FAMU track facility needs upgrades to bring back FAMU Relays, coach says

Speaking before the Eddie Jackson 220 Quarterback Club on Wednesday, FAMU track and field coach Garfield Ellenwood II, was asked why the program no longer hosts the FAMU Relays? Ellenwood shared that we cannot host major track meets without significant facility upgrades.  

Ellenwood suggested, that the Pete Griff Track and Field Complex, a venue that once hosted conference championships and the famed FAMU Relays, fails to meet the standards required to attract top-tier competition, and now needs a minimum $1.8 million overhaul.  

FAMU has not hosted a FAMU Relays since 2021.

Ellenwood expressed similar concerns about the condition of the track facilities in 2023, on the O&G Strike Zone podcast.

In its heyday, the FAMU Relays was one of the premiere track and field events on the east coast attracting top-tier teams and talent from across the United States over two days.

“Until we get our facilities upgraded, we really can’t host the FAMU Relays and get the competition and the schools that we want to come,” Ellenwood told the audience. “Most coaches are like me, before I decide where we’re going to compete, I want to make sure the track is of a nature that will allow our athletes to run fast times and qualify for the NCAAs.”

Ellenwood, who took over the program in June 2023, emphasized that the current surface and amenities do not meet NCAA qualifying standards, putting FAMU at a disadvantage both in recruiting and competitive scheduling.

The Pete Griffin Track Complex, built in 1980, was last resurfaced in 2014 under former Athletic Director Derek Horne at a cost of nearly $1 million. Those upgrades included a new rubberized surface, refurbished field event areas, and basic facility improvements like updated restrooms and new jump pits.

But in the 12 years since, the complex has seen no further investment, even as other programs—particularly HBCU peer North Carolina A&T—have surged ahead by modernizing their facilities and hosting large-scale events like the AAU Junior Olympics.

Ellenwood pointed to N.C. A&T’s success as a model: the Aggies attract thousands of young athletes to Greensboro over a two-week period, generating significant revenue for the city. That, in turn, motivates municipal support for ongoing maintenance—including resurfacing the track every two years.

The proposed $1.8 million renovation would include a new high-performance track surface, wider lanes, field event enhancements, new equipment such as hurdles and starting blocks, integrated timing technology, and an LED video scoreboard for live results and replays.

Such improvements, Ellenwood argued, would more than pay for themselves through increased tourism, hotel bookings, and local spending—benefits that would extend throughout Tallahassee and Leon County.

"When I got here, we hosted a site visit from the AAU with the hopes of hosting a that event in the future, and they submitted a list of upgrades they need to see in order for us to be considered,” Ellenwood recalled. “That event would have brought over 5,000 young students  to our campus for a seven-day period.”  

The urgency comes at a time when FAMU’s track teams are enjoying athletic success. The women’s team captured the 2026 Southwestern Athletic Conference indoor championship, while the men placed third—one of their strongest showings in years.

Yet without a modernized venue, the Rattlers cannot bring premier events back to their own campus, a point not lost on supporters in attendance.

The Pete Griffin track replaced the old clay surface at Bragg Memorial Stadium, where FAMU legend—and Olympic gold medalist—Bob Hayes once trained. That track was removed during stadium renovations more than four decades ago, marking a leap forward at the time.

Whether Ellenewood's comments galvanizes the needed support—from university, municipal, or donor sources—remains the next hurdle.