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Greg Norman Turf Gets Ticket for NFL's Biggest Game -- Again
AVON PARK, Fla. -- Less than 100 miles southeast of Tampa, in the small town of Avon Park, which has more head of cattle than combed heads of hair, is a vast expanse of closely-cropped green grass covering more than 300 acres of flat Florida landscape.
To the uninformed observer, it's about as exciting as, well, watching grass grow. But to the NFL's George Toma it's as thrilling as any football game. Toma, you see, understands the significance of this turf.
It is perhaps the most pampered grass in America today. It's coddled like a newborn baby, watered and watched seven days a week by Toma and its growers.
Since this turf started taking root, only a handful of people have known, or even cared, it was there. But on Jan. 28, 2001, after 65,000 square feet of it have been loaded onto trucks and driven across State Road 60, up I-75 and into Tampa's Raymond James Stadium, hundreds of millions of sports fans will see it on every play of Super Bowl XXXV.
For the second time in three seasons, the NFL has chosen a Greg Norman Turf Company product called GN-1 for its marquee event. In recent years, due to its ability to recover quickly after punishment from the world's top athletes, GN-1 has become recognized as the finest sports turf available for high-traffic venues such as those hosting football, baseball and soccer games. In addition to its use in two Super Bowls, GN-1 is the Miami Dolphins' turf of choice in Pro Player Stadium and the Atlanta Braves' choice at Turner Field. Known as CT-2 in Australia, it was used in Norman's home country for the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney's Stadium Australia.
For use in the Super Bowl, a state-of-the-art synthetic fabric manufactured by the Motz Group reinforces the GN-1. Together, a surface is created that meets the standards of the world's most-watched sporting event. "When we introduced GN-1 to the United States from Australia, we knew it was high-quality and perfect for not only golf courses but high-traffic sporting fields," Norman said. "In two years time, it has been used for the Olympic Games (2000), the World Series in Atlanta (1999) and two Super Bowls (1999 and 2001). To say the least, we're pretty proud of its performance and the reputation it has earned."
In 1996 the NFL began the practice of re-sodding stadiums hosting Super Bowls. Therefore, following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' final home game, the existing Raymond James Stadium surface will be rolled up and replaced with GN-1.
"In my 35 years of Super Bowls, this is perhaps the best field we've ever had for the game," said Toma, 71, who has been responsible for every field since the Super Bowl's inception in 1967. "The color is great and it's going to give the players a tight field for solid footing, but one with plenty of movement so their spikes won't get caught. I'd say the grass is great, and then some -- that's what distinguishes the great fields from the mediocre ones."
More than 455,000 tons of turf will be cut into 42-inch-wide strips and rolled into 30-foot- long sections. More than 20 truckloads will make the trip to Raymond James Stadium, where the turf will be unrolled on the stadium floor. Immediately following the game, the field will be re-rolled and transported back to the farm in Avon Park for use on another sports field.
Established in 1995, Greg Norman Turf Company licenses proprietary turfgrasses for golf courses, athletic fields and home lawns. GNTC owns the exclusive rights for GN-1 hybrid bermudagrass, which has been its main product.
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