PRESS PAGE
HONEY BEAR FIELD OF DREAMS PROGRAM
The Honey Bear Project recently completed field turf installation at Hovey Field at Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA
Virginia Union University's New Playing Field Named For Hall Of Famer Willie Lanier.
The work is almost completed on the new Willie Lanier - Hovey Stadium Field.
“Honey Bear Project”: NFL Hall of Fame linebacker, Willie Lanier, aims to level the playing field for historically black colleges.
The Legacy Bowl: How a bold scout, HBCU talent elevated Chiefs — and football
THE FACTS
Dream it.
About The Honey Bear Project
NFL Hall of Famer Willie "Honey Bear" Lanier, FieldTurf and the LandTek Group joined forces to launch the Honey Bear Project - a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
The mission of the Honey Bear Project is to replace damaged, outdated and non-turf fields to all participating HBCU's at minimal or no cost.
The project seeks to install new starte-of-the-art playing surfaces at nearly 36 HBCU football stadiums.
Virginia Union University's 113-year old football stadium is the first HBCU to have FieldTurf installed.
The field has been renamed the Willie Lanier Field-Hovey Stadium.
FieldTurf is a world leader in artificial turf with more than 20,000 installations worldwide.
The project seeks to raise $50 million over the next two years.
Build it.
About The Fields
FieldTurf controls all aspects of the manufacturing value chain. From start to finish, we’re in control of your field.
FIBER PRODUCTION
Our fibers are produced at Tarkett’s very own facility in Germany. The quality control process at the facility includes stringent testing of the yarn properties (tensile strength, uniformity, color verification).
TUFTING AND COATING
Once the fiber is produced, it is ready for tufting and coating which takes place at our 500,000 square-foot facility in Calhoun, Georgia. The Calhoun facility employs over 200 employees, with hundreds of years of experience combined in the artificial turf industry.
EXPERT INSTALLATION
FieldTurf has some of the most experienced and knowledgeable installations crews in the industry. The success of your fields is heavily dependent on the quality of your installation crew.
Grow it.
About HBCU Football
On December 27, 1892, the first Black Intercollegiate football game was played between Biddle College (now Johnson C. Smith University) and Livingstone College.
Most of the nations ( HBCU's play in one of (4) athletic conferences.
Willie Lanier, Buck Buchanan, Doug Williams, Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, Michael Strahan, Sterling Sharpe and David "Deacon" Jones are but a few of football greats who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
30 HBCU football players are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame attending schools such as Morgan State, Bethune-Cookman, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Florida A&M and Grambling State.
Virginia Union University's Hovey Stadium is the second oldest college football stadium still in use in the United States behind Harvard University.