Murphy-Mellis Fast Facts
Opened: 2005
Capacity: 500
Named For: Mel Mellis (philanthropist) and Susan Murphy (philanthropist)
Home of: Field Hockey
After sharing Dix Stadium with the football team for nine years, the Kent State field hockey team moved into its very own state-of-the-art complex in 2005, just a few hundred yards north of its previous home. In 2006, it was officially tabbed Murphy-Mellis Field, in honor of Mel Mellis, a 1968 graduate of Kent State and his wife, Susan Murphy, who made the lead gift for the facility.
The Murphy-Mellis facility includes a brand new playing surface from Sportexe, a storage and meeting facility, watering system, new stands, team benches, press box, scoreboard and camera platforms.
Kent State opened Murphy-Mellis Field Sept. 25, 2005 with a 4-3 setback against national power Michigan and officially dedicated the opening of the stadium Oct. 23, 2005 with a 1-0 win over Ohio.
The Golden Flashes do a majority of their off-season training adjacent to Murphy-Mellis Field in the Kent State Field House, which is complete with an indoor track, 100-yard artificial turf field, weight room, lockers and administrative offices.
Kent State’s locker rooms are located underneath the grandstands of Dix Stadium right next to the football, soccer, baseball and softball locker rooms, all of which have easy access to equipment and training rooms. Dix Stadium played host to the 2001 NCAA Field Hockey national semifinals and championship game.
