Dean A. Hayes Stadium

Middle Tennessee's track and field teams benefit from some of the finest facilities in the Southeast.

The Blue Raiders and Lady Raiders utilize an outdoor complex that is in only its fifth year of use. The Olympic-size track was recently certified by a United States Track and Field Association official and was the host site of the 2000 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships.

The facility has also been mentioned as a potential site for the Sun Belt Championships in the future.

The running surface features eight lanes measuring 42 inches each, which allows ample space for each competitor without feeling closed in by other runners.

Like the running surface, the infield portion of the complex is user-friendly. It features the unique aspect of having two long jump runways, allowing both the men's and women's team to either compete or practice at the same time.

A pole vault runway, javelin runway, high jump area, and a hammer/discus cage is also located in the infield area.

The infield also doubles as the home of the Blue Raider soccer team, which inaugurated the complex on Oct. 14, 1998, defeating Tennessee Tech, 4-0.

Middle Tennessee's track and field teams consider themselves doubly lucky when considering the Murphy Center Indoor Track and Field facility.

Located on the upper level of the Murphy Athletic Center, the Indoor Track is one of only two such facilities in the Sun Belt Conference.

Murphy Center played host to the 2002 Sun Belt Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Indoor Track is no stranger to championship competition, as it played host to numerous Indoor Championships in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Indoor Track facility measures a staggering 50,000 square feet and is capable of hosting every track and field event. The six-lane, sixth-of-a-mile long oval features two photographic finish lines.

The Murphy Center, built in 1972, also serves as the home of Middle Tennessee's men's and women's basketball teams along with the Lady Raider volleyball team. The Monte Hale arena seats 11,520 fans. It is also the location of the athletic department offices, the HPERS department, and the Blue Raider Athletic Association office.

Murphy Center features two auxiliary gyms for team practices or physical education classes, racquetball courts, and two dance studios. It is also home to a newly-renovated Athletic Training Room that features state-of-the-art modalities for the treatment and care of athletic injuries.

Murphy Center has a long and storied history in high school athletics, as well. The facility has long been host to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association boys and girls state basketball championships, the state volleyball championships, and the state cheerleading finals.

Aside from athletics, the facility has staged countless concerts for some of the world's most renowned artists, including Elvis Presley, Elton John, U2, The Judds, and three consecutive sold-out shows by country music superstar Garth Brooks.

Throughout the year, Murphy Center is also the site for several large conventions and trade shows and is the site for Middle Tennessee's commencement ceremonies three times a year.

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