Benefactor Supports Athletics With $1 Million Gift
By Scott Stapin, Athletic Media Relations
March 21, 2007
Edward A. Fish, a long-time UNH benefactor and a member
of the Class of ’58, has given $1 million to initiate
phase one of the stadium project, athletics director Marty
Scarano announced this week.
Construction on a new state-of-the-art FieldTurf playing
surface will begin this summer and be completed before
the start of the 2007 football season. FieldTurf is an
artificial surface that looks and plays like grass.
Fish, long-time owner/president of the Suffolk Construction
Company in Boston, played both hockey and football at UNH.
He also is the primary donor for the Edward Fish ’58
Football Scholarship.
"Ed Fish has been, and continues to be, one of UNH
Athletics’ most generous benefactors,” said
Scarano. “Ed's latest gift will be utilized to install
a FieldTurf synthetic surface for Cowell Stadium this summer.
It represents phase one of our plan to completely renovate
the stadium into a multi-purpose facility.
Ed has continually exhibited a great love for his alma
mater and shares a vision for excellence in athletics.
I can't tell you how many times he has been there for us
when we needed support to move our agenda forward. He is
a true leader. I really appreciate the relationship that
Ed and I have and his generosity in not only money but
time as well.”
The installation of the new playing surface will go a
long way for the football program in terms of recruiting
and will also benefit the men’s and women’s
soccer teams and other UNH athletic programs.
“Ed’s commitment to excellence has its blueprint
all over our football program,” said head coach Sean
McDonnell. “His generosity over the years has greatly
helped in our success. This new playing surface is the
first step toward a facility that will match anyone in
our conference. Ed is at the leading forefront with this
gift and again shows his true love for our university.”
Community programs and organizations will also benefit
from the new field, which will provide an outstanding site
for high school championships. The softer, more consistent
surface makes the playing experience better and safer for
all student-athletes.
“I personally want to thank Mr. Fish for his generous
donation,” said Walter Payton Award-Winning quarterback
Ricky Santos. “The benefits of a new FieldTurf surface
are endless. Our team will now be able to play at a faster
pace. The footing will be better in rough conditions, and
the stability of the surface will reduce the likelihood
of injury. With this new field we can now compete on the
same surface as many other teams in our league. This is
a great step forward for our program.”
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