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Audrey J. Walton Stadium/Vernon Kennedy Field

The University of Central Missouri football facility received a new look and name in 1995, becoming Audrey J. Walton Stadium at Vernon Kennedy Field. Mrs. Audrey J. Walton, from Versailles, provided the lead gift of $1 million to help fund the stadium project.  A new grandstand had become necessary after engineers had determined that the original structure was becoming unsafe due to aging.

Construction began in November of 1994 and, while construction was not totally complete, the facility was able to be used for the Mules' 1995 season opener on Sept. 7. Formal dedication ceremonies, with Mrs. Walton and her family present, were held on Oct. 7, 1995. Seating in the grandstand accommodates approximately 5,800 spectators. The three-level tower in the center of the grandstand contains luxury suites available for use by donors on the lower and middle levels and the actual working press box area on the top level.  Also included in the project was a new lighting and sound system for the stadium.

In the fall of 2004, the Eph and Mary Jane Markey Lobby was completed and dedicated, thanks to the generosity of Janne Walker, daughter of Eph and Mary Jane Markey.  The lobby now serves as the Mules Football museum and as a meeting and reception area for football alumni and Mule Train Boosters.

Further renovations took place in the summer of 2005, as Kennedy Field received a face lift.  The natural grass surface was replaced with Sprinturf, a ground-tire based synthetic surface that looks and plays like real grass.  In addition, the existing six-lane track was resurfaced and expanded to eight lanes.

Also in 2005, the press box received a renovation, thanks to a generous donation by D&H Media.  The press box was fully carpeted with risers in each booth for media, coaches, and game administration.

The current site was first constructed in 1928 with just the original main grandstand. The Mules' head coach at that time, "Tad" Reid, was an engineering graduate from Kansas University, and he engineered construction of the original stadium. The facility was formally dedicated as West Campus Field on Oct. 19, 1928, with the Mules losing to Northeast Missouri 13-7. However, the first game played at the new site actually was played on Sept. 28, 1928, with the Mules beating Central College of Fayette 7-3.

The following year, on Oct. 11, 1929, the first night college football game in Missouri was played here with the use of large flood lights. The Mules lost to Missouri Valley 27-0.

On Sept 25, 1954, West Campus Field was formally renamed and dedicated as Vernon Kennedy Field, in honor of the man considered to be UCM's finest athlete. The Mules beat State College of Arkansas 33-0 in the dedication game. Kennedy was a three-time All-MIAA football player )1926-27-28) for the Mules. However, his greatest athletic accomplishments came in track and field and baseball. In 1927, he won the decathlon at the prestigious Penn Relays. After college he spent 12 seasons in major league baseball, pitching a no-hitter for the Chicago White Sox in 1935, winning 21 games in 1936 and making the American League All-Star teams in 1936 and 1938. An inaugural inductee into UCM's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992, Kennedy died in a farm accident in January, 1993, at his home in Mendon. He was 85.

The Mules' football record at this site is 183-167-13 in 77 seasons.  In addition to being the home of Mules' football, the stadium also serves as the outdoor track and field facility for the Mules and Jennies.