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MEAN GREEN FOOTBALL Apogee Turf Project Underway UNT Athletics Installing Cool Play Turf In Apogee Stadium DENTON – Apogee Stadium will receive a new, innovative playing surface for the 2018 football season, North Texas Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker announced Monday. “We are very excited to be updating Apogee Stadium with new turf,” Baker said. “This new surface, featuring cutting-edge technology, will be safer for our student-athletes. The dynamic design elements will also help elevate the UNT brand for both fans inside the stadium and watching worldwide. I can’t wait to see the finished product on September 1 as we open the season at home against SMU.” Phase One of the facility upgrade is expected to be completed by June 1, with the end zone portion of the project concluding in early August after the custom color for the end zones is manufactured. Apogee Stadium will be equipped with the FieldTurf Cool Play surface, which features an extruded composite-top dressing that keeps the surface 35 degrees cooler than traditional sand/rubber infill systems, according to independent laboratory results. The extruded composite top layer is durable, shock absorbing and takes on far less heat than other alternatives, helping provide a safer surface. Other FBS institutions utilizing this technology include Notre Dame, Georgia, Maryland, Nebraska, Arizona and Tulsa. Another new design element features recognition of the department’s mission statement, “Building Champions and Preparing Leaders,” which will appear on the visitor sideline. “We have established our mission is to Build Champions and Prepare Leaders,” Baker said. “Our supporters, coaches and athletes have embraced this mission and we want all visitors to Apogee to know what our focus is.” The iconic diving-eagle logo will remain at midfield, but will now be atop a shaded outline of Texas. “The diving eagle is our signature logo and is both regionally and nationally recognized with the University of North Texas,” Baker said. “The shaded Texas outline shows our commitment to recruit Texas as well as our commitment to defend and promote our home state.” For the first time, the end zones at Apogee will be Kelly green with North Texas and Mean Green prominently displayed on each end of the field. The UNT logo will be displayed twice, on the 25-yard lines opposite from the Conference USA logo, to provide national branding to the university. This is the first time UNT has been featured on the turf. The conference logo is green, white and gray, while the UNT logo is white. The average artificial field surface is replaced every six to eight years, and the 2017 season was the seventh for Apogee’s original turf. The athletic department’s commitment to player safety coupled with the condition of the existing turf has led North Texas athletics to make this change ahead of the 2018 season. North Texas kicks off the 2018 season against Metroplex rival SMU on Saturday, Sept. 1, on the new surface at Apogee Stadium. Season tickets for 2018 are on sale and fans can purchase tickets through the Mean Green athletics ticket office. For more information, visit MeanGreenSports.com or call the ticket office at 940-565-2527 or 800-868-2366.