Constructed in 1953 and named for Tennessee State’s first president, William J. Hale, Hale Stadium, or “The Hole” as it came to be known lovingly, was the football team’s 15,000-seat home until 1999.
After years of limited use, the aging stadium is getting a makeover.
According to The Tennessean, Hale Stadium will soon undergo the latest renovation, transforming the 71-year-old facility into a fitting home for the Tigers’ new women’s soccer team and a portion of their home football games.
The concrete track surrounding the field will be removed to expand it to serve as an adequate pitch for the soccer team. The field will be replaced with artificial turf, while the aforementioned condemned press box will be torn down and a new one constructed.
If the playing surface is not ready by the time fall practice rolls around, the practices will shift to their indoor facility and practice field atop a nearby hill.
Tennessee State plays its home football games at Nissan Field, home of the Tennessee Titans.
In the 46 seasons Tennessee State played at Hale, the team went undefeated ten times, won 10 conference titles in the now-defunct Midwestern Conference and an Ohio Valley Conference crown in 1998.
However, since the condemnation of the press box in 2022, there has been just a single game played at Hale, the 2022 John Merritt Classic against Lane College, in which the Tigers were stunned by the Dragons, 28-27.
