"Vintage" Tech pics

[Old South Stands]

Not related to today's game, but mentioned to Butler22 that I'd post some old pics of Grant Field as it existed in the '80s. This site used to have a place to put photo albums (?) I think, but I didn't see where it was...

These were from my Freshman year in '87, sitting in the student section of the East Stands during Tech's homecoming loss to Virginia. Wished I'd taken more while there, but this was it. Taking pictures took a little more effort back in those days with 35mm: only 24/36 frames per roll and then making two trips to Wolf Camera to drop the film off and then pick up the prints. Kind of took it for granted that I'd be at a lot of home games as a student, but never took a camera to a game again after that...

 

[ClydeBrick]

And yet the Old South Stands were already torn down!

1987 was an awful season. Homecoming, no South Stands and the North Stands were nearly empty.

I still have several stadium cups like those. I sent some with my daughter (4th year now) to have in her dorm room.

Cav-man was looking especially "fresh".

It was amazing that anyone could play on that rug and not get hurt. It had to be like playing on a sheet of linoleum glued to concrete.

Thanks for the pics.

 

[AE 87]

Lol my last stadium cup like those finally cracked up in the dish washer a few months ago.

 

[Old South Stands]

And yet the Old South Stands were already torn down!

1987 was an awful season. Homecoming, no South Stands and the North Stands were nearly empty.

I still have several stadium cups like those. I sent some with my daughter (4th year now) to have in her dorm room.

Cav-man was looking especially "fresh".

It was amazing that anyone could play on that rug and not get hurt. It had to be like playing on a sheet of linoleum glued to concrete.

Thanks for the pics.

Sat in the South Stands once with my dad back in the '70s (entered the stadium through that gate), otherwise sat in the West Stands or North bleachers. Remember the stadium & field really well from the '77 edition of Pepper Rodgers' football camp. The field was hard and like sandpaper, just like a putt-putt golf surface. Ate in the team cafeteria under the East Stands and lifted weights in the weight room below the bleachers. The Edge Athletic Center wasn't built yet. They had a pinball/video game & pool table room over in the northwest corner of the stadium, right next to the old film room. Was devastated when I arrived on campus in '87 and the Wardlaw Center was there. Ugly monstrosity at the time. Was in the Army for a short while and didn't know the South Stands had been demolished in the interim. Not very good seats to watch the game from, but it sure made an impressive sight w/ the old scoreboard when viewed from the other vantage points. They used to let students come and go onto the field during the year where you could play frisbee or a game of touch football. The last time I was on the field was after a big snow storm. The field was covered in 3" - 4" inches of snow that was turning to ice, full of ankle-jarring holes, and we played a game of tackle football on it at about 9:00 at night. It was overcast, and the city lights reflecting off the clouds & snow made it so bright you didn't need the stadium lights. They later put in that AllProTurf for the '89 season, and after that you couldn't get onto the field. They kept it locked. Miss the old steam whistle; the animated one on the megatron isn't the same.

 

[takethepoints]

At the time, the players complained that running on the astroturf was like running on a street. Had it's points, mainly due to the speed you could get up to, but I was glad when the studies of injuries on astroturf came out. A lot more injuries, as you might expect. If I remember right, it was slightly fewer knee ligament and cartilage injuries more then made up for by more shoulder injuries, broken bones, and bruises of all kinds. I thank the Power Above that I played my whole "career" (such as it was) on natural turf.

But, hey, it was easier and cheaper to maintain! What's a few more injuries next to that?

 

[YJAlleyCat]

I was in marching band. That turf was as hot as an asphalt parking lot. Not fun.

 

[Butler22]

Thank you for posting those nostalgic pictures! Wow, talking about a walk down memory lane!