Posted by Adam Jacobi
Picture via UCASports.com
Earlier this morning, Central Arkansas announced a plan to install artificial turf at its stadium for the 2011 season. It's not just any turf, either; that picture above is what UCA was proposing: alternating purple and gray stripes. That would give the school the most unusual field in all of college football, to say the least.
Of course, since today is April 1, everything out of the ordinary is a lie until proven otherwise, and this has all the familiar markings of an April Fool's stunt: it's bold, out of nowhere, and ripe for ridicule. Except... there's a video on that page about the athletic department's process in choosing the field. And it also talks about the money the school will save. It's not... this isn't actually real, is it?
Real it is. I spoke with assistant sports information director Josh Goff this afternoon, who confirmed that this is actually a real plan, and UCA's field will be purple and gray from now on.
As for the timing of the announcement, Goff said it was no accident; the school waited until today specifically so people who heard about it would have to stop and think about whether to believe it. Well played, sirs (and, presumably, ladies).
