War Memorial Stadium staff busy preparing field for Razorbacks season opener

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Another chapter in the storied history of the Razorbacks playing at War Memorial Stadium is about to be written.

Sam Pittman and the Arkansas football team are gearing up to play in Little Rock for the first time in two years, kicking off their season against Western Carolina on Saturday, September 2 at 3 p.m. War Memorial staff is hard at work getting the turf and stadium grounds ready for game day.

"First time War Memorial has had the first game of the year in several years and there's a lot of excitement around," stadium manager John Latch told KARK 4's Nick Walters. "We're getting the field prepped as you see here, it'll take about a week or two weeks to get the stencils out, get everything laid out, get the paint down, then we do our touch-up days leading up to the game."

As of Thursday, both end zones were being painted with the hog logo set to be drawn at midfield in the coming days. The Razorbacks have played over 200 games at War Memorial since it opened in 1948, offering fans countless memories like the Miracle on Markham when Arkansas upset LSU in 2002.

This year marks the stadium's 75th anniversary, offering workers extra motivation while painting Simmons Bank Field.

"We're really trying to clean her up and make sure we look good for the 75^th year," Latch said. "The stadium means a lot for central Arkansas, seeing these games here in central Arkansas is very important."

Arkansas' season opener won't be the only game played at War Memorial while the field is painted with Razorback red.

The Salt Bowl between Benton and Bryant, known as the state's biggest high school football rivalry, will be played on Saturday the 26th. A college football game will also be played between Birmingham Southern and McMurry University on Thursday the 31st.

"I think it'll be a little extra special when the players come on the field here to play in the Salt Bowl," Latch said. "That's got to be a cool feeling to be a player during the Salt Bowl to play on top of that hog."

To purchase tickets or reserve tailgating spaces for the Razorbacks' upcoming game against Western Carolina, head to the War Memorial Stadium website.

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