadium as its primary practice facility. If the new playing surface is not in place by the start of fall practice, the Tigers will utilize the practice field on top of a nearby hill along with their indoor facility.
TSU played most of its home games at Hale Stadium from 1953-1999. Some of the bigger home games were played at Vanderbilt during that time. Hale Stadium was shut down in 1999 when TSU signed a 30-year lease to share Nissan Stadium with the Titans.
Hale Stadium was spruced up in 2012 and the Tigers returned there to celebrate the school's 100-year anniversary for a game against Austin Peay. A crowd of 14,264 showed up to see the Tigers claim a 34-14 victory. The Tigers also defeated No. 16-ranked Eastern Kentucky 23-20 and Tennessee Tech 21-20 at Hale later that season
Along with women's soccer, TSU is also adding baseball, hockey and women's swimming and diving between 2025-28.
LIV Golf volunteers needed
Volunteers are needed for the inaugural LIV Golf Nashville tournament at The Grove.
The tournament, featuring some of golf’s top players including Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Talor Gooch, Bryson DeChambeau and Martin Kaymer, will be played June 21-23.
Volunteers must be at least 13. Some of the positions needed include, standard bearers, super spotters, marshals, hospitality, admissions, information assistance, and practice area.
For more information or to register visit bit.ly/3UzR5GK or email Nashville.Volunteers@sportfive.com.
State's top golf tournaments schedule announced
The Tennessee Golf Association released its 2024 schedule.
Some of the top events and those in the Middle Tennessee area include:
∎ June 4-6, Women’s Match Play at Westhaven Golf Club.
∎ June 11-14, State Amateur at Tennessee National in Loudon.
∎ June 18-20, Women's Amateur at Belle Meade Country Club.
∎ June 24-26, Tennessee Junior Amateur at Hermitage Golf Course (General's Retreat).
∎ July 9-11, Tennessee State Open at GreyStone Golf Club.
∎ July 25-27, Tennessee Women’s Open at Stonehenge Golf Club in Fairfield Glade.
∎ Aug. 6-9, Men’s Match Play at Tennessee Grasslands.
∎ Aug. 20-22, Men’s Senior and Super Senior Amateur at Memphis Country Club.
∎ Sept. 17-18, Women’s Senior and Mid-Amateur at Franklin Bridge Golf Club.
∎ Sept. 24-27, Men’s Senior and Super Senior Match Play at RiverBend Country Club.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee State Hale Stadium to be renovated, press box replaced
