The blue turf at Boise State is probably one of, if not the, most recognizable and intimidating fields in all of college football. What could be more intimidating than blue turf? How about black?
West Salem High School, one of three high schools in Salem, Ore., recently decided that its football field needed a facelift. So a group led by the school's principal and athletic director spearheaded a campaign to raise money to replace the school's outdated green Fieldturf, which was installed in 2002.
The group originally set out to raise $437,000, but when FieldTurf offered a considerable discount if the school opted for a unique color, they jumped at the opportunity, according to the StatesmanJournal.com. With the price cut, which brought the cost down to about $300,000, the school chose to go with black turf for its field in hopes of living up to the stadium's nickname of "The Black Hole."
"It never dawned on me that it would mean as much to this community as
it does," West Salem athletic director Bryan Sutherland said. "From what
we understand, it's the only black field in the country. That's really
taken off over here."
The turf was finished Thursday, just in time for the West Salem football team to show off the snazzy new field in the team's season opener against South Medford on Friday night.
And to avoid anyone complaining about the jerseys blending in with the field, much like the scrutiny Boise State faced last year, West Salem decided to go with new green jerseys and black pants for home uniforms.
Photo via Facebook/West Salem High School
