JAMES M. SHUART STADIUM
In February 2002 Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz announced that the University's 13,000-seat stadium, home to Hofstra's Football, Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams, would be named James M. Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University. On August 29, 2002, the Stadium was officially dedicated.
"During Dr. James M. Shuart's 25 remarkable years as president of Hofstra University we grew from a fine regional institution to an internationally recognized university. Although every aspect of this University has benefited immeasurably from Jim Shuart's leadership, we believe that his roots as a student athlete and his support of our fine athletic program makes the naming of the stadium particularly appropriate. By doing this we convey our admiration and respect for James Shuart to the thousands of individuals who use the James M. Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University each year," said President Rabinowitz.
"Many remarkable dreams become reality at Hofstra thanks to the dedication and hard work of the University's trustees, administrators and faculty. As president I worked closely with my Hofstra colleagues on projects such as the stadium. Hofstra's marvelous stadium provides students, alumni, visitors and friends with a first-class venue. It is one of the top on campus intercollegiate sports facilities, indoor or outdoor, in the New York metropolitan area. I am truly honored that the Hofstra Board of Trustees has decided to name its stadium the James M. Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University," said Hofstra President Emeritus Dr. James M. Shuart.
James M. Shuart Stadium, then known as Hofstra Stadium, was the benefit of a major renovation and expansion plan that was completed in the fall of 1996, and has made James M. Shuart Stadium one of the premier facilities in the nation.
The $9 million project included the expansion of the seating capacity from 7,000 to 15,000; the installation of a network-quality lighting system for television broadcasts; an Athletic Department office building, which includes a press level and a club suite level; two entrance plazas on the south and west sides of the Stadium; a facade around the outside of the Stadium; additional parking and landscaping; a pavilion in the southeast corner of the Stadium; concession and souvenir areas; two locker rooms; the installation of a state-of-the-art scoreboard in the south end zone; and the reinstallation of a scoreboard in the north end zone. James M. Shuart Stadium is the largest outdoor sports and entertainment complex on Long Island.
"The renovation and expansion of the Stadium provides our students, alumni, visitors and friends with a first-class facility in which to practice, play or watch their favorite sport," stated then-President Shuart. "It is one of the top on-campus intercollegiate sports facilities, indoor or outdoor, in the New York metropolitan area."
Opened in 1963, Shuart Stadium has served as the site for NCAA Championships, Nassau County and New York State High School Championships in football and lacrosse, world championships in men's and women's lacrosse, professional soccer, commencement exercises and cultural events. In 1968 Hofstra Stadium became the third college facility in the nation to install an artificial playing surface, following the University of Houston (The Astrodome) and Indiana State University (Memorial Stadium).
Shuart Stadium has become a focal point of the Long Island sports scene in recent years, serving as the home of the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship Quarterfinals, conference championships, the Outback Steakhouse Long Island All-Star Football Game, the Hero's Bowl, the Long Island Lizards of Major League Lacrosse, various Long Island high school and New York state championship games and the 1999 Empire State Games. The Stadium also served as a home for the Long Island Rough Riders of professional soccer's A-League.
The two largest crowds in Hofstra Stadium history occurred during the hosting of the NCAA Lacrosse Quarterfinals. A crowd of 12,292, an NCAA men's lacrosse championship quarterfinal record and the largest-ever lacrosse crowd on Long Island, witnessed the 1999 NCAA quarterfinals featuring Hofstra versus Johns Hopkins and Duke versus Georgetown, and 10,510 fans attended the 2001 quarterfinals that featured Hofstra against Syracuse.
In addition to the recent renovations, within the past decade the Stadium has received a new balsam turf playing surface, several sections of new chair-back seating, a new sound system and the $3.8 million Joseph M. Margiotta Field House in the south end zone.
MARGIOTTA HALL
Opened in 1992, Joseph M. Margiotta Hall, a magnificent three-story, 22,500-square-foot building, is the centerpiece of the Hofstra University Football and Lacrosse programs. The state-of-the-art field house, combined with Hofstra's 13,000-seat stadium and all-purpose artificial turf, has created one of the finest I-AA facilities in the nation.
Margiotta Hall, designed by Angelo F. Corva & Associates, features a 3,500-square-foot weight room on the first floor. The weight room, often considered the showpiece of a football program, is outfitted with the most advanced strength training equipment available. The first floor also contains a spacious 2,600-square-foot Hofstra locker room that accommodates more than 100 student-athletes. The state-of-the-art athletic training room, also located on the first floor, has hydrotherapy and electrotherapy areas, cardiovascular and isokinetic equipment, as well as taping areas, a rehabilitation area, an aerobics room, and athletic trainer and physician offices.
On the second floor of the building, an attractive multi-purpose room, enclosed by a glass wall, provides a panoramic view of James M. Shuart Stadium and its events. Meetings and receptions for alumni, parents and friends of the Hofstra Athletic program are held in this spacious area. This level also serves as headquarters for the Football and Men's Lacrosse coaching staffs, housing head coaches' and assistant coaches' offices, as well as meeting rooms. In 1999 the Pride Teaching and Learning Center opened on the second floor of Margiotta Hall. Funded in part by proceeds from the Joe Gardi Golf Open, the state-of-the-art computer lab and learning center features a projection system and 18 computer workstations, which are connected to the University network for easy access to the Internet. Locker rooms for game officials and coaches and a state-of-the-art video room are also located on this level. One of the newer additions to the second floor of Margiotta Hall are the Hofstra Trophy Room, which commemorates the achievements of Hofstra's Football, Men's Lacrosse, Women's Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. Photos, trophies, plaques and other awards are on display in this area. A memorial wall containing the framed jerseys and plaques of the three Hofstra Football players killed on September 11, 2001, is also on the second floor.
The lower level of Margiotta Hall contains spacious locker rooms for Hofstra's Field Hockey and Men's and Women's Lacrosse teams. Additional equipment, laundry and storage space can be found in this area as well. A 178-seat theater and additional meeting rooms are also located on the lower level.
The handsome lobby of Margiotta Hall contains an elegant commemorative plaque honoring donors who have contributed to this important addition to the Hofstra University campus. Those endowing scholarships and those who have dedicated a room in Margiotta Hall are also honored on the plaque.
DAVID S. MACK SPORTS AND EXHIBITION COMPLEX
On January 2, 2000 the Hofstra Basketball programs moved into the new 5,046-seat then-Hofstra Arena. Construction of the $15 million, 93,000 square-foot facility began in the fall of 1998 and was completed in December 1999. In 2006 the Arena was renamed the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. The Complex houses the Hofstra Basketball teams and the Wrestling team. The Arena also hosts commencements, exhibitions, trade shows, concerts and other special events.
The Mack Sports Complex includes full chair back seating for spectators in an arena configuration. The air-conditioned facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art electronic scoreboard, men's and women's locker rooms, a training room, a large weight room, dressing rooms for stage events, four concession stands, five ticket windows, six luxury boxes and offices for Hofstra's athletic administration and Men's and Women's Basketball programs.
HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY SOCCER STADIUM
The Hofstra Men's and Women's Soccer Teams play at the Hofstra University Soccer Stadium, located on the University's north campus, adjacent to the Hofstra Physical Fitness Center. The Stadium, constructed in 2003 through a partnership with the New York Jets, features a 120-yard by 74-yard FieldTurf surface, stadium lighting and metal bleachers the length of the field.
"We are very pleased to be able to add to our campus a first-rate soccer facility with lights and seating for approximately 1,600 spectators," said Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz. "This facility will enhance our soccer programs, and will also permit us to host exhibitions and other community contests. We are most grateful to the New York Jets for their generosity in making this facility possible."
The FieldTurf system, which was installed by Landtek of Amityville, New York, replicates a natural grass surface, but offers the durability and cost benefits of synthetic fields. FieldTurf is a safe alternative, resulting in a documented reduction of sports injuries. The sand and rubber infill system is the biggest technical development that the sport surfacing industry has seen in the last 25 years. This patented technology sets FieldTurf apart from all other sports surfaces.
In June 2001, The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the worldwide governing body for the sport of soccer, gave its official recommendation to the artificial grass FieldTurf installation at Boston University's Nickerson Field for international competition and domestic league play. The historic ruling, the first and only certification of an artificial surface in the world at this time, means that venues with FieldTurf can be used for all preliminary competition matches for the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Football Tournaments as well as for professional league play. There have been more than 500 FieldTurf installations worldwide in recent years.
The new facility is lit with a system from the Iowa-based Musco Lighting Company. Musco is recognized as a world-class leader in sports lighting with lighting systems installed around the globe. A leader in developing sports-lighting technology - including solutions for permanent and temporary lighting, and sports facility management - Musco offers innovative systems, a comprehensive package of services, and decades of experience.
Working with organizations such as Amateur Softball Association, Babe Ruth League, Disney, England and Wales Cricket Board, Little League Baseball®, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, and the NBA, Musco has played a key role in developing guidelines for safe, efficient sports facilities. Musco is a Major Partner with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA); provides the Official Sports-Lighting System for Little League Baseball and was selected to light Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex - a state-of-the-art 200-acre complex with facilities for more than 30 sports.
The facility is outfitted with a seating system from the Southern Bleacher Company of Graham, Texas. Since 1946, Southern Bleacher has set the standard of excellence in the design and manufacturing of sports stadiums and entertainment venues. Southern Bleacher products grace professional baseball diamonds and soccer fields, college campuses, school districts, NASCAR tracks and rodeo arenas across the United States.
THE HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY PHYSICAL FITNESS CENTER
The Pride Volleyball team calls the Hofstra University Physical Fitness Center its home. Built in 1970, the Physical Fitness Center has established itself as a showcase for volleyball in the metropolitan area. The 1,200-seat arena hosted Hofstra's NCAA Tournament first round match in 1995 and has hosted regional and national United States Volleyball Association events, including the 1983 exhibition between the United States Olympic team and the Japanese Olympic team. Hofstra's Physical Fitness Center, PFC for short, also served as the 1987 home of the New York Liberties of Major League Volleyball and as the training site for the 1989 United States Maccabiah teams. It also is the home to various high school championships.
The arena was refurbished in 1978 with a new ticket lobby and refreshment area. Access roads and ample parking are located around the building. In 1991 new scoreboards with a message center were added to the Physical Fitness Center, replacing the four-sided scoreboard that had served Long Island sports fans at the old Island Garden in Hempstead and at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, adjacent to the University. The PFC is also outfitted with multiple Senoh Systems, the finest volleyball apparatus available.
The Physical Fitness Center was resurfaced for the second time in 1995 with a wooden Thrust-A-Pad floor, which covers the entire 40,000-square-foot building and gives Hofstra the second largest indoor wooden facility on the East Coast. The floor has been placed over the old synthetic surface and adds greater flexibility, thereby decreasing the chance of leg injuries.
After Hofstra Arena was constructed, the PFC became a volleyball-only venue and received a new scoreboard that features space for in-match statistics to be displayed. The PFC was also decorated with banners commemorating Hofstra's NCAA Tournament appearances and conference championships, and several volleyball illustrations, by artist Chris Bigelow, were added to the walls.
The Physical Fitness Center has been home to five professional teams in its existence: The New York Nets (American Basketball Association), the New York Knicks Summer League team (National Basketball Association), the Long Island Knights and Surf (United States Basketball League) and the New York Liberties (Major League Volleyball). In addition, the Physical Fitness Center has hosted concerts, banquets, trade shows, conferences, commencement exercises and scholastic sporting events for the Long Island community.
HOFSTRA SOFTBALL STADIUM
The Hofstra University Pride play at the Hofstra Softball Stadium, located on the north campus of Hofstra University. The Softball Stadium is located next to the Mack Sports Complex and across from the Hofstra Recreation Center. Since the Stadium opened in 2000, the Pride have a 123-18 record at home, including 31-2 against CAA opponents.
The Stadium provides a fine setting for collegiate softball action. Construction included new sunken dugouts, new outfield sod, a press box on top of the bleachers behind home plate, batting cages next to the dugouts and a bullpen area. Bleacher seating behind home plate, from dugout to dugout, accommodates nearly 1,000 spectators. Field dimensions are 190 feet down the lines and 220 feet to centerfield. Banners commemorating Hofstra's team achievements are displayed on the outfield fences, while plaques mounted to the facade of the Stadium showcase individual awards won by Hofstra Softball players.
Hofstra Softball Stadium has hosted three Colonial Athletic Association Championships and is also the site of the Catholic League High School Softball Championship. One of the finest softball facilities on Long Island, Hofstra's Softball Stadium allows the University to continue to host such events in the future.
Hofstra can avoid inclement weather and practice inside Physical Fitness Center, which is equipped with pitching machines and batting cages. The team also has a state-of-the-art weight training facility. Located in the Hofstra Arena, the weight room is outfitted with the most advanced strength training and cardiovascular equipment available.
The Pride not only boast one of the better softball facilities in the Northeast, but also have a first-class locker room at their disposal. The locker room, located in the Physical Fitness Center, includes plush, wall-to-wall carpeting, oak lockers and an entertainment center with a television and stereo.
UNIVERSITY FIELD
The Pride baseball team calls University Field, located on Hofstra's north campus, their home. University Field is centrally located between two of the most frequented sites on campus, the Hofstra Recreation Center and the Mack SPorts Complex. It is also just 25 yards from the Colonial Square residential complex.
University Field has undergone major renovations in recent years. The infield was skinned and a new drainage system was installed. This was followed by the installation of "Competition Turf" by Edel Grass. The artificial grass surface, which is similar to what is used at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was installed by Landtek of Amityville, New York. The new surface gives the Pride greater flexibility in playing during inclement weather and will also allow for greater use during the summer months. Other renovations included leveling the berm that was located behind the backstop, moving the backstop back 10 feet and installing new bleachers behind home plate. New fences were also installed along the right field and left field lines. In 2002-03, the existing dugouts were replaced with sunken dugouts, measuring 70 feet in length, with protective fencing. During the summer of 2004, the outfield warning track was resurfaced with crushed gravel for better playability and drainage.
The recent renovations weren't the first done to University Field. In 1990 extensive outfield repair was done, including the installation of a wooden fence. In 1991 dugouts were constructed, new fencing was installed in foul territory and the bullpen areas were also enclosed with fencing.
University Field has dimensions of 331 feet down the left field line, 380 to center field and 340 down the right field line. There is ample parking adjacent to the field.
HARBOR LINKS GOLF COURSE
Located in Port Washington, New Yok, in Northwest Nassau County on Long Island, the Harbor Links Golf Course is the newest addition to the North Hempstead park system. Created as a town in 1784 by a special act of the New York State Legislature, North Hempstead was settled by a group of 30 settlers in 1643. In the 19th century, North Hempstead, along with Hempstead and Oyster Bay, became the seat of Queens County. In 1899, the three towns left Queens and joined together to become Nassau County.
Over the decades, North Hempstead has been the site of the famous Gold Coast mansions, home port for the Pan Am Clipper flights of the 1930s and home to scores of world famous celebrities, authors, artists and business leaders.
The Town of North Hempstead built Harbor Links on the former Morewood property, site of an old sand mine. Almost a century of intensive sand mining left the land ravaged and scarred. It sat that way until the Town administration decided to create the Town's first public golf course.
Created by Dr. Michael Hurdzan, one of the world's leading golf architects, Harbor Links was completed in an unbelievably quick 15 months. Town workers and contractors turned a bleak landscape into what many regard as one of the finest courses on all of Long Island.
Harbor Links Golf Course, built in 1998, consists of an 18-hole championship course and a 9-hole executive course. This links style golf course is adjacent to Hempstead Harbor and is managed by Arnold Palmer Golf Management. The course is 6,927 yards long from the green tees, 6,490 from the white tees and 5,991 from the gold tees.
BETHPAGE STATE PARK RED COURSE
Bethpage State Park, located in Farmingdale, New York, is a mecca for public golf with five 18-hole regulation golf courses, including the world-renowned Black Course, which was the site of the United States Open in 2002 and will host again in 2009. Bethpage State Park was developed from an estate owned by the Yoakum family and other properties. The Yoakum family leased their estate to the Lenox Hills Corporation, which subsequently used the property to build the Lenox Hills Country Club.
In the early 19330s, the Bethpage Park Authority purchased the Lenox Hills Country Club and other adjacent properties to build what we now know as Bethpage State Park. Famed golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast was hired to design and oversee construction of three new golf courses (Black, Red and Blue) as well as modify the Lenox Hills Course, which became the Green Course. Due to increased demand for golf, the Yellow Course, designed by Alfred Tull, was opened in 1958. Approximately 300,000 rounds are played annually on the five courses at Bethpage.
The Red Course is 6,756 yards long from the championship tees, 6,537 yards from regulation tees and 6,198 yards from the forward tee box. Par for the Red Course is 70. The course features long par 4s, dogleg holes and one of the toughest starting holes in the country.
NEW YORK JETS PRACTICE BUBBLE
The Pride also has use of the New York Jets indoor practice bubble. The 50-yard turf field gives Hofstra a unique practice environment. The practice bubble is located on the north campus, near the Mack Sports Complex.
MACK SPORTS COMPLEX WEIGHT ROOM
The team also has the use of a state-of-the-art weight training facility. Located in the Mack Sports Complex, the weight room is outfitted with the most advanced strength training and cardiovascular equipment available.
HOFSTRA WRESTLING ROOM
Located in the Physical Fitness Center, the Hofstra Wrestling Room provides the Pride with a year-round practice and training facility that is available to the wrestlers to work out on their own time, as well as scheduled practice times. The 40'x80' room contains double floor mats and wall mats. The walls of the room are adorned with plaques commemorating Hofstra's Wrestling All-Americans and poster size photos of current members of the Pride.
A new conditioning room is located next to the Hofstra Wrestling Room. The conditioning room features Airodyne stationary bicycles, StairMaster stair climbing machines and treadmills. The room also contains televisions and VCRs so the wrestlers can watch tapes of their matches.
HOFSTRA FIELD HOCKEY STADIUM
The new Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium includes bleacher seating, a press box, and is outfitted with a state-of-the-art Hockey Grass Club surface, a synthetic turf designed solely for field hockey by Sportexe.
Sportexe® HockeyGrass™Club, a smooth and predictable, fast and incredibly durable surface, is a special tufted nylon system that delivers optimum performance. Approved by the Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH), Sportexe® HockeyGrass™Club is the official artificial turf system of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA).
