Conn opens Fran Shields Grandstand at Silfen Track & Field

The ‘Franstand’ was dedicated during an Oct. 10 ceremony

As nearly 300 attendees watched under the autumn sunshine, a joyful and sentimental ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Connecticut College’s Silfen Track & Field on Oct. 10 to officially dedicate the new 500-seat Fran Shields Grandstand.

A gift from Timothy M. Armstrong ’93, Nancy A. Armstrong, and the Men’s Lacrosse program, the grandstand offers ADA-compliant seating, new stairways, improved drainage and a press box with upgraded broadcast technology to support live coverage and better event management. Armstrong is a business executive who played varsity lacrosse at Conn. He is the founder and CEO of Flowcode and served as CEO of AOL from 2009 to 2015.

The grandstand—or “Franstand,” as it is affectionately known on campus—is named in honor of former Director of Athletics Fran Shields P’14, who retired in 2023 as the inaugural director of the Camel Athletics Network. Shields joined the athletics staff in the fall of 1980 as the head coach of the varsity Men’s Lacrosse team and head athletic trainer. As head coach for 24 seasons, he built the lacrosse team into a nationally ranked program and was named the USILA National Coach of the Year in 1993. As the director of athletics, Shields led the intercollegiate programs to improved competitive success in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and oversaw a $16 million transformation of the athletics facilities at Conn. 

“We’re here for two reasons: to honor a legacy who has helped shape Connecticut College athletics and to thank two very special people whose generosity has made an impact on athletes for generations to come,” Director of Athletics Mo White said during the ceremony, which took place during Fall Weekend.

“To compete here, to win here, demands a level of excellence at every level, in the classroom and in the field. It demands a vision, and it demands people who refuse to accept anything less than excellence from and for our student-athletes. And Connecticut College is delivering on that. Our student-athletes are winning in competition, but most importantly, in the classroom and beyond,” she continued. “This department, with all of its momentum, was built on years of hard work and people who cared enough to show up. And Fran Shields is one of those people.”

The Armstrongs, she said, “invested in something they believed in: our student-athletes who train and compete here, the coaches who guide them, and the vision of what this athletic department can become. What you see here today—this grandstand, this facility—is a direct manifestation of their generosity.

“Facilities like the Fran Shields Grandstand send a clear message: Connecticut College is serious about its athletics, serious about our student-athletes, and most importantly, serious about building spectator capacity. Tim and Nancy, on behalf of every current and future Camel, thank you for your belief in this program.”

President Andrea E. Chapdelaine also lauded the new addition. “A place like this is a recognition of what we appreciate and hold dear here at Conn, which is the moments we can gather together to support and cheer each other on,” she said, adding that she had enjoyed being in the grandstands and cheering alongside Conn students, faculty and staff earlier in the week during “spectacular wins” by both the Men’s Soccer and Women’s Field Hockey teams.

Armstrong, holding a paper reproduction of a much-younger Shields’ face—“When I came on my recruiting trip to Conn, this is what Fran looked like,” he joked—told the crowd how Shields inspired him.

“One thing he taught us in life is that talent is not enough,” he said. “You have to have character. Fran was not just great at sports, but he was somebody who we could all look up to when we left.”

Armstrong shared that his father had become unemployed the year before he began studying at Conn in 1989, and his future at the school was uncertain. When he got to campus, he explained, he didn’t even have mesh for the head of his lacrosse stick. “That winter, I had to go to the dean’s office because I was going to have to leave school because my family couldn’t afford it. Fran came with me and worked out a situation where I could work at the athletic center. I sharpened skates every day at 6 a.m. to earn money,” he recalled. “The experience I had at Conn has been game-changing, but Fran is really the person behind it, and why we’ve been so inspired to give to the school.”

Armstrong, who spearheaded the Camel Athletics Network with former Men’s Lacrosse teammate Luke Beatty ’93 in 2016, encouraged the student-athletes and parents in attendance to follow in his footsteps by supporting Conn’s sports programs. “I hope that when you graduate and get great jobs, you become part of the club and give back. And if you’re a parent, I think it makes a huge difference,” he said.

Finally, Shields approached the podium and returned the love. “This is quite an exciting day. Tim, it wasn’t hard to watch you as a player. You made me look pretty good, but your development into a great teammate and a great leader was the key part. All Camels are proud of how you’ve taken your Conn experience and moved on to do amazing things and help so many people,” he said.

Shields then slyly noted that, since the dedication, Conn’s record stood at 2-0.

“I hope as we dedicate the ‘Franstand,’ the key is that it’s a momentum builder as we continue the transformation of athletics at Connecticut College. Go Camels!”