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Hutsell-Rosen Track
Auburn's track and field teams have had a variety of facilities over the six decades the varsity sport has been on the Plains. From a fifth-mile dirt track in the mid-1920s, to the modern Benyon Sports BSS 2000 Surface of today, Auburn athletes have excelled wherever they have performed. Auburn's first head track coach, Wilbur Hutsell, recognized the need for a track if the sport was to have any success at Auburn.
In 1970, Auburn expanded its football stadium, forcing the team to find new training grounds. Under the direction of athletic director Jeff Beard, Auburn built a new track in the fall of 1970 and appropriately named it Wilbur Hutsell Track. The new facility, one of the finest in the nation, was textured with a Grasstex rubberized asphalt. The 1984 season found the Auburn track team on another new surface, this one called Rekortan, the same surface used at the Los Angeles Coliseum for the 1984 summer Olympic Games. In preparation for hosting the 1988 SEC Outdoor Championships, Auburn spent $65,000 to renovate Wilbur Hutsell Track. The additions included adding a wind-screen around the fence encompassing the track, placing protective nets around the discus rings and improving other field event areas.
Now, a new track facility has been completed, as the Tigers began competing at newly named Hutsell-Rosen Track for the 2006 season. The new top-notch facility with Beynon Sports Surface's BSS 2000 track surface promises to be the best in the Southeastern Conference, and includes a new track with jumping and throwing areas, grandstand seating, a meet control booth, public restrooms, field lighting and storage facilities.
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