Members of the local community will have a chance to take a sneak peek at Elon University’s new Rhodes Stadium during an open house, 2–4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 12. The public is invited to tour the facility, enjoy refreshments and meet members of the Elon staff.
The facility, located at the north athletics complex, is Elon’s first on-campus stadium. Parking for the open house will be adjacent to the stadium and in the Harper Center lot located southeast of the athletics complex.
Construction on the $13 million on-campus stadium, which began in March 2000, is nearly complete. Installation of the playing field turf was completed in early July.
The inaugural football game at Rhodes Stadium is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15, when the Phoenix takes on Eastern Kentucky University. Several events will be held during the week prior to the game, celebrating the facility and honoring donors who provided funding for the project.
The inaugural season includes five additional home games: vs. North Carolina A&T State University on Sept. 22; vs. Gardner-Webb University on Sept. 29; vs. Northwestern State University (La.) on Oct. 13; vs. Charleston Southern University on Oct. 27; and vs. defending national champion Georgia Southern University on Nov. 10.
Rhodes Stadium is one of the few collegiate football stadiums to be constructed in the nation during the past decade. It will seat 8,250 fans, with expansion room to accommodate 20,000. The stadium includes the state-of-the-art McKinnon Field, designed by McGovern Sports Fields, Inc., of Ft. Myers, Fla., which installed similar fields for venues such as Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte and Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. The field, which is located 16-feet below ground level, includes a sophisticated drainage and irrigation system and a special variety of Bermuda grass developed for athletics fields.
The two-story Woods Center press box offers coaches, members of the media and special guests a panoramic view of Rhodes Stadium. The press box accommodates as many as 21 print journalists and also provides space for television and radio crews, as well as coaching booths for each team. One level below, the president’s box accommodates 40-50 people, while four special guest boxes hold 12-15 people.
A 57-foot bell tower topped by a copper dome stands near the main Rhodes Stadium entrance, an impressive arched, brick and stone colonnade with enclosed ticket booths. Thirty-five brick and stone columns support black wrought iron fencing that encloses the stadium.
The stadium is named for Dusty and Peggy Rhodes, Gibsonville, N.C., and their family. The field is named for Bob and Ray McKinnon, Hickory, N.C.
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