Covenant News

North Park's Holmgren Athletic Complex Is Dedicated

CHICAGO, IL (October 6, 2004) - Mike Holmgren, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and former head coach of the Green Bay Packers, was joined by his wife, Kathy, and the rest of his family this past Saturday to unveil Chicago's newest and most innovative college athletic facility, North Park University's Holmgren Athletic Complex.

Kathy Holmgren is a North Park alumna and former member of the university's Board of Trustees, and all four of the couple's children attended North Park. Mike Holmgren is a long-time friend of the university, having lent his support for several years to a charity golf tournament to benefit North Park outreach initiatives for inner-city youth.

While the football field remains named in honor of the late Ted Hedstrand, longtime North Park football and baseball coach, the entire complex has been expanded to support three additional intercollegiate venues: baseball, softball and rowing. In addition to replacing the football field's natural grass with state-of-the-art artificial turf, the project includes the addition of new grandstands, field lighting, dugouts, fencing and scoreboards, plus enhancements to the entrance.

"I am convinced that this facility is the most flexible use of limited outdoor space in the country," says Jack Surridge, athletic director. "Its state-of-the-art surface and competition lighting makes it possible for us to use this facility 14 hours a day. We will no longer have to line the fields, mow the grass or worry about tearing up the turf when it rains, because this new surface drains so quickly," adds Surridge. "This is an ideal surface for unlimited programming on limited land." The new artificial grass is designed to eliminate torque and burn problems associated with older products that used a synthetic grass blade and rubber-sand infill.

Another important part of the Holmgren Athletic Complex is the construction of a boat launch for racing skulls to support North Park's new intercollegiate women's rowing team and men's club team. This complex project, including special steps, ramps and a floating dock to access the North Channel of the Chicago River, is yet to be completed.

Major funding for the project came from a $100,000 grant from the National Football League and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, as well as from the Holmgrens. To learn more about Holmgren's personal life and career, see Mike Holmgren: His Life Reads Like a Good Book.

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