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The Virginia Military Institute Soccer Program
In the beginning, the early 70's, when VMI first started playing varsity soccer, the field used for both practice and games was located behind the football stadium, where the football team practices today. In those days, this field was also used as the main parking lot for tailgating before, during, and after football games. Many alumni can recall at least one “grand occasion” that took place here as meriment was plentiful in those days.
This joint use arrangement posed a few problems for the soccer team, namely having to spend 15 or 20 minutes of practice time cleaning up the field on Mondays following football games. However; it made sense to locate the soccer field here as it was, (and still is today), the only flat piece of land on post that is large enough to host a regulation NCAA soccer field.
The playing surface was rocky and rough, and there are plenty of older alumni who suffer with sore ankles today as a result of having played there. While these conditions may seem archaic, for that time period, our field was only slightly below average when compared with the fields we played on when visiting other colleges. The rocky nature actually gave us an advantage, as you needed to know the proper technique for slide tackling if you wanted to do so without cutting yourself to pieces.
In the 80's, things shifted around. The football team moved to the old parking lot and the soccer team inherited the old football practice facility located on Patchin Field. This was a nice improvement for the soccer program, especially where ankles and strawberries are concerned. However; as soccer was beginning to grow in popularity, our peer institutions began to develop advanced soccer facilities. We were beginning to fall behind.
At the same time, VMI was beginning to feel the economic strains of being one of the smallest Division I schools in the nation. In addition to this, non-athletic priorities of the Institute made it difficult to secure funding for all sports, especially non-revenue generating sports. The VMI Soccer program had no choice but to accept our small blessings, appreciate the fact that our away games were played in good facilities, and dream of the day when we too would have a nice field.
Then came 1999, the dawning of a new milineum. The Civil War had ended, and it was time to rebuild Terra. The Soccer Program set out to make some much needed improvements. A large group of former players got together and pooled their resources in an attempt to secure Coach Ross's only request: a bermuda grass playing surface on Patchin Field. A small fortune was raised, but it would only cover about 33 % of the cost for bermuda grass. And then came Jeff Morgan '80.
If you don't know who Jeff was, he guided the VMI Keydet Club through some most difficult times and his tenure was extremely effective. One of the last things he accomplished before he was tragically killed in an airplane accident was to take his keen knowledge of the time value of money, mix it with the small gifts from friends and alumni, and wave his magic wand.
In the spring of 2000, just a few short months after Jeff had passed on, bermuda grass began to grow up out of the dirt on Patchin Field. Countless hours of labor from team members were used to dress up the perimeter of the turf with footpaths, landscaping and the like, putting on the finishing touches.
Today, we have a very nice, modest facility that is debt free, requires low maintainence, and most importantly, is the proud home of three VMI athletic programs. Jeff Morgan could not have left VMI with a nicer gift. May his Spirit live on in the heart of all alumni. -Mack Tabb '82