PIONEER FIELD
Tusculum University alumnus and Board of Trustee member Scott M. Niswonger fully funded the multi-million dollar renovation to Pioneer Field and the construction of the accompanying indoor practice facility and field house located behind the west end zone. Niswonger also funded the construction of the 2,500-seat baseball stadium, located behind the east end zone of Pioneer Field.
Pioneer Field serves as the home venue for football, men's & women's soccer, and men's & women's lacrosse.
Renovations to Pioneer Field included a two-story press box, new lighting, concession areas, restroom facilities and improvements to spectator seating.
The press box facility consists of 8,000-square feet designed to match the architectural style of the campus’s most classic buildings. The press box can accommodate 30 members of the media as well as coaches, film crews and scouts. A President’s Suite was also constructed and is located on the second floor at midfield and can accommodate 30 fans. Restroom facilities were also added to the second floor.
Below the press box facility, on the stadium concourse are concession areas and restroom facilities. The concession area is located facing the playing field so fans won’t miss any of the action.
Seating for 2,500 spectators is located on the north grandstand, including 200 chair back seats. Special orange “cap seats” were added during the renovation phase along with the addition of new bleachers and aisle railings.
Bleachers on the “visitors’ side” were constructed providing seating for 1,000 spectators, giving Pioneer Field its present seating capacity of 3,500. With the addition of grass bern areas on the north side of the complex and behind the east end zone, Pioneer Field could accommodate 5,000 spectators. That came to pass in 2003 as over 4,100 fans packed Pioneer Field as Tusculum defeated archrival Carson-Newman 27-18.
The field house behind the west end zone features locker room facilities that can be divided into four separate dressing areas. Also featured in the field house is a dressing area for officials, a conference room and preparation areas for athletic training and medical staffs. On the roof of the field house, an end zone filming area was also constructed.
Along with the field house, concession areas and restrooms were built to serve spectators in the south grandstand area.
New lighting and standards were added, which has greatly improved the amount of illumination during home events. The lighting system is identical to the one used at the University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.
The bermuda grass playing surface, considered one of the best in the region, also received special attention. New sod on the sideline areas for soccer and in both end zones were added.
New parking facilities were added in close proximity of the stadium and the indoor practice facility.
In its history, Pioneer Field has hosted several tournaments and championships over the years, including the South Atlantic Conference Soccer Tournaments three times (2000-02), the NCAA Division II Region Men’s Soccer Tournaments three times (2004, 2007, 2008) and the 2005 NCAA II Southeast Region Women’s Soccer Championship. In 2023, Tusculum hosted the SAC Football Championship Game.
In 2008, the facility hosted both the first round of the NCAA Football Playoffs and the NCAA Southeast Men’s Soccer Regional on the same weekend. TU later hosted a NCAA II Men’s Soccer National Quarterfinal match against Tampa in 2008.
