bridgeforth xx stadium Bridgeforth Stadium/ Zane Showker Field •
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2011 JMU Football - 74
Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field, a 25,000-seat lighted facility in the center of campus, features a FieldTurf playing surface, a state-ofthe-art support facility in the south end zone, and a 24-by-60 videoboard above the south end zone. Construction began following the 2009 season and will be completed prior to the 2011 campaign on a project that expands Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field’s seating capacity to nearly 25,000. Enhanced seating, with a club level and suites a second deck on the stadium’s west side, and a new media facility has been included. Permanent seating has been installed in the north end zone, and improved fan amenities are available as the $62.5 million project is completed. • The stadium is named for William E. Bridgeforth of Winchester, Va., a longtime JMU supporter and board of visitors member whose family remains very active with JMU. The playing field is named for Harrisonburg-area businessman Zane Showker, a longtime JMU supporter and university board rector and for whom JMU’s business school facility is named. The stadium was originally constructed in three phases. A synthetic playing surface was installed in 1973-74, the east stands (near Godwin Hall, JMU’s athletics/kinesiology facility) in 1975 and the previous west stands in 1981.