Sep 15, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; A general view of Neyland stadium before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
On Wednesday USA Today released their list of the top nine most unique playing surfaces in all of sports.
Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium came in at fourth on the list.
The article was quick to point out that they were “ranking playing surfaces, not the stadiums that contain them”.
Neyland was one of three football fields that made the list and the only “traditional” one. There others were Boise State’s blue field at 7th and Eastern Washington’s red field at 9th.
The Vols field definitely stands out and is among the most recognizable in the nation. The field boasts the school’s logo, the Power T, at midfield.
But the most instantly recognizable portion of the field are the legendary orange and white checkerboard endzones.
The checkboard endzones were first seen in the 1960’s. They disappeared when artificial turf was installed, but they were brought back in 1989 and have remained in use ever since.
The checkerboard endzones are no doubt a part of Tennessee’s identity and provide the Vols with one of the most unique playing surfaces in all of sports, at least according to USA Today.
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