Turf Developed At OSU Used In NFL Conference Championship Games

Turf being played on at both stadiums this week for the NFL Conference Championship games was developed at Oklahoma State University.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect grass, but it’s getting darn close," said Turfgrass Specialist Dennis Martin.

The turf at both stadiums for the NFC and AFC championships was developed at Oklahoma State.

“One game being in Philadelphia at the Lincoln Financial Field that has our Tahoma 31 Bermuda as a base, it’s over seeded with rye grass and a little bit of paint over it. So it makes it green in the winter and looks good for the tv. And then at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, our north bridge Bermuda grass is the base," he said.

Martin said it takes about 10 years to develop the types of grass, send it out for testing all over the country, and then tweak it so it's ready to use.

Martin said it was a priority to develop a type of grass that could handle the winter temperatures.

“That was our goal, to develop improved winter heartiness. Bermudas are naturally water use efficient, and drought tolerant, and so we wanted to combine all of those features," he said.

Martin said Bermuda turfgrass is safer for athletes to use rather than artificial turf.

He said they've worked hard to develop these types of turfgrass and he's proud of the work being done.

“This is really the confidence when you see the NFL using these products on their fields and providing positive feedback, as well as input for what they’d like to see in the next generation of grasses," he said.

Martin said types of turfgrass from Oklahoma State is also at golf courses across the country as well as in Major League Baseball stadiums.