The facilities at the University of Tennessee are among the best in the nation, and Tom Black Track underwent major renovation in 1992 to further improve its practicality and appearance.

Three primary changes were made to the facility: the moving of the start/finish line to the south side of the track to best utilize favorable wind conditions, the addition of 2,500 temporary bleachers, and the redesigning and resurfacing of several field event areas.

Tom Black Track is named after the Knoxville business leader whose generous contribution provided the support necessary for its early development. The track is an eight-lane Olympic-style oval, complete with Omega electronic timing equipment and a scoreboard display and message center made by Daktronics, Inc.

Tom Black Track has been the site of several prestigious track and field championships in the past few years, such as the 1993 Southeastern Conference Championships, the 1994 USA Track & Field Youth National Championships, the 1994 USA Track & Field Championships and the 1995 NCAA Championships. And, on an annual basis, the facility serves as the site of the Sea Ray Relays and the Gatorade Classic as well as a variety of other collegiate dual and invitational events.

Get a Bird's Eye View
An overhead shot of Tom Black Track with Neyland Stadium, the Tennessee River and downtown Knoxville visible at the top of the photo.

Runners Take Your Mark

Located in the center of campus, diagonally across Volunteer Boulevard from Tom Black Track, the Stokely Athletics Center is the home of University of Tennessee track & field indoor practices and meets. During the 2006 campaign, the facility will be the site of a pair of intercollegiate competitions, the Tennessee All-Comers Meet on Jan. 6 and the Tennessee Indoor Invitational on Feb. 17.

Dedicated in 1958 as the UT Armory Fieldhouse with a seating capacity of 7,000, it was later renamed in honor of the late William B. Stokely Jr., whose generosity resulted in renovations that brought the total number of seats to 12,700. Prior to the 2000 track & field season, the floor of the Stokely Center was completely replaced, providing the Lady Vols with a much-improved training and competition surface.

In addition to track & field, the arena portion of the building is also the home of Lady Vol volleyball and serves as a back-up practice site for the Tennessee women's and men's basketball teams. Stokely was the primary competition and practice facility used by both the men's basketball team (1967-87) and Head Coach Pat Summitt's six-time national champion women's squad from 1976-87.

The building also continues to house some of the administrative support offices of the UT Women's and Men's Athletics Departments as well as Army and Air Force ROTC. For the past 30 years, many of the women's athletics offices have been housed in Stokely. Those still operating in the building include athletic training, compliance, event management, media relations and strength and conditioning as well as the coaching staffs for golf, softball, track & field and volleyball. Adding to the structure's list of virtues is the location within of the largest women's-only weight room facility in the nation as well as a state-of-the-art training room. Both gems are located on the east end of the SAC.

See the sprint lanes.

See the whole indoor facility.