Sept. 3, 2009
When the Longhorns continue their long tradition of charging onto Joe Jamail Field on Saturday, they will officially debut the new FieldTurf surface for game action against ULM.
"I'm really pleased with the turf," head coach Mack Brown said following the team's first practice on it during fall camp. "I thought the guys looked quick. I thought they liked it. I didn't even realize we were standing out on turf it's so much like grass now. They're doing a tremendous job with it."
That practice had been the first on the new surface for Longhorns as a team, however the players experienced it this summer both in 7-on-7 and during offseason workouts with Assistant AD for Strength and Conditioning Jeff Madden and his staff.
"The great thing about the turf is we'd been out here every day training on it," Madden said. "We've had a tremendous amount of days 100-plus degree weather here, and our guys have been out here all those days.
"We've been on a lot of different turfs, and this is by far the best I've ever seen. We're excited about it. We like how it moves. We've been running and doing multi-directional drills on it, and it's held up extremely well."
Despite a change in the surface itself, the field's name has remained constant. Its namesake, Houston-based attorney Joe Jamail, earned his bachelor's degree from Texas in 1950 followed with his law degree in 1953. His generosity to The University and its football program has been a great factor in the excellence attained by both.
"It's truly an honor to play on a field named in Joe's honor," Brown said. "He's not only been a tremendous supporter of our football program and The University, but a great friend to Sally and me. Our goal here is to be first class in everything we do, and Joe is a first-class man. We appreciate everything he's done to help us have the best facilities in America."
That will continue Saturday against ULM with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. Central on the new-look Joe Jamail Field.
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