NCAA names Irwin Belk Complex as one of the most scenic stadiums in the U.S.

IRWIN BELK COMPLEX

The Irwin Belk Complex at Johnson C. Smith University, which features an Olympic-sized track and high-tech academic facility, has been open since January 2003. It sits just under the beautiful Charlotte skyline and right off Interstate 77, making it available for passers by to see and enjoy.

The complex has been the site of several major events including the 2007, 2010 and 2018 NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, several CIAA Track and Field Championships, the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and the JCSU Track and Field Invitational. Many of these events are bringing people from all across Charlotte and the country to JCSU. In the summer of 2016, the facility served as the home field for the Charlotte Express of the American United Disc League (AUDL). The Carolina Trojans, a minor league football team, has also called the facility home.

In 2016, the facility also welcomed the US Paralympic Track and Field trials.

Other past events to be contested in the facility include the N.C. Special Olympics State games and the AAU Summer Games,

In addition to all of the scheduled events, of major significance is the unique "public-private" partnership formed between JCSU and the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Commission to construct a state-of-the-art track facility for the community. The general public can utilize the track for exercise everyday from 8:00 a.m. to dusk, outside of the JCSU practice and competition schedule.

Fundraising efforts for the stadium, which was an $8.9 million endeavor, began in 1995. Charlotte Businessman Irwin Belk donated $1 million to the project in 1997. JCSU also received funding from grants, corporations, friends and generous alumni. Mecklenburg County contributed nearly $2.3 million for the construction of the track portion of the facility. After negotiations were finalized in January 2003, JCSU paid the County more than $800,000 for the additional funds spent to complete the track.

Funding a project of this magnitude was challenging but JCSU did so without compromising the academic or support services of its students and without negatively impacting the faculty and the campus now has a prized jewel to share for many years to come with its students, alumni, friends, and community.

In addition to the track, and field, the academic portion of the complex features a dance studio, a locker room, a top-quality weight room and multi-media classrooms. The Health and Physical Education Department and administrative offices for the JCSU Athletics Department are also located in the facility.

Many years prior to completion of the facility, which seats 4,500 fans, JCSU played its home football games at nearby Memorial Stadium.