Truist Field at Wake Forest is a football stadium in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...
. The stadium is just west of Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park, home of the Wake Forest baseball team. It is primarily used for
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
, and is the home field of the
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...
Demon Deacons
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...
. The stadium opened in 1968 and holds 31,500 people. It is the smallest football stadium, by capacity, in both the ACC and in all Power 5 conferences.
Previously known as Groves Stadium, in September 2007, Wake Forest University and
BB&T
BB&T Corporation (previously known as the Branch Banking and Trust Company) was one of the largest banking and financial services firms in the United States, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 2019, BB&T announced its intentions to merge ...
, which was headquartered in Winston-Salem, announced a 10-year deal to officially rename the stadium BB&T Field starting with the first 2007 home game against Nebraska. The deal was part of a larger development process to secure funds for stadium renovations and upgrades. On July 8, 2020, the name of the stadium was changed to Truist Field at Wake Forest following a merger between
BB&T
BB&T Corporation (previously known as the Branch Banking and Trust Company) was one of the largest banking and financial services firms in the United States, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 2019, BB&T announced its intentions to merge ...
and
SunTrust
SunTrust Banks, Inc. was an American bank holding company with SunTrust Bank as its largest subsidiary and assets of US$199 billion as of March 31, 2018. The bank's most direct corporate parent was established in 1891 in Atlanta, where it was h ...
.
History
The former stadium name of
Groves Field goes back to the original stadium at the original location of Wake Forest (
Wake Forest, North Carolina
Wake Forest is a town in Franklin, Granville and Wake counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina; located almost entirely in Wake County, it lies just north of the state capital, Raleigh. At the 2020 census, the population was 47,601. That is ...
). The old stadium was financed by Henry Groves, and when the school announced the move to Winston-Salem, he and his brother, Earl, decided to make a further contribution to the school to keep their name on any new stadium. After moving to Winston-Salem, many games were played in
Bowman Gray Stadium
Bowman Gray Stadium is a NASCAR sanctioned asphalt flat oval short track and longstanding football stadium located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most legendary venues, and is referred to as "NASCAR's longes ...
while the project to build a new stadium met with many setbacks. It was not until 1966 that the final fundraising was done, and the stadium opened in September 1968, with the Deacons losing to old rival NC State. The former Groves Stadium became the home football field for
Wake Forest High School
Wake Forest High School, formerly Wake Forest-Rolesville High School, is a four-year high school (9–12) located in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Demographics
In 2016–2017 there were just over 2,000 students attending Wake Forest High ...
and is today known as Trentini Stadium. The stadium is part of a larger complex east of the main campus at the corner of Deacon Boulevard and University Parkway, which includes
Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park
David F. Couch Ballpark is a collegiate and former minor-league baseball park in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The full-time home of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball team, starting in 2009, it was also previously home of the Winston-Salem ...
and
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (also known as LJVM Coliseum, Joel Coliseum or simply The Joel) is a 14,407-seat multi-purpose arena, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Construction on the arena began on April 23, 1987, and it opened ...
.
The current stadium consists of two bowed grandstands on either side of the field. The southeast end zone is known as "Deacon Hill," and is used for berm seating during games. The Bridger Field House, originally built in 1968 with the stadium, was demolished in early 1996 and rebuilt during the 1996 football season. It opened midway through the 1997 football season. The structure is located behind the northwest end zone.
Renovations
In 2006, the Wake Forest Athletics Department announced plans to further the renovations on Truist Field (then Groves Stadium) with the construction of Deacon Tower which will house a new press box. Deacon Tower opened prior to the 2008 season. The press box is the centerpiece of the third of six levels of renovations set to take place at Truist Field. The old press box, built in 1968, was successfully imploded & demolished on the morning of January 14, 2007 as numerous Demon Deacon fans watched on. Previous renovations included the bricking of the facade of the grandstand in 2005 and the implementation of
FieldTurf in 2006.
In 2011, a new scoreboard was added, replacing the spot of the previous, smaller scoreboard at the top of Deacon Hill.
Events
Photo gallery
Image:BB&TFieldWakeForestUniversity.jpg, The press and luxury boxes.
Image:GrovesStadium3.jpg, Picnic area.
Image:GrovesStadium1.jpg, The east sideline.
Image:GrovesStadium2.jpg, Exterior of Truist Field.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums
This is a list of stadiums that currently serve as the home venue for NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams. These include most of the List of U.S. stadiums by capacity, largest stadiums in th ...
References
External links
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{{Music venues of North Carolina
1968 establishments in North Carolina
American football venues in North Carolina
College football venues
Music venues in North Carolina
Sports venues completed in 1968
Sports venues in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Wake Forest Demon Deacons football