Pearce-Horton Complex nears completion

DODGING THE UNENDING deluges and downpours that drowned the Greenville area over the summer, construction crews somehow made good progress on the expansion of the press tower at Paladin Stadium.

The actual “press level” for the Pearce-Horton Football Complex, as it has been named, was to be ready for the September 14 home opener against Presbyterian. In addition, an artificial PowerBlade Bolt surface, which replaced the original natural grass field, was installed over the summer and will support both football and Furman’s new lacrosse program, which opens varsity play in 2014.

The rest of the $12 million, 44,000-square-foot complex is expected to open later in the fall.

Greenville residents Sonny Horton ’52 and his wife, Keeter, provided the naming gift for the renovated facility, which now houses the football program as well as the university’s Heritage Hall, president’s box and special club seating, among other amenities. The name honors both Sonny and Keeter’s families.

Sonny Horton was an all-South Carolina running back during his playing days and is a member of the Furman Athletic Hall of Fame. He received the Southern Conference Service Award in 2006 and, with Keeter, was honored with Furman’s Bell Tower Award in 2008. Keeter’s father, Charlie Pearce, attended Furman and played football in the early 1920s.

“The new facility shows our fan base, alumni and recruits that we are serious about returning the Paladins to national prominence,” says Ken Pettus, associate athletic director for development. “This building could not have been realized without the generosity of devoted alumni such as the Hortons.”