Citrus Bowl's new field of dreams needs a do-over

The stadium is home to the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and the Florida Classic (Bethune-Cookman University vs. Florida A&M University).

First the "mud bowl" made Orlando and its aging Citrus Bowl a national laughingstock, forcing the city to spend nearly $1 million for artificial turf. Now it turns out the AstroTurf that replaced real grass at the stadium last summer isn't level, so it has to be ripped up and redone.

Fixing the field is potentially a costly job, but taxpayers won't be on the hook. City officials say it's up to the synthetic turf's manufacturer to pick up the tab.


Videographer: ESPN; 2010 Florida Classic, Florida A&M vs. Bethune Cookman

Orlando officials switched to AstroTurf to avoid a repeat of the December 2009 Champs Sports Bowl, which made Orlando the butt of jokes in front of a national television audience. The field's fresh sod wasn't given time to grow in, and heavy rains caused players to slip and slide on loose chunks of turf.

The city spent $975,338 to cover the field with AstroTurf GameDay 3D60X artificial turf, which workers finished installing in August.

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