Work is underway on the $1.2 million renovation of Virginia Union University’s renamed Wil- lie Lanier Field at Hovey Stadium. Mr. Lanier, a former All-Star and Pro Bowl player with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1967 to 1977, played on Hovey Field when he was a student nearly 60 years ago at Richmond’s Maggie L. Walker High School next door. He has played a vital role in the project to resurface the field from grass to FieldTurf. When the VUU Panthers football team kicks off its 2020 season home opener on Oct. 3 against Shaw University, the new field will be a point of pride for the team and will put VUU on the same level as universities around the nation, officials stated. “That field shows something,” Mr. Lanier stated. “It shows the ability of what it is to provide for those young individuals who can take confidence and pride in where they play and how they are able to perform.” Squares of the old grass field, which has been in place since 1907, are being sold online to help fund the project. Go to https://vuusports.com/sports/2008/11/5/MBB_1105085727.aspx?id=42
