SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Frank Giufre knows what an imposing place the Carrier Dome can be for a young player.
His collegiate debut as an offensive lineman for Syracuse University left a lasting image in his mind.
“The first play I got in, when I was a redshirt freshman, I pulled the wrong way and I ran into the opposite guard right behind the center and we both fell on our rear ends,” Giufre said.
Tonight, Giufre returns to the Carrier Dome as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the University of Maine, which takes on the Orange in a 7 p.m. contest.
Giufre, who played at Syracuse from 1995-99 and helped them make two bowl appearances, has tried to prepare his players for the experience as best he can.
“I don’t think it’s anything like they’ve ever experienced,” said the native of nearby Oneida, N.Y. “I told them, it’s going to be loud, it’s going to be hot. You’re going to have a bunch of people screaming and hollering at you. It’s going to be an interesting experience for them.”
Andre Fontenette is another Syracuse alum familiar with the dynamics of the Carrier Dome, a 49,262-seat facility that opened in 1980.
He was back in the familiar confines of the dome Friday as the Bears’ wide receivers coach.
“When I first walked into the stadium part of the dome [I was] a little emotional. I had to take a couple deep breaths,” said Fontenette, who was a two-year starter and three-year letter winner at wide receiver for the Orange from 2001-2004.
“I scored my first touchdown here in the dome,” he added. “[I have] a lot of good memories, a lot of games, a lot of practices here.”
Fontenette also recalled watching Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown have his Syracuse No. 44 jersey retired as a dome highlight.
The Black Bears’ introduction to the Carrier Dome came during their Friday afternoon practice at the renowned facility.
The large concrete structure, complete with an opaque roof, has a remarkably cozy feel for a building that holds spectators for football.
While about half of UMaine’s travel squad experienced a dome setting during last season’s NCAA playoff game at the University of Northern Iowa’s UNI-Dome, Fontenette and Giufre said it doesn’t compare to the Carrier Dome.
“This is a little different than what we had at Northern Iowa last year, a little bit more intense,” said Fontenette, who also mentioned the importance of keeping players hydrated to avoid cramping, which can be common here.
UMaine even blared music over the Alfond Stadium public address system during practices this week to help prepare for tonight’s game.
Giufre said playing in the dome has to be experienced to be appreciated.
“For any visiting team that walks in here, it’s a challenge,” he said. “This is a hard place to play.”
The Carrier Dome: A few facts
The Carrier Dome appears to be quite an architectural and engineering marvel.
The building, which measures 570 feet long and 497 feet wide, covers 7.7 acres. It took 18 months to build at a cost of $26.85 million, including a $2.75 million naming gift from Carrier Corp., which produces air conditioning equipment.
The dome roof, which was replaced in 1999, weighs 220 tons. It is made up of 287,000 square feet of Teflon-coated Fiberglas fabric and 14 3-inch-thick steel bridge cables.
The roof requires 16 fans, 5 feet in diameter, to keep it suspended. The roof is 160 feet above the playing surface.
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