Fayetteville Observer Sports
By Bret Strelow
The Fayetteville Observer
BUIES CREEK - Campbell football coach Dale Steele, athletics director Bob Roller and their wives stood alone on the Barker-Lane Stadium field last month. The newly installed lights were being turned on for the first time that Tuesday evening, and they wanted to see how everything looked.
As time passed, cars started pulling into the parking lot adjacent to the team's fieldhouse. Campbell players who were already on campus had noticed the lights come on and driven over for a closer look.
It wasn't exactly the final scene from "Field of Dreams," but the moment made an impression on Steele.
"This program is full of firsts," he said. "Playing the first game; having the first senior class. Having the first night game, it's something that'll be special to these kids."
Campbell, which restarted its football program in 2008, will be playing its first home game under lights tonight when it faces Division II Shorter at 7 o'clock.
All four of the Camels' home games in the first two months of the season will begin in the evening, with the other three kicking off at 6 p.m. Campbell played five night games in its first four seasons, including last year's opener at Old Dominion, and went 2-3, with victories against Carthage in 2008 and Virginia-Wise in 2010.
The process of installing four 110-foot poles, which have 42 fixtures apiece, started in June and was completed July 24. The team can now practice at night, and the lights create scheduling flexibility that keeps fans out of the daytime heat and gives the Camels a chance to avoid playing at the same time as some of the state's popular FBS programs.
"You look at football, you have that image of 'Monday Night Football' and 'Friday Night Lights,' " senior defensive back Paul Pizzuti said. "Having Saturday night games brings more intensity to the program, more excitement to the game. I'm sure we'll get a better turnout because there won't be the desert heat we normally have in the middle of the day."
Game outlook
The Camels will make their 2012 debut against a program that has moved up to Division II after seven seasons at the NAIA level. Shorter, which is located in Rome, Ga., went 6-4 last year and averaged 271.9 rushing yards per game. Two of the Hawks' best players are linebackers Demery Hawkins and Dominique Henfield.
Campbell graduated its first class of senior players and brings back nine starters from a 6-5 team, the first winning record since football resumed. As the Camels open their fifth season tonight, the forecast calls for temperatures in the high 70s and no rain.
"As guys that play football in snow, rain or shine, it doesn't matter as much to us, but lights are a big deal for the first game for sure because it's a new thing for us," running back Kurt Odom said. "We're going to be hyped, hopefully having everybody and their brother coming to watch us."
