BOILING SPRINGS – Facilities website StadiumJourney.com ranked Gardner-Webb's Ernest W. Spangler Stadium 18th in its rankings release Wednesday of 125 FCS stadiums nationally.

Spangler Stadium was originally built in 1966, but was upgraded and expanded considerably prior to the the start of the 2004 season. Coach Norman Harris Field was modernized significantly again in 2014 with the installation of state-of-the-art artificial turf and shock pad technology manufactured by APT.

New concessions areas and restroom facilities were added to the east side of the stadium prior to the start of the 2015 season.

Since head coach Carroll McCray's arrival in 2013, the stadium has hosted several notable wins – including eventual 2013 Southern Conference champion Furman (2013), No. 11 Richmond (2013), No. 12 Charleston Southern (2013), Wofford (2014), Charlotte (2014) and No. 15 Liberty (2015).

The 9,000-seat facility includes a well-equipped Gardner-Webb Football Center, which is home to a spacious weight room, meeting rooms, locker rooms and athletic training room on the first floor and coaches' offices on the second level.

The third-floor houses the Big South Network operations center, spacious main press box, booths for television and radio, the DVSport replay booth and the President's Box. The technology-heavy floor is popular among visitors and regular staff alike for its ease of use and excellent view of the action below.

The stadium has been rated among the most picturesque locations in the Carolinas for many years and drew high marks from StadiumJourney's staff for its atmosphere, concessions offerings, hospitality, fans and return on investment.

The site was also highly complimentary of the scenic Boiling Springs, N.C., campus – which has also added several high-quality facilities for students in the past few years.

The review of Spangler Stadium is available here. To view a complete ranking of all 125 FCS stadiums, visit this link.