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Lupton Baseball Stadium and Williams-Reilly Field
The 2003 season marked the beginning of a new era in TCU baseball with the opening of the Charlie and Marie Lupton Baseball Stadium and Williams-Reilly Field. The stadium officially opened its doors Feb. 2, 2003 when the Horned Frogs dropped a 5-3, decision to long-time Metroplex rival Texas-Arlington. A crowd of 3,105 was on hand for the inaugural game. The stadium was officially dedicated prior to the Frogs' 5-2 loss to Houston March 28.
The past three seasons at Lupton Stadium have been successful, as the Frogs have posted two 20-win campaigns and a school-record 25 home wins in 2005. The Frogs are a combined 66-24 (.733) on their home turf. Fans have also enjoyed the friendly atmosphere provided by Lupton, as over 120,000 patrons have watched the Frogs in action. 2005 saw a new record set, as over 46,000 fans came through the turnstiles. In its three seasons, TCU is averaging nearly 1,400 fans per game.
The state-of-the-art ballpark is located on the TCU campus, between the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center to the north, the Lowden Track to the west and the Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium to the east.
Ground was broken for Lupton Stadium Oct. 18, 2001, and construction officially began Dec. 3, 2001. The $7 million ballpark stands as one of the premier facilities in all of college baseball.
The ballpark is named for Charlie and Marie Lupton in recognition of a $2 million gift from the Brown-Lupton Foundation. The foundation was founded in 1944 by business partners T.J. "Tom" Brown and Charles A. Lupton, both deceased. The business leaders owned the Fort Worth Coca-Cola Bottling franchise and other bottling plants in Texas and California. Lupton Stadium is not the first project at TCU that the Brown-Lupton Foundation has helped make a reality, as the foundation has also contributed naming rights to the Brown-Wright Residential Community, the Brown-Lupton Student Center and the Brown-Lupton Health Center. Additionally, the foundation has donated to the construction of Tandy Hall and the Walsh Center for Performing Arts and to the expansion of the Mary Couts Burnett Library, as well as providing significant support for TCU athletics, research, scholarships and other university needs. In all, the Brown-Lupton Foundation has donated more than $11.5 million to TCU over the last three decades.
The playing surface is named Williams-Reilly Field in honor of former TCU baseball letterman and coach Roger Williams and business leader Michael Reilly. Williams, who lettered in baseball at TCU from 1968-71 and served as the Horned Frogs' head coach in 1976, is currently a member of the TCU Board of Trustees and served as chairman of the Lupton Stadium Capital Campaign. The owner of Roger Williams Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep in Weatherford, Williams has been a strong supporter of Horned Frog athletics throughout the years through both financial contributions and dedication of time. He is currently serving as the state of Texas' Secretary of State.
Reilly is a commercial real estate developer in the Metroplex. He has been a strong philanthropist in the DFW community for many years, supporting a number of area initiatives. Reilly served as a minority owner of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club from 1974-98. Williams and Reilly have been lifelong friends and were high school teammates at Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth.
In all, more than 220 donors contributed to the construction of Lupton Stadium and Williams-Reilly Field.
The facility features 3,500 seats and the unique two-deck structure allows for every seat to be extremely close to the playing surface and to have a great vantage point of all the exciting action on the field. A cantilevered roof system covers part of the stadium grandstand, protecting fans from the sun and rain. Seats range from lower-deck chairback seats to upper-level club seats, as well as general admission bleacher seating. Additional seating areas can be found in the spacious berm area located behind the first base line. Additionally, the ballpark features easy access to ticket booths, concession areas and restrooms right on the main concourse. Lupton Stadium also features three luxury suites, providing a spectacular view of Horned Frog baseball.
For the players and coaches, Lupton Stadium features locker rooms for home and visiting teams, as well as a dressing area for umpires. The spacious home clubhouse features 35 custom-built lockers for the Horned Frogs. Located under the main grandstand, the TCU clubhouse provides direct access to the Frogs' third base dugout. Also adjacent to the TCU clubhouse are the assistant coaches offices and dressing areas for the Horned Frog coaching staff, a spacious athletic training room, laundry and equipment facilities, as well as indoor batting cages, available for year-round use.
Local, regional, and national media will also have the privilege of covering games at Lupton Stadium from one of the finest press facilities in college baseball. The Garry Williams press box has ample seating for working media and is named in honor of Williams, a longtime supporter of TCU baseball. Home and visitor radio broadcasters will enjoy separate spacious booths to call the games as well.
The playing surface features the latest technology in field maintenance, including a Bermuda TIFF 419 surface. The dugouts are heated with Major League-style bat and helmet racks, and spacious bullpen areas are located outside the field of play.
The foul poles and flag poles, donated by Garry Williams to the old TCU Diamond, were moved to Lupton Stadium and add familiar features from the old ballpark for long-time Horned Frog faithful. The main entrance to the stadium even includes some of the bricks that made up the Wrigley Field-style backstop at the old TCU Diamond.
"Lupton Stadium and Williams-Reilly Field is one of the premier facilities in all of college baseball," said head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
"Without question, it is what first attracted me to TCU and has made the same impact on many outstanding high school and junior college players. Facilities represent commitment, and everyone, nationwide, now realizes that TCU is committed to competing at the very highest level of college baseball. We want to take care of our players at the highest level, and this facility allows us to do that."
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