Morton Family Track

On Sept. 9, 2022, Austin Peay State University fans and community members celebrated the naming of Ron and Andrea Morton Family Track. The venue, located inside Fortera Stadium, is home to the Governors' track and field team.

Ron Morton, a 1970 Austin Peay alumnus, was a member of the Governors' men's cross country (1966-69) and track and field (1967-70) teams. In his freshman year on the cross country team, Morton set the school record with a time of 16:06.3 in the three-mile event.

The most recent update to the Morton Family Track came in the summer of 2022 when it was resurfaced for the first time since the 2013 Fortera Stadium renovations. Austin Peay also installed a Fortmetco LED video scoreboard in 2023, replacing the old scoreboard and videoboard system.

Other recent renovations to west side of Fortera Stadium include a strength and conditioning facility and a nutrition room that opened prior in 2017. Austin Peay also opened a state-of-the-art sports medicine and athlete care facility in 2018.

Austin Peay’s track and field teams have called the corner of Marion and Henry Streets home since 1946. The facility originally was named Municipal Stadium when it opened in 1946 due to its construction by the City of Clarksville. The city owned and operated the facility while permitting the University use of the stadium for an annual sum. That arrangement lasted until 1970 when the city conveyed title to one-third of the stadium to the State for the university and signed a cooperative agreement with Austin Peay State University, Montgomery County (to which it also gave one-third of the stadium's title) and the city to form the Municipal Stadium Authority to operate and maintain the facility.

After gaining one-third of the controlling interest in Municipal Stadium, Austin Peay installed an eight-lane Tartan track surface. Six years later, Austin Peay hosted the Ohio Valley Conference Track and Field Championships for the first time, with the Governors winning their only men’s track and field title.

In 1993, the University agreed to purchase Municipal Stadium from the Stadium Authority and Montgomery County, which led to the facility being renamed Governors Stadium.

In 2004, the track surface was replaced again with a new Polytan artificial surface, and the Govs hosted the 2004 OVC Track and Field Championships later that year. Three years later, a Daktronics scoreboard and video board were installed in the south end of Governors Stadium.

The biggest renovation in the facilities’ history came in 2013 when the Tennessee Board of Regents approved a $16.9-million stadium renovation project to replace the west grandstand, renovate the east grandstand, and replace both the football and track surfaces. These renovations included the transformation of space under the east grandstands to serve as a locker room and office space for Austin Peay’s cross country and track and field programs.

After the newly renovated Governors Stadium reopened in 2014, Austin Peay hosted the 2015 OVC Track and Field Championships.

Finally, in April 2015, Austin Peay and Fortera Credit Union partnered to rename historic Governors Stadium as Fortera Stadium. The 25-year, $2.5-million naming sponsorship agreement served the dual purpose of expanding the Fortera brand in Clarksville and providing Austin Peay athletics with resources to enhance facilities within the department.