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Randal
Tyson Track Center The University of Arkansas and its track and field programs received a generous gift in the summer of 1998 when Don Tyson donated 3-million dollars for a new facility. The longtime home of champions, the tradition looks to continue as the University put into motion the plans for a state of the art facility located on the south side of campus. Adjacent to Arkansas' award winning baseball facility, the Randal Tyson Track Center was built strictly for track and field. While the facility will be used in the off season for non track related events, every consideration was taken during the architectural and construction stages to make the building the standard by which other tracks are measured. Featured in the 6.5-million dollar facility are a 12x24 foot jumbotron (scoreboard), a warm-up area for non competing athletes, a newly resurfaced 200 meter banked track, concessions areas, a press box that will seat more than 50 members of the media and a sound system that was designed specifically for track. While the building itself may be new, the track has had a storied past. Purchased from the Toronto Sky Dome, the track was first used for the 1994 World Indoor Championships. Its second use was for the "World's Fastest Man Competition" in 1997 between Michael Johnson and Donovan Bailey. After several years of storage, the track came to Arkansas and was completely refurbished. Mondo, the track surface provider, took some of its top men off the construction of the Olympic Track in Sydney, Australia to come to Fayetteville and restore the prestigious 200 meter track back to its past glory for the NCAA Championships. The construction of the facility began in July 1999 and once ground was broken, there was a constant buzz surrounding the building. With seating for nearly 6,000 spectators, the Randal Tyson Track should provide a vibrant atmosphere for any track and field meet, including the NCAA Championships. The Tyson Center has hosted USA Track and Field Golden Spike meets, the Southeastern Conference Championship and the NCAA Indoor Championship from 2000-02. The track proved its speed with several collegiate records falling at the 2000 NCAA Indoor Championships, and the Tyson Center its fan power with sell-outs for both the 2000 and 2001 NCAA events. |