Contact: Phil Hearn
to prepare Dudy Noble Field.
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Bart Prather and Charles Brunetti are hooked on grass--but don't call the law! It's a big plus for the athletic fields at Mississippi State.
The two university sports turf managers are truly outstanding in their field--and not surprisingly, that's where they'll most often be found: out standing on a field.
Assisted by students majoring in the nationally recognized golf and sports turf management academic program, they keep MSU's eight playing and practice fields healthy, green and manicured year-around for use by football, baseball, softball, track, and soccer teams.
"We're in charge of all fields for the athletic department," said Prather, sports turf manager and a 34-year-old Canton native. "The work never stops.
"Everything has its season," he added. "In the summer time, we just shift gears to handle baseball camps and make sure Scott Field is ready (for football) Aug. 31."
"Right now, we have eight students on our crew," Brunetti added during a recent mid-week interview with the two. "Six of 'em are in class and the other two are working."
"By the time they leave here, they will have touched about everything--and probably a lot of things they didn't want to touch," quipped Prather.
Brunetti, who finished high school in Ferriday, La., and Prather are 2001 and 1999 graduates, respectively, of the golf and sports turf management program.
Led by assistant professors Barry Stewart and Greg Munshaw, the specialized curriculum is an emphasis area within the agronomy major of the department of plant and soil sciences.
Administratively, however, sports turf management operates as a component of the campus landscape and grounds unit headed by Tim Lacy, but is funded by the athletic department. Lacy reports to Jim Jones, executive director of facilities. They all work closely with Bobby Tomlinson, assistant athletic director for game operations and facilities.
"I'm extremely proud of our MSU campus landscape team," said Jones. "To fully understand the contribution Bart, Charles and the sports turf team make to MSU, you have to experience it at the games. It is very gratifying to observe their work."
Before returning to Starkville in 1999, Prather formerly managed sports turf operations for War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark., and for the University of Arkansas. Brunetti, 29, worked four years for the major league Boston Red Sox before returning to MSU last July as assistant manager.
"It was a good experience, especially when they (the Red Sox) won the World Series," Brunetti said. "But there was no recreational time at all up there."
In the modern world of athletics, turf management is a labor-intensive challenge requiring sweat and innovation, plus a healthy dose of expertise in such topics as grass species, soil makeup, aeration, fertilization, weather factors, turf rotation, and mowing patterns; and analyzing the unique wear-and-tear impacts of the different sports.
The health and longevity of various grasses on the playing fields is vital. The lush, green playing surfaces, symmetrical patterns and creative placement of team emblems must stand the scrutiny of thousands of fans who pack the stadiums each week, as well as the millions of viewers who may tune in on national television.
"We take a big tape measure out there and measure everything and mark it with flags," Prather said in describing how some field designs are laid out symmetrically. "You measure everything off center. We involve our student workers and let them use their creativity to determine what patterns we might use."
"Every other series (during baseball season), we change the pattern in the outfield at Dudy Noble Field," said Brunetti. "It's good for the grass to change patterns and it's also good for ball roll. It's all cut to the same height."
"Grass cut going away from you appears light, while every dark line of grass you see is cut coming toward you," Prather added in explaining the playing field's varying shades. "The grass is all the same color. It's all in the way the light hits a blade of grass."
Both professionals also shared how the Bulldog "paw print" and others designs are added to the baseball diamond's dirt infield. After being drawn freehand on tarpaulins, the tarps are laid over an area and watered. When removed, the damp tarp leaves the imprint in the dirt.
Keeping the MSU playing and practice fields in shape is pretty much a seven-day-a-week job for much of the year. Consider that starting Feb. 1, Prather and Brunetti didn't take a weekend off until Easter. Then there was Super Bulldog Weekend April 7-9, which featured baseball and soccer games, along with the traditional football intra-squad scrimmage--clearly a major combined project.
"We gave the students three weekends off (on a rotating basis) throughout the spring semester so they wouldn't get burned out," said Brunetti.
Students working in sports turf management during the 2006 spring semester, listed by hometown, included:
BELZONI--Senior Brandon Hardin, the son of Marty and Marie Hardin.
FOREST--Sophomore Chris Huff, the son of Bill and Vicki Huff.
HERNANDO--Senior Jordan Treadway, the son of James and Marla Treadway.
MERIDIAN--Senior Brian McNeill, the son of Terry and Cynthia McNeill.
MT. PLEASANT, Tenn.--Junior Tyler Brewer, the son of Terry Brewer.
NETTLETON--Junior Ryne Craig, the son of Brant Craig of Nettleton and Susan Craig of Fort Payne, Ala.
OLD HICKORY, Tenn.--Senior Chris Fondren, the son of Mike and Ginger Fondren.
TAYLORSVILLE--Senior T.J. Grissom, the son of Terry and Candis Grissom.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information, contact Mr. Prather at (662) 325-2499 or bprather@campuslandscape.msstate.edu; or Mr. Brunetti at 325-5467 or cpb2@campuslandscape.msstate.edu.