Location: Murfreesboro, NC
Home of: Chowan Hawks
Capacity: 5,000
Opened: Circa 1960 (renamed Garrison Stadium in 1987)
Welcome to Stadium Spotlight, a series from NC Football News highlighting the football venues that shape North Carolina’s college football landscape. From mountain valleys to city skylines, each stadium in the Old North State has its own story. Today we travel to Murfreesboro, where Garrison Stadium has served as the football home for Chowan University for more than half a century.
🏟️ Where They Play: Garrison Stadium | Home of the Chowan Hawks
Originally constructed in the 1960s, Garrison Stadium was renamed in 1987 in honor of longtime head coach and athletic director Jim Garrison, who led the program to 27 winning seasons and more than 150 victories. Known as a mentor to more than 3,000 student-athletes, Coach Garrison built Chowan into a respected junior college power before the school transitioned to four-year competition.
The stadium features seating on both sides, a spacious press box with box seating, and a 130-locker field house just off the playing surface. In 2007, thanks to donor support, the venue received major upgrades including new field lights, fencing and improvements to the Bermuda grass field.
Garrison Stadium continues to host some of the best small-college football in the region. This season, Garrison will be part of history as the Chowan Hawks join Conference Carolinas, which is relaunching football as a sanctioned league sport for the first time since the 1970s.
Notable Games:
- Oct. 13, 2018 – Record crowd of roughly 5,327 vs. Virginia Union
- Oct. 15, 2022 – Beat Virginia State 43-40 in a thriller on the way to winning the CIAA North Division title, the program’s first and only division trophy during its time in the CIAA
- Sept. 28, 2024 – Snapped a 13-game losing streak with a 27-25 Homecoming win over Mississippi College
2025 Home Highlights at Garrison Stadium:
- Aug. 30 – Elizabeth City State (regional bragging rights on the line, 6 p.m.)
- Sept. 6 – West Alabama (playoff team from Gulf South, 1 p.m.)
- Sept. 20 – Valdosta State (reigning D2 runner-up, 1 p.m.)
- Oct. 4 – North Greenville (Conference Carolinas home debut, Homecoming ‘25, 1 p.m.)
- Oct. 25 – UNC Pembroke (new in-state conference rivalry, 6 p.m.)
- Nov. 8 – Ferrum (Senior Day, former JUCO rival, 1 p.m.)
📅 View the full 2025 Chowan Football Schedule
📸 More on the stadium from Chowan University
More from the Stadium Spotlight Series
We’re just starting our tour of North Carolina college football home venues. Check out our first Stadium Spotlight: Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium, the historic and picturesque home of the Western Carolina University Catamounts.
