When the 2007 season kicks off for Colonels football next fall, patrons will notice a distinct change in John L. Guidry Stadium that has not been renovated since 1999. General Sports Venue, marketer for AstroTurf, and Archie Manning donated a brand new, $500,000 playing surface that will be installed in the stadium for the start of the Manning Passing Academy and 2007 Colonels football season.

The field, which should be installed before the start of the Manning Passing Academy this summer, will be dedicated to Manning and given the name Manning Field Presented By AstroTurf.

Head Coach Jay Thomas of the Colonels Football team said he is excited about getting the new turf, and is grateful for the donation from the Mannings’ to his team and the University.

“Getting the turf is just another way the Mannings’ and the University show their commitment to expanding the campus in a positive way,” Thomas said. “We couldn’t be more grateful for this amazing donation from such great people.”

In late October, a representative for Manning contacted Athletics Director Rob Bernardi saying that in an agreement to represent AstroTurf, Manning requested the company donate a new playing surface to the school since the passing academy is also held in Guidry Stadium.

“After meeting with the people with GSV, you could tell that they were excited to use our facilities to display a product they really believe in,” Bernardi said.

Manning said getting the turf for Nicholls was something that he and his sons Peyton, Eli and Cooper wanted to do for the University as their way of not only giving back to the University, but also the athletics department as well.

“We knew that having the camp in Thibodaux would benefit Nicholls and the administration, but we didn’t know how much help we were giving to the athletics department,” Manning said. “This is something that we really wanted to give to the department which will hopefully help in recruiting, and put all Nicholls sports in a positive light.”

The grass in the stadium will be excavated about nine inches deep for drainage when it rains and underlying padding of the field in preparation for the actual turf which Bernardi said should take about three weeks to install and could be finished in late May.

Patented in 1965, AstroTurf was the first synthetic sports playing surface, but after the product became popular, it lost favor with teams and was managed by an international company until recently when GSV re-launched the AstroTurf line in New York. “With the technological advances the company has made in producing so many quality products, I knew this was something that I very much wanted to be a part of,” Manning said.

The kind of turf Guidry Stadium is receiving has also been installed at schools such as the University of Tennessee, Michigan State and Florida State, as well as in the NFL. Features of the turf include an antimicrobial layer that protects against bacteria, and root fibers that give the player a simulated feel of natural grass.

The Manning Passing Academy will begin its third year at Nicholls July 12 after spending eight previous years at Southeastern. Nicholls hosting the Saints Training Camp in the past is one of the reasons that Manning felt the school would make a perfect choice to host the four-day camp in the summer.

With the upgrade of the field, Nicholls will be the sixth school in the conference to have an artificial surface along with Southeastern, Texas State, Northwestern State, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State.

“Some say that ‘Success builds upon success’ and with the addition of the new field and more future developments that are on the horizon, right now it’s a great time to be at Nicholls State,” Bernardi said.

Manning said the hospitality of the people of Thibodaux is what makes putting the camp on so enjoyable for he and his staff, and he hopes that the relationship with Nicholls will be a long, fruitful one.

“The generosity of the entire region is all the more reason why we enjoy having this camp here,” he said. “The area has been so welcoming, that we want the passing academy to stay at Nicholls for as long as the camp is around.