Emory & Henry College is lucky to have some of the nicest athletic facilities for a college of its size. Thanks to generosity of the College's dedicated donors, the E&H Athletic Department is proud to call each of these facilities home.
Fred Selfe Stadium at Nicewonder Field
Completed in 1925, Fred Selfe Stadium at Nicewonder Field holds the honor of being one of the oldest football facilities in the country still in use today. Home to the E&H football and men’s and women’s soccer teams, the stadium received its most recent facelift in 2008 when artificial turf was added. The video scoreboard was added in 2009 and the current Game Day Operations Center was completed in 2010. James H. Brooks Field House, on the east end of the stadium, completed in September of 2012 signals the attainment of the athletics portion of the College's Prelude to Performance Campaign. In 2014, the field was dedicated as Nicewonder Field in appreciation of the Nicewonder's "extraordinary philanthropy and support of Emory & Henry College Athletics."
James H. Brooks Field House
James H. Brooks Field House is the newest athletic facility on the campus of Emory & Henry. Completed in September of 2012, the 18,237 square foot building houses the football locker room, meeting space, coaches’ offices, a satellite athletic training room and a President’s Suite, Alumni Lounge and for game-day functions. Brooks Field House has been touted by many as one of the premier football facilities in NCAA Division III.
John Rutledge King Health and Physical Education Center
Erected in 1970, the John Rutledge King Health and Physical Education Center was funded in part by a gift from E. Ward King of Kingsport, Tenn. The building memorializes Mr. King's father, the Reverend John Rutledge King. In 2000, the completion of the Robert W. Gibson III Fitness Center to the existing structure expanded the size of the King Center. The addition provided a new fitness center, additional locker space, and new racquetball courts. The King Center also houses several classrooms, a dance studio, the athletic training room, and offices for coaching staff and physical education professors.
Bob Johnson Court at the King Center
Bob Johnson Court, located in the King Center Gymnasium, plays host to basketball and volleyball competitions. The court was named in honor of the former E&H Athletic Director and men's basketball coach on January 19, 2008. Coach Johnson built a national reputation for his coaching, and led five teams to the NCAA playoffs, including two which reached the Sweet 16.
The arena seats 1,240 spectators and the floor was replaced in 2008 making it one of the premier small college basketball and volleyball venues in the Southeast.
The King Center also houses an aquatics facility that was made possible by an incentive gift by the King family in 1975. It is used by the Wasps' intercollegiate women’s swimming program, Physical Education classes, and students, faculty, staff and alumni. The 25-meter, six-lane pool is equipped with state-of-the-art timing equipment for competitive meets. An outdoor patio can be accessed through large roll-up doors. The E&H Aquatics Center is also the home of the Patrick Henry High School and Chilhowie High School swimming teams. Each year, Patrick Henry and Chilhowie host a large invitational meet for high schools across Southwest Virginia.
Gibson Fitness Center & Weight Room
The Robert W. Gibson III Fitness Center was completed as an addition to the King Center in 2000. In addition to expanding the amount of office and locker room space, a 5,000 square foot weight room and two racquetball courts were added. The weight room houses free weights, selectorized equipment, treadmills and ellipticals. An extensive upgrade was completed during the summers of 2014 and 2015, with six double-sided racks and other high-level training equipment added. The fitness center is available to students, faculty and staff.
Porterfield-DeVault Field
Emory & Henry student-athletes have played baseball at the current location, which was moved to make way for the King Center, since 1970. The field is named after T.L. Porterfield and Chauncey DeVault. Porterfield, class of 1928, served the College for many years in various capacities including business manager, athletic director and football coach. DeVault, a member of the class of 1933, served for many years as the commissioner of the Appalachian League.
Renovations were completed in 2011 which included a new scoreboard, pressbox and sound system, brick backstop, new netting, dugout extensions and safety rails. These improvements were made possible through the generous gift of an anonymous donor. Further improvements were made during the fall of 2014 including an outfield warning track and new chain-link fencing.
Richardson Tennis Courts
Emory & Henry's tennis teams make the Richardson Tennis Courts, located in the center of campus, their home for matches and practices. Dedicated to the Memory of Gretchen Carroll Richardson, class of 1931, the courts are also open to use by the student body and the general public. The complex features three lighted and three unlighted courts, which were all resurfaced during the summer of 2013.
