A turf field for the University of Northern Colorado baseball program and the region has been a dream of Mike Anderson’s for a long time.
Anderson will soon begin his third season as coach at his collegiate alma mater where he played from 1984-86 after graduating from Eaton High School. Anderson came into the job in 2022 with the idea to install turf at the approximately 70-year-old Jackson Field at 20th Street and 6th Avenue in Greeley.
The coach and university recently oversaw the start of a $1.5 million private fundraising effort. More information is available at www.give2unc.org/jackson-field.
Baseball announces Jackson Field Turf Project with a $150,000 donation received so far. A generous donor has offered to match the next $5,000 – donate today and double your impact!
Read more: https://t.co/FNB64cJdyz#GetUpGreeley pic.twitter.com/RWkeyTOZpq
— UNC Baseball (@UNC_BearsBSB) December 13, 2023
“(UNC athletic director) Darren Dunn and I talked about it, and I told him I have goals beyond being the baseball coach and winning games,” Anderson said. “I want to develop a program people can respect and be relevant again. In order to get back to being relevant, we need some facility upgrades.”
Named the Jackson Field Turf Project, the multi-year effort is tapping into donations from former Bears players and others. Several weeks ago, the project received a big boost with a $150,000 donation.
Longtime baseball supporters the Walker family pledged to match $5,000 worth of donations according to an athletic department release in mid-December. The release also said if the full cost is not raised by Dec. 31, 2026, the money will be used for the greatest need in the program as determined by the head coach.
Anderson said there are other upgrades needed at the field, but the turf project is focused on the new field surface.
Anderson envisions youth and high school players using the field for summer tournaments or early-season games in the spring. The younger athletes might become more familiar with UNC and the baseball program — benefitting recruiting efforts.
Anderson’s three-decade coaching career includes stops at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Nebraska. Anderson was the head coach at Nebraska for nine seasons. He took five different teams to the NCAA Tournament and the 2005 team reached the College World Series, earning the program’s first win there.
“There are far-reaching ramifications of putting turf on the field, and that’s huge for me,” Anderson said.
He estimated up to three years could be needed for fundraising. Anderson and supporters are also fighting some recent history where former Bears players, including Anderson, were skeptical about how donations to the program were being used.
While raising money to upgrade a field, Anderson also hopes to renovate the program’s reputation.
“It’s not going to be easy,” he said of the fundraising. “This is our program. This is us and mine. This is Northern Colorado and the community, and it takes someone to say, ‘Let’s get this.’”
