As many of you know, I've spent a lot of time researching high school football history in the state of Kentucky. One thing that always catches my eye is stadium names. Often they're named after the school or mascot, perhaps they have some type of corporate sponsor, but quite often it is named after a person. I've been involved with Garrard County in central Kentucky for many years and their stadium (Dyehouse Stadium) was named after former coach Coy Dyehouse, who played at old Lancaster High School and Western Kentucky University before returning to coach Lancaster High from 1947-60 and Garrard County High from 1966-68 before his untimely death at the end of the 1968 season.

My question is, who is your stadium named after and why? And if it isn't named, who do you think it should be named after?

 

Boyle's plays at Rebel Stadium on Ballard Robinson field.  Ballard Robinson was a school board member and long time PA announcer for the Rebels.  Perhaps the biggest supporter of the Rebels in their early days.  The stadium, in my opinion, should be name Chuck Smith Stadium.  But as of yet that hasn't happened.  

Tom Ellis Stadium at Holmes High School, Coach Ellis at one time was the AD, baseball coach, basketball coach and football coach, and that was all at the same time, Coach Ellis moved to Covington from the mountains of Ky and I believe started at Holmes in the middle 40s and coached until very late 60s.

Concerning Bowling Green High School, in 1970, after the Center Street campus was full without room for needed expansion, a new comprehensive high school building opened on Rockingham Lane, where the school just recently finished a $70- million renovation this school year.  In 1970, the football field shown in the aerial photo below was named El Donaldson Stadium after longtime Football Coach Elvis Smith Donaldson Sr.  He coached football at BG from 1944 to 1955 and was 63-49-9 over that stretch.  He coached basketball from 1944 to 1950 with a 92-50 record (interestingly he also coached the 1952-53 and 62-62 seasons likely due to not being able to find someone to do it).  He was from Russellville and coached football there before coming to BG.  He also coached track and was a long-time athletic director at BG.

The "El" was a classic one side only concrete structure that also had an elevated terrain on the visitor side across the way where some fans liked to bring their lawn chairs over there to watch the game.  It was demolished in 2020 to make way for the new Bowling Green High School Stadium, which is really nice with seating on both sides for the away fans to site near their team with a new press box, light system, new scoreboard with video, and new audio system.  It is currently known as Bowling Green High School Stadium and the photograph at the bottom shows the new field during the recent Kids Camp, which shows the new turf and the away bleachers in the background.

As far as what to name the new stadium, that's pretty tough for me to do, but 3 names stick out to me to be included in the conversation including:

- Monie Beard - The Beard family (multiple players through the years) and Monie in particular have given their time, talent and treasures to making BGHS and especially BGHS Football what it is today.  I personally know he helped multiple players for multiple years get gear they needed but couldn't afford.

- Gary Fields - A Union County Native and current, and only the 10th, Superintendent for BG Independent School District since 1893.  He had been a BGISD employee for 19 years when he was selected as superintendent in 2015.  He was principal at BGHS from 2002 to 2015.  Since 2015, he has been instrumental in driving the bus for BG to invest $70 million in their brand new school complex and the timing with the interest rates now looks genius!  And he has been intertwined with supporting BGHS Football the whole way.  Instrumental leader for BG.

- Kevin Wallace - long time Bowling Green Native who began his career at his alma Mater Warren East coaching football and baseball took an assistant coaching position at BG in 1996 and over a stellar 22-year career in purple and gold used previous coach Dan Haley's 1995 state championship (BGs first) and catapulted BG with 5 state titles with 3 more runner ups into the program it is today.  Probably my favorite Coach Wallace quote:

 “I mean, state championships are great, but the people part of everything is what I truly admire most about it.”  He lived that then and I think he still lives that today.

 

 

This is a little known fact, but CovCath's Dennis Griffin Stadium is named after the lead character of "Family Guy," Peter Griffin.  His name on the show is Dennis.  Bob Rowe is a MONSTER "Family Guy" fan, so he convinced the Boosters and Tony Bacigalupo to name the stadium after his favorite character of his favorite show.  They didn't want to be obvious, because who would, so they went with Peter Griffin's middle-name, Dennis.  @Colonels_Wear_Blueprobably has some other story, but that is the real version.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*None of that is true*

James “Shadetree” Mathews Stadium is the home of the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats. Named for the head coach of the Wildcats from 1975-1993. He led FS to 5 state championship games, winning back to back state titles in 1979 and 1980. 

Paris High School Greyhounds-

Blanton Long Collier (July 2, 1906 – March 22, 1983) was an American football head coach. Collier's Paris football team had an overall record of 73–50–10. He left Paris to join the Navy in 1943. He coached at the University of Kentucky between 1954 and 1961 and for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL) between 1963 and 1970. His 1964 Browns team won the NFL championship and remains the second-most recent Cleveland professional sports team to win a title.^[1]

The Covington Holy Cross football stadium is named after a bank - Republic Bank Field at Thomas More College.  The HC practice is named John Wysong field at the Eva G Farris Sports Complex.  Coach Wysong was the first coach of the Covington Holy Cross football team.

Here's an older thread on the same topic. 

 

Lincoln County’s field is named after Bill Ed Leedy, who was the schools first football coach from 1974-1978

Before consolidation, he coached the Stanford Wildcats from 1966-1973

On 8/29/2023 at 8:15 AM, BEChargers said:

Boyle's plays at Rebel Stadium on Ballard Robinson field.  Ballard Robinson was a school board member and long time PA announcer for the Rebels.  Perhaps the biggest supporter of the Rebels in their early days.  The stadium, in my opinion, should be name Chuck Smith Stadium.  But as of yet that hasn't happened.  

Chuck Smith?  You sure he's done enough? ?

Fr. Harry Jansing was our longtime AD and a major figure in putting Trinity on the map in the State of Kentucky...Buck Marshall owned Marshall Realty Company which sat adjacent to the Trinity land and he donated money and land to Trinity to be used

On 8/29/2023 at 2:52 PM, The Double Deuce said:

This is a little known fact, but CovCath's Dennis Griffin Stadium is named after the lead character of "Family Guy," Peter Griffin.  His name on the show is Dennis.  Bob Rowe is a MONSTER "Family Guy" fan, so he convinced the Boosters and Tony Bacigalupo to name the stadium after his favorite character of his favorite show.  They didn't want to be obvious, because who would, so they went with Peter Griffin's middle-name, Dennis.  @Colonels_Wear_Blueprobably has some other story, but that is the real version.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*None of that is true*

Well, Nahmie, it's a fairly well known fact among the faithful Cincinnati Bengals fans that during his 7 year stop in the Queen City as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, the seminal Ohio State running back and two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin grew to be notably tight-knit with the striped members of the Bengals offensive line, whose gladiator-like battles at the line of scrimmage enabled him to do all that he did once he was given the ol pigskin there.

Perhaps Archie's closest compatriot from the O-line, the four-time Pro Bowl guard-turned-restauranteur, Max Montoya, did in fact reside in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, immediately across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. And what some may not realize is that in the interest of staying out of the spotlight and avoiding crowds in the many watering holes of Cincinnati, Archie and Max, as well as their teammate Ray Griffin, younger brother to Archie, were occasionally known to be found sipping down a fine pint or two of suds at the Tom & Jerry Tavern, a delightful little establishment on Dixie Highway in Park Hills that some of the younger residents of Northern Kentucky may remember by the name of its it's later iteration, Blazer's Lounge.

There were occasions while imbibing and making light conversation at the tavern, that the three professional footballers brought up the peculiar situation of the football field tucked in next to Covington Catholic High School, whose driveway ran directly adjacent to Tom & Jerry's. Much to their surprise, the stadium stood without field lighting; a fact that quite befuddled the three. And it was there, while sitting and discussing their love for the great game of football, that the brothers Griffin did in fact pledge that whenever they had suitably established their finances to a satisfactory state, they would donate the funds necessary have lights installed at that field as an act of giving back to the game they so loved.

As it came to pass, both Griffin brothers moved on from the Bengals in subsequent years, and the discussion of the absent lights at Covington Catholic's stadium long faded from their memories. But it was years later, while on a return trip to Northern Kentucky to visit old friend Max, that Archie happened to drive past the high school. Remembering his fraternal pledge, Archie contacted his brother Ray, and not long after, the deal was struck and Covington Catholic High School's stadium renovation was underway, complete with lighting.

Upon being asked what they wished the stadium to be named, the brothers found themselves at odds trying to decide whose name would proceed the other on the marquee. So rather than creating potential for a rift between the two, they instead opted to give the name of their favorite childhood pet, a good old-fashioned family mutt named Dennis. And so now, any time the call to sport is made at 1600 Dixie Highway in Park Hills, sports fans will see the title Dennis Griffin Stadium atop the grandstand as they approach for Friday Night Lights.

....I'm also being COMPLETELY facetious.