Is it really true that there is no place like home? Is home really where the heart is? While I cannot attest that these old adages hold true in every situation, I can say without any doubt they are right on target when the place being referred to as home is Northwestern State University.
After spending five years in the NSU Sports Information office while earning my undergraduate degree and beginning graduate school, I spent a brief full-time stint in a similar role at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. The 10 months at UNF were amazing, teaching me new skills and showing me another aspect of Division I athletics. However, when the time came to make the decision of whether to accept an offer to stay on at UNF or make the move back to Demonland, I knew it was time to rejoin the place my heart never left.
During my time away, I was fortunate enough to make it back to the place I “know” for two basketball games. And I must say, even though home held onto the same warmth and hospitality it always had, boy did it get a facelift!!
Where do I begin? New scoreboards, extensive renovations to the Demon Diamond, new banners and signage in Prather Coliseum, beginning stages of a pressbox at the Demon Soccer Complex, new turf in Turpin Stadium, new football head coach Bradley Dale Peveto – these are all things that came to fruition in a very short timeframe and are all things that showcase the direction NSU athletics is heading.
When I visited in May to interview for the Assistant Director of Marketing for Tickets Operations and see my brother and cousin graduate from NSU, I was blown away by the changes I saw not only in the athletic complexes but campus wide as well. First of all, did Boozman Hall vanish into thin air as if part of some crazy magic act? And it seems like University Place II was constructed and opened nearly as quickly as Boozeman was gone. What about the gorgeous Baptist Collegiate Ministry building and the upstart of Greek Row?
Entering campus on Tarleton Drive in May, my attention was instantly drawn to the eye-catching changes made to the NSU softball facility. The impressive scoreboard, the new outfield fence, the popping paint scheme and numerous other strategic elements set the tone for the athletic complex when driving in from that part of campus. When the soccer pressbox project reaches completion, the image of NSU’s athletic prowess will only be heightened.
On South Jefferson, the towering scoreboard at Brown-Stroud Field serves the same purpose of welcoming visitors to the complex of an athletic department that truly is “Big Time in Your Backyard.” But perhaps the most awesome additions come on the playing surface of Turpin Stadium. Joining forces with an incredible scoreboard and video screen, the new turf creates nothing short of a jaw-dropping reaction.
Now having the pleasure to be a small part of the work that goes into improving these appearances and knowing additional plans for facility enhancement, I know that sitting in Turpin Stadium this fall will be an absolutely stellar experience. And that’s not to mention visiting the Demon Soccer Complex when NSU soccer kicks off in less than a month, Prather Coliseum this fall and winter, Brown-Stroud Field and the Demon Diamond in the spring, the Walter Ledet Track Complex and the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex. There are simply too many substantial things happening at every one of the NSU athletic facilities to even attempt making mention of them all in a brief article.
They say all good things must come to an end. No doubt, I have seen many good, even great things, in my life come and go, but in many ways I’ve been an NSU Demon since the day I was born. After all, NSU Sports Information Director Doug Ireland was there with NSU baseball jersey in hand (perhaps it was a bit of foreshadowing)! And 24 years later, I still bleed Purple and White (with Orange trim). By the way, I don’t see that changing any time soon…
There has never been a better time to be a part of the Northwestern State family, and the changes being made are a direct reflection of that. I consider it a true blessing to be back at my alma mater and to be labeled as a cog of the Northwestern State athletic department. Well, I guess there is just one thing left to say … FORK ‘EM DEMONS!!
