Shrine Bowl Fans First To Enjoy PSU's Carnie Smith Stadium
When an expected 10,000-plus fans gather at Pittsburg State’s Carnie Smith Stadium on July 29th for the 32nd Shrine Bowl All-Star Football Game, they’ll be the first to enjoy a $2.5 million dollar improvement project that’s been underway since shortly after the 2005 season ended. “We’ve done some major work on the west side of the stadium,” says Tommy Riggs, Associate Athletic Director at PSU. “We’ve built a total of 8 new luxury boxes on either side of the press box, added an elevator, added some ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) seating, along with some flower boxes. We think the fans will enjoy the improvements to what we think is already one of the Midwest’s best college venues.” The improvements were included in the second phase of a major project that began in 2001 with additions on the east side of the stadium, a $6 million dollar project that added an upper deck and 16 skyboxes. In 2002, the first year that the Kansas Shrine Bowl was played in Pittsburg, fans and players were greeted by a gleaming new field covering called FieldTurf. The 2002 Shrine Bowl game was the first contest ever played on the new turf. Riggs says the City of Pittsburg and PSU view the Shrine Bowl as a major event in the community. “This is one of the premiere sports events in Kansas each year,” he says. “Both the community and the university are happy to take on the challenge of bringing it to Southeast Kansas. We’re proud of what we have here, and this gives us the chance to brag a bit.” Riggs points out that the exposure to the campus could influence some football players-and other students- to come to PSU. “There may be some players who would consider Pittsburg State after having the chance to play on our field and look at our campus. In addition, there might be brothers or sisters or friends of players who will come to the game and see our campus for the first time. You never know what prospective students might be pulled in by an event like this.” Riggs says the university is growing in other areas besides the football stadium, citing the new $4 million Kansas Polymer Research Center, and a $14 million Army National Guard Readiness Center/Classroom Building/Student Recreation Center. “We have a lot to showcase,” he says. Will having the game in the far southeast corner of the state hinder people from coming? Riggs says it won’t, and if early ticket sales are any indication, he’s right. Many of the best tickets, 1,000 chairback tickets near the center of the field, have already been snapped up, and only a few hundred tickets remain for the annual Shrine Bowl Banquet that will be held the night before the game (Friday, July 28) Proceeds from the game support the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 hospitals that provide expert, no-cost orthopedic and burn care to children under 18.
Advance reserved chairback tickets are $20.00 in advance, $21.00 on game night. Adult general admission tickets are $9.00 in advance, $10.00 on game night. Student tickets are $5.00 in advance, $6.00 on game night. Banquet tickets are $20.00, and must be purchased in advance. Advance game tickets and banquet tickets can be purchased through the Shrine Bowl office by calling 1-800-530-5524 Additional information and a link to Shriners Hospitals for Children can be found at http://www.ksshrine.com. |