Darrell Tully Stadium

This stadium is really well designed and up kept nicely! There’s plenty of parking and the sidewalks and landscaping are all in great shape. We were there for the launch of the 2014 BP MS150 bike ride, so we didn’t actually go in the stadium– but from what I saw from spending an hour on the grounds, I liked.
If I ever go back and get to go inside I’ll modify the review and add more stars.

«I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing AstroTurf…»
– From «Crash» Davis’s Creed in Bull Durham
1965: The Astrodome opened. It had a glass roof and natural grass. The players complained that they couldn’t see fly balls because of the glare. The glass was painted over to eliminate the glare and all the grass died.
1966: AstroTurf was installed in the Astrodome. Darrel Tully Stadium opened way out in the boonies of West Houston for use by the Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD). It had natural grass.
1972: AstroTurf was installed in Tully Stadium since the natural turf was always a ripped-​up, muddy mess because so many teams used the field. Over the next 36 years the turf was replaced two times but remained a hard, seam-​filled, raspberry-​causing, injury-​inducing surface that represented an act of expedience trumping a real concern for student athletes.
1999: A ballot bond issue was passed to resurface Tully Stadium.
2008: The resurfacing finally was performed and the AstroTurf was replaced by a product called FieldTurf that emulates grass very well and significantly reduces the risk of joint injuries in athletes’ legs.
«Oh my.»
– Annie Savoy’s response to Crash’s Creed
If the resurfacing had not been performed, I would have given Tully Stadium a one-​star review. This is the state of Texas which has inherited the legacy of Darrell Royal’s UT football dynasty of the 60’s where athletes were treated like «Meat on the Hoof». With gridiron glory as the over-​riding priority, concern over the actual physical and mental welfare of student athletes often can be a secondary priority (regardless of what the coach may spew out to parents). It’s always bothered me that maintenance and cost concerns kept that crap carpet in place for over three decades.
Tully stadium seats up to 15,000 spectators. It gets filled when arch-​rivals Stratford and Memorial duke it out each year. It’s fit for purpose. I find it has some «interesting» features about which one should be aware in order to best enjoy the «Tully experience»:
* On cold winter nights, the temperature in the stadium always seems to be about 20 degrees colder than the outlying area, mostly because of the wind that invariably blows through there. You need to over-​dress.
* On those same cold winter nights, the aluminum benches in the stands act as very effective heat sinks. That means your butt is going to be really cold and that chill will work its way through your whole body unless you bring some sort of padding or insulated blanket to protect yourself.
* The lines at the concession stands take forever. The positive spin on this is that they’re located at the top of the bleachers and you normally can keep watching the game as you stand behind indecisive teenage girls trying to order beverages and junk food.
* The steep grassy banks on the outside of the stadium are incredible kid magnets. They want to roll and somersault down the hills. SBISD cops will start using rough and gruff strong-​handed tactics if your energetic kids try to do this. To save everyone some trouble, tell the youngsters the slopes are off-​limits ahead of time.
Tully can seem quite lonely and inhospitable when you’re one of about a dozen parents huddled together in the cold watching the JV girls soccer team play. It also can be a really fun and «happening» place when thousands are roaring as the home team scores during football season. If you live in the neighborhood, just about everyone you know will probably be there for the big games. If you have a child who plays Pop Warner football in the Spring Branch area, the highlight of the season is the «Tully Bowl» when the best teams play for the championship. Those elementary and middle school kids think it is the ultimate in cool to play in the big stadium.