Robert E. Thorn Field

Robert E. Thorn Field has served as the home of Grove City College football and men's and women's track and field since the late 1800s.

The facility has seating capacity for 3,500 spectators, along with a two-story press box to accommodate coaches, game operations staff and members of the media.

Re-dedicated in 2006 for long-time coach and athletic director Robert E. Thorn ('16), the field was renovated that same year, with the installation of CSTurf, a synthetic playing surface that features polyethylene LSR grass fibers and a rubber infill system.

In addition, the College installed lights and resurfaced the eight-lane track around the field while also reconfiguring its setup for home track meets.

In 2011, the College installed a new state-of-the-art scoreboard and new bleachers on the visiting side of the field.

These upgrades benefit the entire campus community, as the complex is used both by the College's club sports teams and its intramural program along with the varsity teams. The track is also available for use by recreational walkers and joggers.

During the summer of 2016, The Vasco Group installed new FieldTurf on Thorn Field, featuring Grove City's new vibrant shade of crimson in the end zones and the Varsity G logo at midfield.

During his 37-year career at Grove City, Thorn held numerous roles as dean of men, athletic director and coach. Along with reinstating men's tennis as a varsity sport and founding the men's soccer program, he also spearheaded Grove City's efforts to enter into full NCAA membership in the 1950s. He spent 23 years as men's tennis coach, 19 as basketball coach and 17 as soccer coach.

Thorn led the men's basketball team to a program-record 21 consecutive victories spanning the 1920-21 and 1921-22 seasons. His first team, the 1920-21 squad, went 16-1 and the following year, the Crimson qualified for the National Invitation Tournament, finishing with a 16-4 record. The 1922-23 team posted 19 wins, a program record that stood for 60 years.

On the soccer field, Thorn directed three undefeated teams over his final nine years. The 1948 squad posted a 5-0-3 mark while the 1952 team notched a perfect 6-0-0 record. In 1956, Thorn's final year as head coach, the team again posted a perfect record in seven contests.