General | April 29, 2024

PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania's historic Franklin Field has completed a massive renovation at the horseshoe end of the stadium, one that will serve current and future student-athletes and coaches across the football program. The lead gift to the project was given by Paul and Moya Coulson PAR'21; Penn Athletics is deeply thankful for the Coulson Family's generosity and support for its student-athletes.

Coulson Family Training Complex Photo Gallery | Unveiling Ceremony Photo Gallery
 
Beginning in December of 2022, the stadium underwent a significant renovation of the football locker room. The goal was to create top-of-the-line locker rooms, meeting rooms, and connected spaces worthy of the championship traditions of Penn Football. Through the support of and transformational gifts from Penn football alumni and Friends of the Program, the University's project partners have created a space that enhances the experience of Penn's student-athletes. Additionally, it provides Penn coaches with top-notch facilities which will boost the recruiting profile of Penn Athletics.
 
"We are so excited to open this world-class facility for our student-athletes," said Alanna Shanahan, the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W'69 Director of Athletics and Recreation. "This complex will be a differentiator for our football program, and we are so grateful to the individuals who turned this dream into a reality."
 
"This grand opening was an incredible day for Penn Football," said Ray Priore, the University's current George A. Munger Head Coach of Football. "We celebrated the generosity of the Penn Community, especially those alumni who stepped forward to provide our players with a facility that is the best in the Ivies. The Coulson Family Training Complex gives Penn Football top-of-the-industry locker room and meeting spaces. Our players and staff are so grateful to those who made this happen."
 
For this project, the University worked with Ewing Cole as the architect and P. Agnes as the Construction Manager. The renovation nearly tripled the amount of usable space for Penn Athletics, from 7,715 gross square feet to 20,190 GSF.
 
The entire facility was unveiled to the public in a grand opening ceremony on Saturday, April 20 that included a ribbon cutting, an open house, and the Penn Football Spring Game which took place that afternoon.
 
This project would not have been possible without the financial support and the fundraising efforts from University Trustee, Penn Athletics Board of Advisors member and long-time Penn Football Board member George Weiss, W'65, HON'14. George not only supported the project with his own philanthropy, but also successfully engaged countless others to help make the renovation a possibility. George was the unofficial "quarterback" of the project and in honor of his tireless efforts, the quarterback meeting room in the facility will be named after George going forward.
 
More than 175 people and organizations made donations to support this project.
 
Football Locker Room
The new football locker room is named in honor of former longtime assistant and "spirit" coach Dan "Lake" Staffieri. The facility, which opened for the team's use in August of 2023 for game days only, covers more than 5,000 square feet and houses 120 lockers.
 
Meeting Rooms/Spaces
Among the new additions to the East (horseshoe) end of Franklin Field are the football program meeting rooms, nutrition station, and lobby…

• George Weiss W'65, Trustee Quarterback Meeting Room
• Donald Dinan W'71 Offensive Lineman Meeting Room
• Jim Riepe W'65, WG'67, HON'10 Linebackers Meeting Room
• 1968 Penn Football Team Tight Ends Meeting Room
• The LeFort Family Defensive Line Meeting Room
• The Li Family Auditorium
• Robert Wolf W'84 Champions Lounge
• The Knorr Family Nutrition Station
• Robert A. Fox, C'52 Lobby

About Franklin Field
Dedicated on April 20, 1895, Franklin Field was originally constructed as a simple, wooden structure with seating for 30,000. The opening of Franklin Field instantly made history as the first stadium in the country to have a scoreboard. Following the turn of the century (1903-05), supplementary construction began, including the addition of Weightman Hall and permanent grandstands. Franklin Field remained this way until the summer of 1922, when the original wooden bleachers were demolished and the modern U-shaped lower bowl was constructed. The second tier was added just three years later.
 
The first football game at Franklin Field was played on October 1, 1895, Penn defeating Swarthmore, 40-0, on the way to its second straight undefeated season and national championship.

Like many other buildings on Penn's campus, the historic architecture has remained intact while upgrades and improvements have been made to maintain the building's integrity. The once natural grass football field was replaced with AstroTurf in 1969. In 2004, a next generation rubber-infill artificial surface known as Sprinturf was installed. Today, Franklin Field is the oldest two-tiered stadium in the country. It is also recognized by the NCAA as the oldest operating stadium in college sports. The stadium currently seats 52,593 fans.
 
In addition to being the home venue for the Penn football, sprint football, men's and women's lacrosse, and men's and women's track & field programs, Franklin Field has hosted nine NCAA championship events, the most recent being the 2007 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship Weekend.
 
Franklin Field has been the site of many firsts including…
  *The first scoreboard (1895)
  *The first permanent collegiate horseshoe stadium (1903)
  *The first two-tiered stadium in the nation (1925)
  *The first neutral-site Army-Navy game (1899)
  *The first college football radio broadcast (1922)
  *The first college football television broadcast (1940)
  *The first episode of ABC's "Wide World of Sports" (1961 Penn Relays)