University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Dedicates Francis E. Henry Stadium
June 21, 1999 | Women's Lacrosse
April 27, 1999
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--With student-athletes, alumni and supporters of women's athletics in attendance, the University of North Carolina celebrated the completion of Francis E. Henry Stadium on Saturday, April 24, with an 11 a.m. dedication ceremony. Adjacent to Navy Field, the 12,000-square foot facility is home to the field hockey and women's lacrosse teams. "To everyone who donated and contributed," lacrosse coach Jenny Slingluff-Levy told the crowd of several hundred, "these young ladies are forever thankful and grateful."
Henry Stadium, a $2.9-million project started in the summer of 1998, includes grandstand seating for 1,000, permanent concession stands and restrooms, and an enclosed press box. Besides offices, locker rooms and meeting space for the field hockey and women's lacrosse teams, the building houses a sports medicine area, equipment storage space and a memorabilia display area.
"We've set a standard in women's athletics," said field hockey coach Karen Shelton, who is in her 18th year at Carolina. "Women's facilities upgrades all over the country are almost always associated with a men's sport. I don't know of another facility of this magnitude primarily associated with women's athletics. This is a historic event."
Francis E. Henry is a UNC graduate who lettered in soccer for the Tar Heels from 1964-66 and now resides in Wilmington, N.C. He donated generously to the project, and the stadium is named for him and his father, Francis Henry III.
Carmen Hooker, wife of UNC chancellor Michael Hooker, served as honorary chairman of the Stadium Project Steering Committee, which is overseen by Carolina's Educational Foundation.
On the day of its dedication, the stadium was put immediately to use, with two ACC Women's Lacrosse Tournament games and a field hockey alumni game. "This provides the missing components in our program, with locker rooms and meeting rooms," said Shelton, who has led her team to four NCAA titles. "It's absolutely fantastic."
