Proud Peacocks showing off FieldTurf

FAYETTE - When Upper Iowa takes the field for its football season opener Saturday against Texas A&M-Commerce at Eischeid Stadium, the Peacocks will step on recently installed FieldTurf, which is part of a $7.5 million facilities renovation project. Kickoff is 1 p.m.

“All around campus there are a lot of things changing,” Peacocks Coach Tom Shea said. “We had a very generous donation to redo our stadium, so we got the first phase of that done with the turf. It's pretty exciting. Our kids are pumped.”

The project got financial support from former Steve and Diane Harms. He's a 1973 Upper Iowa graduate who played football for the Peacocks and is on the school's board of trustees. She's a former UIU cheerleader.

Other changes expected by the start of next season include field lighting, running track, additional seating, an improved sound system, a scoreboard with large video screen and a multipurpose press box.

What's the thinking on the best of the upgrades?

“Depends on who you talk to,” Shea said with a laugh. “For our players, it's the field turf.”

Fayette had more than an inch of rain early this week. The Peacocks practiced without muddy conditions and a torn up field the next day.

“We practice on it every day. If it rains it doesn't matter,” said running back Jordan Otdoerfer, a former Starmont prep. “It's nice to have something that doesn't change.”

The Peacocks are upgrading to be on par with their Northern Sun competitors.

“In our league, there are an awful lot of nice facilities that have been built in the last seven or eight years,” Shea said. “In the recruiting process, it's kind of like anything else, you've got to keep up with the Joneses.”

“It shows that the school stands behind the program,” Otdoerfer added. “They just want to improve every aspect of the program basically (and) not just football.”

The Peacocks will look to produce new results on the new field as well. They were 2-9 last year and were 12th in a preseason poll of the 14-team NSIC. Wide receiver Jessie Hubbard was second team all-NSIC in 2010 and should be a leader for the offense. Ethan Douglass, who led the NSIC in tackles by a freshman, was honorable mention all-league at linebacker. Otdoerfer is the top returning rusher from last year. He had 399 yards, averaging 3.6 a carry, and scored two touchdowns.

Shea expects solid contributions from some former Cedar Rapids preps, including former Washington players Shay Gutman and Derek Giesking on offense and defensive back and former Jefferson player Terrell McBride, who previously played at Northern Iowa.

“We have very few seniors,” Shea said. “We're a young ballclub with a lot of experience.”

Shea is the 15th head coach at Upper Iowa, taking over in early 2009. He served as defensive coordinator for the Pecocks (2004-07) before becoming the head coach at NAIA Dakota State University. He starts his third season at UIU with players recruited to fit his style.

“We came in with the plan we were going to build this program with younger players and the old adage of grow your own,” Shea said. “We're getting to that point.”