While the current stadium dates only to 2003, the site has a considerably longer football history. In a 2020 interview, Coastal athletic director Matt Hogue, who began working at the school in 1997 as Coastal's basketball play-by-play announcer, told ESPN journalist Ryan McGee,
When I started working here, that was the location of Conway High School's football stadium. They decided to build a new stadium on their campus, so it left that lot open for us. But it sat there empty for seven or eight months between their last game and our groundbreaking, so it was completely overgrown with weeds and watermelons. . . . When we went out there to get ready for the groundbreaking ceremony, there were wild watermelons all over the place. So, we had to work around that.[4]
Groundbreaking for Brooks Stadium was held on July 30, 2002. Phase I of the stadium construction contained 6,408 seats, while the foundation and infrastructure of the stadium was designed to support future expansion to 20,000 seats.[5] The stadium was formally dedicated on September 6, 2003, as the Chanticleer football team opened its inaugural game vs. Newberry College in front of a crowd of more than 8,000. On October 7, 2006, the field was named James C. Benton Field to honor the family for a large donation they made to the Coastal athletics program earlier in the year.
2017–19 expansion
Rendering of Brooks Stadium following expansion
Following the announcement of the university joining the Sun Belt Conference on September 1, 2015, Brooks Stadium underwent construction to expand the stadium to 20,000 seats. The NCAA requires FBS programs to maintain an average attendance of at least 15,000 over a rolling two-year cycle. The expansion project received approval from the state in November 2015, but construction was not expected to begin until January 2017. Coastal Carolina University officials set the project price tag at $38 million.[6] The committee also announced in February 2017 the lead architects for the expansion were Heery International, Inc.architectural firm and Stubbs Muldrow Herin architects.[7]McKnight Construction Company was awarded the project, and groundbreaking took place on March 21, 2017. Construction took place over two phases; the first phase expanded the stadium to the FBS-minimum 15,000 seats by expanding the sidelines and connecting them to the north end zone as well as expanding the press box side upper deck. It was completed in time for Coastal Carolina's season opener against UMass on September 2, 2017. Construction of phase II began in January 2018, and further expanded capacity to over 20,000 seats by adding premium seating and an upper deck to the west side.[8] Phase II was finished in August 2019.[9]
The Coastal Carolina (left) and Army football teams line up on the Stadium's teal turf during a game in 2022.
Marrio & Josh Norman Fieldhouse
Adkins Fieldhouse, located in the north endzone in 2010 (Now the Marrio & Josh Norman Fieldhouse)
The $8.5 million fieldhouse opened at Brooks Stadium in June 2010. It was originally named for brothers Mark and Will Adkins (Coastal Carolina '89), who planned to donate $1.5 million to the project. The fieldhouse added 1,600 seats.
On November 3, 2018, it was announced that Josh Norman had donated a large amount of money to the athletic department and the Adkins Fieldhouse name changed to Marrio & Josh Norman Fieldhouse.
The Marrio & Josh Norman Fieldhouse also includes houses:
Football offices, meeting rooms, and football locker room
13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) Strength & conditioning center for all student-athletes
Men's and women's cross country and track & field offices
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