The University of Missouri has chosen FieldTurf as the new synthetic grass surface to be installed at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium, as announced today by the Department of Athletics. FieldTurf will replace the current natural grass surface, which has been in place since 1995. The replacement process will begin Monday, April 14th and will be completed this summer.

"We are pleased to be associated with an industry leader such as FieldTurf at the University of Missouri," said Director of Athletics Mike Alden. "In our extensive study and research of the synthetic grass market, FieldTurf received tremendous support from a number of sources, including football coaches and players," he said.

FieldTurf has over 500 installations worldwide, including 18 in the college ranks and 13 more throughout the National Football League. Among its NCAA Division I-A clients are the University of Michigan, the University of Nebraska, Kansas State University and the University of Oregon. In the NFL, Giants Stadium (home of the New York Giants and New York Jets), Ford Field (Detroit Lions) and Seattle Stadium (Seattle Seahawks) each have FieldTurf surfaces.

Field graphics for the new surface will include the oval Tigerhead logo at midfield, while both endzones will continue to feature the white diamond pattern with "Missouri" spelled out inside the diamonds. Over 1,000 Mizzou fans, staff and alumni participated in the field graphics selection through an Internet survey featured recently on mutigers.com.

"Vibra Whirl, the Missouri distributor of FieldTurf, and FieldTurf are pleased to be involved on this project with a high-profile institution like the University of Missouri. This project will allow our companies to again work with a major NCAA program and also another school from a tremendous conference like the Big 12," said Mark West, of DMS, Inc, which represents FieldTurf.

"I'm thrilled with this announcement that FieldTurf will be installed at Faurot Field," said FieldTurf CEO John Gilman. "It's an honor for us to be associated with the Tigers and with the Big 12 Conference. The players and coaches will love FieldTurf, and we're proud to have earned our position as the highest rated artificial turf in the industry. FieldTurf is as close as you can get to natural grass, and its safety, durability and high quality are well known throughout college and professional football. With our ability now to replicate natural grass, it's clear that the artificial turf industry has come a very long way in the past few years, and I think that Mizzou fans will be excited when they first see the new FieldTurf surface at the 2003 home opener."

Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, of Kansas City, Mo., will serve as the University's design consultant on the project.