Brian Schwartz, an associate professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, was recently quoted in a Fox 31 article about the turf used in Super Bowl LV.
Millions tuned in to watch Super Bowl LV in February. According to Schwartz, who’s also a turf grass breeder, the turf used in this year’s Super Bowl was made in Tifton, Georgia.
“This is the location that many turf grasses have been developed over the last 60 years,” he said. “Some of the more famous ones are Tiftway 419, that has been used in many Super Bowls.”
The bermudagrass used in this year’s Super Bowl was co-developed by the University of Georgia and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Tifton. It was created specifically to withstand the largest football game of 2021.
“It was grown at Pro Turf in South Georgia and grown on plastic for 18 months,” Schwartz said. “It was then shipped to the stadium, two weeks before.”
The article emphasized the importance of Tiftway 419, a bermudagrass created by UGA professor Glenn Burton in 1960.
