Forty NinersSet New StandardFor NFL Training Centers

Layout of Marie P. DeBartolo Sports Centre. Photo courtesy: HOK Sports Facilities Group.

When a National Football Leaguefranchise wins one Super Bowl,competitors try to discover what

its winning formula is. They look hardest atplayers, coaching and the play book. Whenthe same team wins two Super Bowls, theformula becomes the subject of intensiveanalysis throughout the league.

When the San Francisco Forty Niners.won its third Super Bowl of the 1980s, theworld of professional football wanted toknow everything about the organization,from the flavor of its PowerBurst drink to thetype of drills it puts players through.

One of the most notable changes at theForty Niners' camp last summer was its newtraining facility. The team worked out for thefirst time at the 11-acre Marie P. DeBartoloSports Centre, in Santa Clara, CA. EdwardJ. DeBartolo, Jr., who purchased the teamin 1977, named the complex as a tribute tohis mother.

14 sports TURF

DeBartolo wanted to show his playersand his coaching staff that he intended tofield the best team on the best fields. Foryears the Forty Niners had trained on two60-yard fields in Redwood City, CA, onenatural and one artificial. The old complexjust didn't fit the needs or the image of ateam that was becoming a dynasty. Heimmediately began to explore building acomplete professional training center, onethat met the standards of the Youngstown,OH, based DeBartolo Corporation, adeveloper of upscale shopping centers andreal estate developments.

When the city of Santa Clara got wind ofhis plans, it approached DeBartolo aboutdeveloping a 11.2-acre site across the roadfrom the new Great America Theme Park,Santa Clara Convention Center, SantaClara Golf Course and Doubletree hotel.

"We explored building a new facility inRedwood City," recalls Norb Hecker, execu-

tive administrator of the center, "but theSanta Clara site gave us the chance toexpand our thinking further. It gave us roomfor three fields instead of two, with plenty tospare for the headquarters and trainingcenter." Hecker is also executive assistantto Coach Bill Walsh and was a former assis-tant to Green Bay Packer legend VinceLombardi.

DeBartolo spared no expense duringdesign and construction of what hasbecome a model for professional footballtraining centers. He wanted an architectexperienced in professional sports, onefamiliar with the details required, from theweight room to the surface of the fields. Hechose HOK Sports Facilities Group inKansas City, MO, designer of majorstadiums and training facilities for bothbaseball and football.

HOK's Joel Leider worked with LouZarlenga, head of engineering for the

DeBartolo Corporation, to put togetherspecifications for the training center. Theyincluded a two-story main building, a main-tenance buildinq, one artificial turf field andtwo natural turf fields. The main buildinghouses the executive offices, a swimmingpool, audio/visual center, cafeteria, weightroom and lockers. In addition to large main-tenance and storage areas, the secondbuilding includes two racquetball courts.

As construction began on the buildings,HOK turned its attention to the fields. It wasclear from the beginning that there weretwo major factors in selection of field sur-faces: water and player safety. Every efforthad to be made to conserve water through-out the year and to reduce the number ofinjuries during training. Drainage was not aserious concern, since the area averagesless than 18 inches of rainfall per year.

HOK had heard favorable reports aboutthe surfaces at the Seattle Seahawks train-ing complex in Kirkland, WA. The naturalturf fields there are sand-based, designedby Dr. Roy Goss, extension agronomist forWashington State University. The Sea-hawks also installed one field of Omniturf,a carpet of artificial turf topdressed withsand.

Leider contacted Dr. Bill Daniel, co-inventer of the Prescription Athletic Turf(PAT) System, as a knowledgeable sourceon sand field construction. Daniel and part-ner Laurel Meade developed a proposal fora PATSystem for the Forty Niners. The ideawas to conserve water by subirrigating. Thepatented system automatically controls bothdrainage and subirrigation and utilizesvacuum to keep a field in play regardless ofrainfall.

When the Forty Niners questionedwhether the Santa Clara weather called forsuch an advanced drainage system, analternative was suggested. In 1966, PurdueUniversity researchers developed a sand-based system for golf greens. It was giventhe name Purr-wick, which stands for plas-tic under reservoir rootzone with wickaction. This predecessor to the PATsystemhas some of its benefits but is totallymanual and does not include a vacuumsystem. However, the system had neverbeen used before for an athletic field.

"The key features of Purr-wick," explainsDaniel, "are water conservation and a uni-form moisture content. By controlling

drainage with a plastic barrier and valves,you conserve water in the root zone. Waterwill wick up in properly sized sand as muchas 14 inches in 24 hours. The wickingaction starts out rapidly, moving the firsteight inches in 20 minutes, then slows:'

At the time, Jim Eagle, a licensed PATinstaller from Fort Worth, TX, was preparingfor a large park project in Carson, asouthern suburb of Los Angeles. "Since Iwould have my equipment and crew in thestate," he recalls, "we could move up to theForty Niners' training center after complet-ing our work on Del Amo Park." The timingwas right for Eagle and the Forty Niners.With 18 months to go before the opening,Eagle started making arrangements.

"I really enjoyed working with the FortyNiner organization," Eagle says. "Theyreminded me of the old Dallas Cowboys.They are totally dedicated to being a win-ning team and it shows in the way they doeverything:'

The first order of business was to find asource for more than 12,000 tons of dunesand and 22,000 yards of sod grown onsand. "The sand in the field had to matchthe sand on the sod," Eagle states. "Wefound a beautiful type of beach sand near

Pebble Beach. Then I started calling sodfarms to see if they had sand fields wherethey could grow Kentucky bluegrass sodwithout netting in a year's time:'

Steve Stone, from Warren's Turf Nurseryin Suisun, CA, was able to satisfy Eagle'sneeds by custom growing a blend of fourKentucky bluegrasses at the company'sfarm in Manteca, CA. The four bluegrasseswere Warren's own proprietary cultivarsAble 1, A-34, H-7 and 1-13.The fields at theManteca farm were almost pure sand. "Iwas trying to avoid the problem of washingthe sod before it was installed," Eagleexplains.

Eagle's crew moved on site January 4,1988 to direct excavation. The top 14 inchesof soil was removed from more than 4112acres. With the help of lasers, a flat sub-grade was obtained for the entire squarearea. "There is not more than 1/2 inch differ-ence in elevation in either the subgrade orthe final surface," remarks Eagle.

A Purr-wick field must be flat to workproperly. When it is used for golf greens,the root zone must be partitioned into sec-tions for each six inches of grade change.If this is not done, water will move by gravity

continued on page 16

I

Genoff drags field after practices to stand turf erect before mowing.

June, 1989 15

"There's a difference between rooting andanchoring and between soil and sand. It

takes months for the roots to knit togetherto form a tough base."

Forty Ninerscontinued from page 15

to the lowest point, destroying the unifor-mity of the wicking action. A crowned ath-letic field would require the same type ofpartitioning as a golf green.

The next step was to cut shallowtrenches in the subgrade for the network ofperforated drain pipe. The network consistsof a series of two-inch slitted tubes feedinginto four-inch collector drains. Onceinstalled, the collector drains lead to threegate valves which open to allow water out ofthe field or close to retain it.

Since Eagle was going to install largevalve-in-head sprinklers with swing joints,he also had to provide holes in the sub-grade at each head location and trenchesfor the irrigation mains and laterals. TheForty Niners wanted no sprinkler heads onthe playing surface of the two fields.However, three heads are located betweenthe two fields within the area of the Purr-wick system. All other heads are located ona loop outside the fie!gs.

Everything had to be installed above theplastic barrier to assure a closed system.Once all the trenches and holes were dug,the barrier was installed to line the entirebottom and sides of the huge bathtub."Imagine what an entire stadium field wouldlook like covered with plastic," says Eagle."This was three times bigger."

LIO/SERViCe

PIT~

HlGHPOOLRESERVE

His crew worked from first light into thenight to install the drain and irrigation lines."We had to get the sand in quickly to keepthe wind from lifting the plastic barrier,"recalls Eagle. "We also had to be careful toinstall the sand without damaging the drainlines:'

The trucks started delivering the sand ata rate of 1,500 tons per day. As the tubbegan to fill with 14 inches of sand, Eaglehad another job to do for the Forty Niners.He promised Norb Hecker to help interviewprospective turf managers for the facility.Hecker wanted to hire someone before thesod was laid.

"One day we were busy installing irriga-tion pipe," Eagle remembers, "and I noticedan unfamiliar face among the crew. All theother people I had interviewed went straightto the trailer and waited for me there. A lit-tle while later, this person asked one of myguys where he could find me. He turned outto be Rich Genoff, the sports turf managerfrom Santa Clara University, who had cometo interview for the job:'

Genoff started his turf career at AtlantaCountry Club in Atlanta, GA. George Bur-gin, superintendent in the late '70s, taughtGenoff the fine differences betweenmanaging turf on sand greens and clay fair-ways. After three years, the Bay area nativereturned home and was hired by a land-

COMPACTED· SAND

scape maintenance firm to take care of theathletic fields at Santa Clara University.

The Forty Niners trained at the universitybefore moving to Redwood City. They usedthe school's sand-based Buck ShawStadium.

In 1981, the university hired Genoff as itsfirst superintendent of athletic fields. Duringseven years with the university he hadmanaged 13 conversions between footballand baseball seasons. "It was a one-manoperation and I spent mega-hours makingsure everything was right for the teams," hestates.

Genoff also felt strongly about the FortyNiners. When he heard the team needed aturf manager for its new training center, hehad to apply. Hecker told Genoff it was aone-man job, but it didn't matter. WithHecker and Eagle's support, Genoff passedthe interviews with Coach Bill Walsh andgeneral manager John McVay.

Genoff reported to work in March. A weeklater he watched closely as Warren'sinstalled the 201,000 square feet of sod onthe practice fields and another 70,000square feet on the lawn area around thebuildings.

"Looking at the fields for the first time wasjust as great as looking at a spectacular golfcourse," he recalls. "I knew then and therethat I wanted to remain a sports turfmanager:'

The training camp was scheduled toopen in August. That gave Genoff the timehe needed to allow the sod to becomeanchored. "There's a difference betweenrooting and anchoring," he remarks, "andbetween soil and sand. Just because youget the roots down eight or ten inches insand doesn't mean the turf can't be pulledup. It takes months for the roots to knittogether to form a tough base:'

Genoff thinks of the practice fields asbeing like a hydroponic garden with the turfgrowing in a nutrient solution. Before thesod was laid, 20 pounds per 1,000 squarefeet of 6-20-20 was dragged into the sand.

LONPOOL~.- 'ft-+---a:::..-_-_- __-----.---- __--.-~---..__- ....

SOIL

DRAINPLUG

. \SOLID PIPE

DRAIN

Cross section of single-tier Purr-wick rootzone.

16 sports TURF

SUBGRADE

A month later he applied ten pounds per1,000 square feet of 10-8-4 and watered itinto the rootzone with the irrigation system.After another 30 days he began applyingfive pounds per 1,000 square feet of 21-7-14on two-week intervals.

"The turf grows at a rate of 1/4 to 1/2 incha day," says Genoff. He mows at one inchseven days a week with a Toro Turf Pro 84that has three hydraulically-driven reels. "IfI skip a couple of days I have to double ortriple cut and sweep up the clippings to getthe pattern back:'

Genoff is following a preventative treat-ment program for pythium, fusarium,rhizoctonia and patch diseases. He beginsapplying Chipco 26019 in May along witheither Subdue or Aliette. In areas of thefields where Poa annua has invaded heapplies Endothall. If that doesn't control theweed, he plans to take another approach. InApril he alternates Balan and Ronstar forpreemergence weed control, followed laterin the year with postemergence applica-tions of Turflon. All chemicals are appliedvery early in the morning, when no playersor staff are around.

Genoff begins some days at 4 a.m., usingthe headlights on his Cushman 530 Turf-Truckster to help him spray fungicides. The100 gallon sprayer has a 16 foot boom.Later in the day he might attach a screendrag or brush to groom either the naturalfields or the Omniturf. If he's not in hisoffice, he usually can be found near thetruckster loaded down with sand or tools.

In case of a break in an irrigation ordrainage line, he hooks up a submersiblepump to the vehicle's power converter tosuck water out of the line. Then he plugs ina reciprocating saw to cut out the damagedpiece of pipe. "With the power saw, I canrepair a four-inch drain pipe in a fewminutes," he reveals. "That same job usedto take hours. The truckster is my secondman:'

Genoff's third piece of multi-use equip-ment is a John Deere 1050 tractor. To it heattaches either an Olathe drill seeder, a Lelyspreader, a Ryan Tracaire aerator or a top-dresser. The final piece of equipmentGenoff considers invaluable is a Bomag130 AD 12,000 pound roller he rents tomaintain a perfectly flat surface on thefields.

The training center's irrigation system isas flexible as its equipment. The above-ground system serves many valuable pur-poses for Genoff. In addition to irrigatingthe turf outside the field area, it allows himto "prime" or syringe the field surface dur-ing the summer. It is also used to water inchemicals and fertilizers.

"There are no irrigation heads on the fieldsurface," he points out. The basic configu-ration is two side-by-side fields facing northand south. Half-circle heads are located onthe perimeter, with one row of full circleheads between the two fields. Each Toro690 head has a radius of 110feet at 110 psi,provided by a PSI pump station drawingfrom a city water line. The turf outside the

Genoff has onlyhad to depend

upon the surfaceirrigation systemon three or four

occasions since thecenter opened.

field area is irrigated with Hunter Sod Cup1-40 heads. All 17 sprinklers are valve-in-head and controlled by an Irri-Trol MC Plus12-station clock.

Because the sublrriqation system hasdone the job so well, Genoff has only had todepend upon the surface irrigation systemon three or four occasions since the sportscenter opened. "With the subirrigation sys-tem I can irrigate while the team is practic-ing without anyone knowing," he reveals.

Generally he subirrigates every two tothree weeks. This is accomplished byopen-ing three automatic supply valves in thedrainage pit for an hour and a half. The

continued on page 18

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Forty Ninerscontinued from page 17

water is distributed throughout the sandrootzone by the drain tubes. Genoff cancheck the water level at any time by insert-ing a dipstick into sleeves buried in thesand. "I know exactly how much water theturf uses," he adds, "and we don't waste adrop:'

During extremely hot weather, Genoffwatches for dry spots to make sure thewicking action is not upset by surfaceevaporation. "If I see a dry spot, I'll turn thesprinklers on early in the morning for 15 or30 minutes to prime the wicking actionbetween the surface and the water level inthe field," he notes.

The only time Genoff has opened thedrain valves was for heavy winter rain-storms. "You've got to remember that thenutrients are in the water," he warns. "Theobject is to conserve both water andnutrients:'

One of the major advantages of the Purr-wick system is the freedom it gives Genoffto take a square space and turn it into anumber of different field configurations."Since we have portable goalposts, I canactually rearrange things to provide five ormore different fields," he reveals.

"I make sure the Forty Niners have thebest turf possible between the hash marksall the time. We use one field at a time,switching from field to field on a weeklybasis," he continues. "That gives me time torest, repair, spike, and remark the otherfield." Last fall, Genoff wasn't satisfied withthe center of either field, so he removed twosprinkler heads and turned both fields eastto west. When the Forty Niners advanced tothe Super Bowl, he removed a third headand set up a field down the middle facingnorth and south.

Following practice, Genoff sweeps thefield used that day to remove any loose turfor debris. Before mowng, he also drags thefield to lift any turf knocked down by players."The rollers on the Turf Pro smooth out anydivots or bumps," he adds. When he isfinished for the day, both fields have adefinite striped pattern.

During the winter, Genoff mows everyother day and sweeps once a week. Thispast winter he core aerfied, topdressed with100 tons of lapis sand, and dragged thefields in six different directions. This March,he drill-seeded the fields with three poundsper 1,000 square feet of A-34. "When themini-camps started last month the fieldslooked new again," he said proudly.

Maintaining artificial turf was new toGenoff, but he has mastered it quickly. Nomarking is required, since the lines, hashmarks and team logo are actually coloredcarpet inserted into the green Omniturf.

The sand dressing on top of the carpetdoes need to be brushed frequently andirrigated periodically. "The Omniturf fieldhas its own irrigation system," says Genoff."We had a small problem with wind blowingthe sand around at first, but I've got a han-dle on it now:'

There is one other innovative section ofturf Genoff and Eagle are proud of: thetraining track. At the request of the trainers,Eagle designed a turf area 40 yards longand 15 feet wide. It slopes 3112 degrees fromend to end. Players sprint down the slope todevelop greater speed, or up it to stretchtendons and muscles.

"The two natural fields next to theOmniturf field are a sight to see," he con-cludes. "Who wouldn't be proud to work orplay here? I always keep in mind that EdDeBartolo, John McVay, Bill Walsh or CoachSeifert can look out their windows anytimeto see the fields. But I also make sure theplayers and trainers like it. The bottom lineis championship quality turf.

As the Forty Niners prepare for anotherseason, the Denver Broncos and PhoenixCardinals are installing similar natural andartificial turf fields at their training centersin arid regions of the country. Turf has beenrecognized as a major factor in the successof professional sports franchises. At thesame time, the sports turf manager is play-ing an increasingly vital role in the winningformula.

"Nothing beats working for a world cham-pionship organization," remarks Genoff."It's a dream job for me!" ~

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