The World's Fastest Track | |
 Randall Tyson | |
 | |
| Location | 1380 S Beechwood Ave. Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°02′59″N 94°11′04″W / 36.04972°N 94.18444°W |
| Owner | University of Arkansas |
| Capacity | 5,500 |
| Surface | Mondo Super X |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2000 |
| Construction cost | approx. $7 Million |
| Tenants | |
| University of Arkansas Track (NCAA) (2000–present) Arkansas Stars (NIFL) (2006) | |
The Randal Tyson Track Center is a 5,500-seat indoor track in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Built in 2000, it is home to the University of Arkansas Razorbacks track and field teams. It was also home for one year to the semi-pro Arkansas Stars. The facility is located behind the first base stands of Baum Stadium, home of the Razorback baseball team. The baseball and indoor track facilities are one-half mile south of the main University of Arkansas campus, across Razorback Road (Arkansas Highway 112).
The Track Center is home to the Arkansas Razorback Track Program that has earned 42 National NCAA Track & Field Championships, although two were stripped from the University due to NCAA sanctions. The Center has hosted several national events including the Tyson Track & Field Invitational, NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships.
The Randal Tyson Track Center was the vision of former head coach John McDonnell and Athletics Director Frank Broyles. McDonnell presented a gold NCAA Championship watch to Tyson Foods, Inc. CEO Don Tyson in hopes of persuading him to partially fund the project. The Tyson family donated $3 million to the project. The cost of construction is estimated at around $7 million.[1]
Designed by a Fayetteville architecture firm, the facility was opened in 2000 and dedicated on February 12 of the same year. During the first year (2000) the facility hosted the Tyson Invitational, a meet on the USATF Golden Spike Tour (now the VISA Championship Series), the Southeastern Conference Championships, and the NCAA Indoor Championships. Since that time the facility has been the annual host of the Tyson Invitational and has been the host the NCAA Indoor Championships every year until 2009. Due to Arkansas's successful bid to host the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships, the Indoor Championships were awarded to Texas A&M so that Arkansas would not host both the indoor and outdoor national championships in the same year. The University of Arkansas resumed hosting in 2010 and was the event site in 2011, 2013 and 2015.[2]
- ^ "Randal Tyson Track Center, 1380 S Beechwood Ave, Fayetteville, AR". www.stadiumlist.com. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
- ^ Taylor, McGillis (2015-05-17). "Randal Tyson Track Center". Arkansas Razorbacks. Retrieved 2017-04-12.