Manly Field

Walking inside this huge set of offices, formerly a failed shopping mall, you've just walked most of the length of Furman's old campus! Although they owned acres and acres of forest in all directions, the central academic buildings were few and relatively small--a prime reason for the move!

You're now standing at the east end of campus, where Manly Field's press box would have been. Built on a hillside going down toward the river (now leveled as a parking lot outside), you could have seen some of Furman's most impressive athletic years.

Take a brief moment to close your eyes and visualize this scenario: It is gameday. The raucous crowd of students fills the stands as the fight song plays, the vibrant green grass of the field awaits the teams.

Prior to the creation of Manly Field, the “athletic grounds at Augusta Road” served as the football field from 1913-1918. Cleared of trees and prepared in 1919, Manly Field was home to one of South Carolina’s great football powerhouses. The field was named after Furman University’s second president, Charles Manly. It served as the Hurricane’s stadium (Furman football did not have the Paladin mascot until 1961) all the way until October 10, 1936, when the last game, a victory over the Citadel, was played. It was considered “one of the most splendid athletic fields in the South.”

Originally, construction was difficult, mainly due to lack of finances. But, in 1916, the alumni-run Athletic Association offered to raise the funds to create a new football field. Within the first year and a half, $30,000 was raised for stadium construction. Delays in the building process came, though, with the First World War and the Spanish Flu occurring during Manly Field’s construction.

Even with these significant setbacks, Gallivan Construction Co. ensured the University that Manly Field would be completed by the fall of 1919, for football season, and came through on that promise.

In Furman’s first home game, they had a full house of 1,600 people to watch a 13-0 win over Oglethorpe, filling the entire west grandstand. Manly Field was a fortress for Furman University and was one of the most difficult places for opposing teams to play football games.

According to the Greenville News, in their time at Manly Field, Furman football finished with 124 wins, 42 losses and 7 ties, and won multiple state championships, all without ever having a season with a losing record.

During these years of football with an incredible new stadium, the university improved as well. More money poured into Furman University, campus facilities were doubled, and enrollment tripled from 250 to 750. Towards the end of its time, seating expanded with more wooden bleachers and a press box. Maximum seating became 5,000 in 1929. Manly even hosted South Carolina’s first night football game.

In the end though, Furman once again decided to build a newer and larger stadium for their impressive and popular football program. This decision resulted in the creation of Sirrine Stadium in 1936.

Thankfully, even after football left Manly field, it was not abandoned. It was used for Little League baseball games, football practices, and ROTC drill grounds, as well as for field days for Furman University students.

Photographs:

• South Carolina's First Night Football Game. Furman University Archives and Special Collections. (2018).
• Furman vs. Clemson football game. Furman University Historical Images, Furman University Archives, Greenville.

Sources:

• Manly Field was home to Furman's gridiron greatness. (2009, November 25). Greenvilleonline.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
• The Bonhomie, 1920 (Vol. 20). (1920). Greenville, SC: Furman University.
• The Bonhomie, 1936 (Vol. 36). (1936). Greenville, SC: Furman University.
• S. (1950). Bonhomie: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition (Vol. 50) (C. Huguley & C. Chiles, Eds.). Greenville, SC: Students of Furman University.