Where it all Began
Every single home lumberjack football game has been played in the Sky Dome. Something interesting about the Sky Dome is how it is shared between the college and high school athletes. The Coconino High School Panthers and the Flagstaff High School Eagles football and soccer teams use the Sky Dome on weekdays during their seasons. The reason for this is because the field lights at both high schools are not in regulation of Flagstaff's dark sky policy, therefore the lights are not allowed to be turned on.
Sports teams are just as powerful as their home field advantage. With the Sky Dome standing for over 40 years there is a lot of history tied to it. The Sky Dome recently got a face lift in 2014. The J. Lawrence Walkup Sky Dome is home to the Northern Arizona football, men’s and women’s basketball, and indoor track & field. It is one of the most unique venues in all of college athletics will open for its 40th year as the entertainment center for northern Arizona. After a logo rebranding in April 2014, the Skydome turf was rebranded with NAU’s newest logo in the center of the field and the wordmark in both endzones. The building underwent a major renovation from Dec. 2010 - Sept. 9, 2011, at a cost of $26 million. The scope of the project included bringing the fire, life and safety up to code while remodeling the bathrooms, concourse, offices, suites, locker rooms and press box. The athletic training and equipment on the main floor were also remodeled and three elevators were added to the complex.
Fans enter the building to a panoramic view of the field on the east and west concourses. Capacity was reduced to 10,000 with 21-inch wide chair back seating being added. The construction of the Skydome began in the fall of 1975, and the facility was completed in September 1977. Seating capacity for football originally was 15,000 and 7,000 for basketball.
Once the largest wood-span structure of its kind in the world, the Sky Dome was built at a cost of more than $8 million. It covers an area of 6.2 acres, with the roof spanning more than 500 feet and rising 142 feet above the playing surface. The Skydome showcases the REALGRASS™ surface installed in the spring of 2008 by the Hellas Construction firm of Austin, Texas. The carpet, the Matrix version of the brand REALGRASS™ cost close to $1 million. The REALGRASS™ Matrix system is comprised of a monofilament spinneret yarn in two different sizes and colors. It is the same installed for the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium.
With the 2001 renovation to the Sky Dome floor, the 96,000-square foot surface was covered with Mondo. The track contains a six-lane, 300-meter non-banked loop (eight sprinting lanes) with the infield containing enough area for six NCAA-standard basketball and volleyball courts, as well as two regulation tennis courts. Track and field specific, the facility now has 12-month training capabilities. When covered for football with artificial turf, the Sky Dome supports a practice pole vault pit and a long/triple jump runway, as well as a lane for sprinting and hurdles. When the turf is up, the facility can be used for intramural and camp sports, and has enough room for a varsity soccer practice. The roof was also resurfaced during the summer of 2000 and the astroturf was replaced in 2002 from a surface that was in the Tropicana Dome, the home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Sky Dome Floor Plan
