Then and Now

1984 Allen E. Paulson Stadium opened for its first game 30 years ago on Sept. 29, 1984, with the Eagles downing Liberty Baptist 48-11. The construction of the “Prettiest Little Stadium in America” was the culmination of four years of planning, fundraising and hard work. Originally built to accommodate about 18,000 spectators at a cost of $4.7 million, it is named in honor of the founder of Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., who donated $1.35 million toward its construction. M.C. Anderson, the owner of a Savannah construction company, provided $1 million in labor and Glenn Bryant, a former state senator, donated the funds to purchase the land for the Stadium. Morris and Ann Lupton contributed $500,000 for the original locker room and field house that has since been replaced by the Gene Bishop Field House.

2014 This year, “Our House” opened with a brand new look for the Eagles’ inaugural season in the Sun Belt Conference. The most visible change is the privately funded $10 million Ted Smith Family Football Center, located between the east end zone and Lanier Drive. The state-of-the-art 57,000-square-foot facility features a central operations area for the football team, and includes coaching offices, locker rooms, workout facilities, a video production suite and a Hall of Fame exhibit highlighting outstanding players and historic football team accomplishments. An expansion project at the Stadium was also completed in time for the season home opener. In all, the ambitious construction project added 6,200 seats to Paulson Stadium, increasing total capacity to 25,000. Two years ago, students voted in favor of a $25 per semester fee to pay for the additional seating.