Football
NCAA Division I Success
2009, 2017 FCS Playoffs
Rhodes Stadium is designed to give fans the ultimate game-day experience. Designed by architectural firm Ellerbe Becket, the seats are contoured for comfort and they’re right on top of the action. All of the stadium’s services are within an easy walk of any seat. Rhodes Stadium, named for trustee Dusty Rhodes, his wife, Peggy, and their family, opened its doors on September 22, 2001 for the first game against North Carolina A&T.
In 2009, the largest crowd in stadium history – 14,167 fans – was on hand to watch Elon take on Appalachian State on November 14.
Rhodes Stadium has also hosted soccer and lacrosse games.
McKinnon Field
Named in honor of trustee Bob McKinnon ‘62 and his wife, Ray, the green grass of McKinnon Field is the result of extensive research and planning, and sophisticated construction methods.
McKinnon Field is identical to the playing surfaces in many NFL stadiums. McGovernSports Fields, Inc., of Ft. Myers, Fla., which installed similar fields for venues such as stadiums in Charlotte and Miami, did the work for the field. Functional and attractive, these sand-based fields help reduce injuries by providing a firm, reliable surface for players to make quick cuts and turns.
Work on the field began in the fall of 2000 with the installation of more than 12,000 feet of plastic pipe to provide drainage. On top of this drainage network came a four-inch blanket of stone, followed by a 12-inch root zone composed of a blend of silica sand and peat moss. In May, this base was graded using laser technology, in preparation for the installation of sod at the end of June.
Landscaping specialists spent months studying varieties of grass and the latest methods in turf maintenance before selecting TifSport brand Bermuda grass, which is bred specifically for athletic fields and golf courses.
The 106,000 square feet of turf was grown over an 18-month period at Oakland Plantation in Council, N.C., and then laid down in 50-foot-long strips.
Following its installation, the sod was mowed daily and weekly tissue and soil tests helped crews keep an eye on the level of nutrients in the soil and make the necessary adjustments in irrigation and fertilizer amounts. The sand base and drainage pipes will keep McKinnon Field playable even in the heaviest rain.
Theos Arch
Fans entering Rhodes Stadium will walk under Theos Arch, named in recognition of Nick Theos’ lifetime accomplishments as an educator. Theos is a 1956 Elon alumnus from Charleston, S.C.
Furman Moseley, Theos’ friend and former Elon football teammate, dedicated $1 million to Elon in 1998 in honor of Theos. The two men were recruited to Elon by John L. Georgeo, Elon class of 1946, who coached football at a Mt. Pleasant, S.C., high school.
Both Theos and Moseley played guard on the Elon squad for coach Sid Varney. Varney called Theos “a truly outstanding player” and a leader who always knew what to do on the field.
Moseley went on to become chairman of an international paper company based in Seattle, while Theos had a
distinguished career as principal of Bishop England High School in Charleston.
Theos is credited with building the new Bishop England High School campus on Daniel Island. When he retired in 1999, after 27 years at the school, he was honored with the Benemerenti Medal, a papal medal first bestowed by Pope Pius VI in the 18th century and given in recognition of service to the church and society. The former bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston, the Most Rev. David B. Thompson, conferred the title of “honorary bishop” to Theos in a school assembly.
TOP 10 CROWDS
|
Attendance |
Opponent |
Date |
| 1. |
14,167 |
Appalachian State |
November 14, 2009 |
| 2. |
13,100 |
Appalachian State |
September 29, 2007 |
| 3. |
11,203 |
Charlotte |
September 20, 2014 |
| 4. |
11,149 |
Samford |
September 27, 2008 |
| 5. |
10,883 |
The Citadel |
September 24, 2011 |
| 6. |
10,847 |
Richmond |
August 30, 2008 |
| 7. |
10,747 |
Western Carolina |
November 8, 2008 |
| 8. |
10,638 |
Appalachian State |
November 19, 2011 |
| 9. |
10,632 |
Georgia Southern |
November 10, 2001 |
| 10. |
10,536 |
North Carolina A&T |
September 27, 2003 |
