Movie Gallery Stadium
| "The Vet" | |
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| Former names | Veterans Memorial Stadium (1950–2002, 2010-Present) Larry Blakeney Field (2011-Present) Richard M. Scrushy Field (playing surface only, 1998–2003) Movie Gallery Stadium (2003–2010) |
|---|---|
| Location | George C. Wallace Dr, Troy, AL 36081 |
| Coordinates | 31°47′58″N 85°57′7″W / 31.79944°N 85.95194°WCoordinates: 31°47′58″N 85°57′7″W / 31.79944°N 85.95194°W |
| Owner | Troy University |
| Operator | Troy University |
| Capacity | 30,402 |
| Record attendance | 29,013 September 15, 2012 vs Mississippi State |
| Surface | ProGrass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1950 |
| Opened | September 16, 1950 |
| Expanded | 1998, 2003, 2017 |
| Construction cost | $65,000 (Original) |
| Architect | HOK Sport (2003 renovation) |
| Tenants | |
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Troy Trojans (NCAA) (1950–present) Charles Henderson High School |
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Veterans Memorial Stadium at Larry Blakeney Field is a stadium in Troy, Alabama. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Troy University Trojans. The seating capacity is 30,402. The stadium was originally built in 1950, and has regularly been expanded, renovated and improved since then. The stadium was named in honor of the college students and local residents who gave their lives during World War II. The field received its name from retired head coach Larry Blakeney, the all-time winningest coach in Troy history.
Veterans Memorial Stadium was originally dedicated to the Troy State Teachers College students and Pike County residents who had died in World War II. The stadium solely consisted of a small, 5,000-seat grandstand on the west side of the running track, and was built into the natural slope of the ground. It was expanded several times, including the addition of upper deck in 1998 that brought capacity up to 17,500. The most recent renovation was carried out for completion in 2003, the season which saw the Trojans make the move to Division I-A (FBS). The old press box area, which had cut into the 1998 upper deck, was filled in with chair-back seats and a larger press box and luxury box area was added behind the now-completed upper deck. The track was removed and the field was lowered, and permanent seating was placed over the old berm area behind the south grandstand. The now-30,000 seat stadium is a flattened "U" shape, with the north end still open. The natural grass surface was replaced with AstroPlay synthetic grass. Troy was one of the first schools to feature the synthetic grass on a football field. The AstroPlay surface was then replaced by the ProGrass synthetic turf system in 2012.
Costs for the 1998 expansion of the stadium were financed in part by a substantial donation from HealthSouth founder Richard M. Scrushy. The playing field (but not the stadium) was renamed for Scrushy, but this became a public relations problem for Troy when Scrushy was forced out of his position due to alleged financial misdeeds at HealthSouth, for which he was later tried, but acquitted. (Scrushy was later convicted of other unrelated crimes, along with former Alabama governor Don Siegelman; those convictions are currently under appeal.)
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