News Taffy

The Arkansas State University Red Wolves grinded their way to a 33-28 win over the Memphis Tigers Saturday night in their first home game of the season at a packed stadium boasting a new name.

In recognition of a $5 million contribution by Liberty Bank, the ASU Board of Trustees announced Saturday that Liberty Bank Stadium is the new name of the football stadium at Arkansas State University.

The naming rights to the stadium are for the next 15 years, as announced at the newly-named facility just prior to kickoff of the Red Wolves’ home football game against the Memphis Tigers. Liberty Bank’s gift of $5 million, the largest in ASU Athletics history, guarantees it the naming rights to the stadium through the 2027 season.

Several large Liberty Bank logos adorned the west side and east side of the stadium as they were unveiled at the conclusion of the pregame announcement, which recognized Liberty Bank and its donation.

“I am so excited that our Board of Directors chose to participate in this project, and it has all come together,” said Chairman and CEO of Liberty Bank Wallace Fowler. “This is an exciting day and the first of many contributions to come. ASU is fortunate to have Chuck Welch, Tim Hudson, Gus Malzahn, John Brady and many other fine coaches and administrators leading the institution and its athletics programs.”

The fifth largest financial institution in the state of Arkansas, Liberty Bank was founded in 2001 and has 45 locations in 24 cities. It provides financial services to more than 80,000 account holders and has more than $1.8 billion in assets.

“The ASU Board of Trustees appreciates the continued support of Liberty Bank as we enter this exciting phase of growth for our university. We know the leadership of Dr. Welch and Dr. Hudson, along with contributions such as this from our many supporters, will enable ASU to continue our progress,” said Ron Rhodes, chairman of the ASU Board of Trustees.

“This is truly an exciting day not only for our football program, but the entire University,” said ASU Chancellor Tim Hudson. “We are grateful to Liberty Bank and its board of directors, led by Wallace Fowler, for their continued support and partnership. This is an extremely important step towards making ASU a nationally respected program on a yearly basis.”

The Arkansas-based bank is the first donor of any kind to ever have naming rights for the stadium that originally opened in 1974 as Indian Stadium. It was renamed ASU Stadium in 2008 and now stands as Liberty Bank Stadium.

“This is a testament to how far our football program has come and what it can be in the future,” said ASU System President Dr. Chuck Welch.  “This would not have been possible without the leadership and vision of Wallace Fowler and the Liberty Bank Board of Directors.  We are excited about building our relationship even more with Liberty Bank. This is a great day for Arkansas State University.”

Today’s mid-field ceremony with Liberty Bank came just two days after ASU announced a $22 million football facility project, including the construction of a new two-level football operations building and a 76,000 square foot indoor practice facility in the north end zone of the stadium.

“I couldn’t be more excited about today’s announcement,” said ASU Head Football Coach Gus Malzahn.  “Wallace Fowler and Liberty Bank have been great partners to Arkansas State for years, and their support is a big part in taking this program to the next level that we have been talking about.  It’s exciting to see this community and the State of Arkansas getting behind this institution, and I’m honored to be the head coach here.

“It has been a joy to work with the Liberty Bank executive team and help negotiate this partnership,” said Cristian Murdock, ASU Vice Chancellor for University Advancement.  “ASU is thrilled to have such a strong partnership with an outstanding company.”