Stadium's storied history testament to its support
TROY - Si Burick put Troy Memorial Stadium in perspective during aradio broadcast of its September 1949 dedication.
'Troy is far ahead of us,' the Dayton Daily News sports editorsaid. 'With this stadium and the magnificent arena (Hobart Arena)over there, you have beaten Dayton to the punch.
'Maybe it will stimulate your neighbor down the pike a little.'
Troy had indeed beaten Dayton to the punch - by about two months.In November, Dayton would dedicate its own high school stadium, nowknown as Welcome Stadium.
But Troy could make a boast that Dayton, a city of 243,872 in1950, could not - it had room for virtually all of its 10,661residents in the 10,054-seat stadium.
Dedicated as a 'living memorial' to southern Miami County's warveterans, Memorial Stadium was one part of a push during the late1940s to improve the recreational program along Troy's stretch of theGreat Miami River.
In 1946, Edward A. and William Hobart of Hobart Brothers Co., thebusiness that gave Troy its reputation for welding, pledged to buildHobart Arena for $500,000 through the C.C. Hobart Foundation. Theydid so on one condition: that Troy residents approve a $450,000 bondissue to build Memorial Stadium and Miami Shores Golf Course.
Voter approval came in March 1947, and ground was broken for thestadium in October 1948.
The steel stadium was built by Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Co. for$151,800, with the city paying an additional $78,000 to enclose thestadium's home side and install plumbing, heating and electricity.Total construction costs amounted to about $230,000.
More than 50 years later, with the City Council's blessing,Auditor Craig Helmer this month expects to issue about $3 million inbonds to pay for a stadium overhaul.
It's the latest sign that Troy is serious about rejuvenatingrecreational landmarks on the river.
In November, Hobart Arena was rededicated following a $3.2 millionrenovation that lasted nearly five years. And the city is warming tothe idea of building two bridges to span the river and connect parkson the river's east side to Treasure Island. That potential projectcould breathe new life into the neglected Treasure Island park, whichwas developed by the Hobart family and Hobart Brothers Co. anddedicated in 1946.
STADIUM STEEPED IN HISTORY
Oscar 'Bus' Allen went to his first Troy football game in 1925 atage 6.
Unless he was 'awfully sick' or off serving his nation for fouryears during World War II, he's been at just about every one since,often watching his own sons and grandsons play football.
'I'll be going as long as I'm breathing,' said Allen, now 83.
He remembers when a new stadium that seated 2,300 was built in1937 on the river's north side, across the street from the futuresite of Memorial Stadium.
The community soon outgrew it.
'You could never get a seat over at the other stadium,' Allensaid.
Even the new Memorial Stadium proved to be none too big. On Sept.9, 1949, when Troy, Piqua, Sidney and Greenville played the firstfootball games in the new 10,000-seat stadium, the stands werereportedly packed before game time.
In 1954, Lou Juillerat jump-started Troy's football program. Theteam won 32 straight games, beginning with the 1955 season opener.Attendance figures responded. 'Everybody's likes a winner,' Allensaid.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Trojans continued turning outin force to watch future homegrown All-Americans Bob Ferguson and theTommy-Gunners, Tommy Myers and Tommy Vaughn, rise to gridiron stardombefore moving on to standout careers at Ohio State, Northwestern andIowa State, respectively.
In the early 1970s, they witnessed more undefeated seasonsfeaturing the likes of Gordon Bell and Randy Walker. Twenty playersfrom the 1971 team continued playing football in college, 15 of themat Division I schools.
More recent notable nights for Troy High School football includeSept. 18, 1998, when Ryan Brewer surpassed Ferguson's school recordfor career rushing yards.
Joe Wilson, statistician for Troy High School's football team,can't recall a bigger Memorial Stadium crowd than the one that showedup for the 1992 match between Troy and Piqua, whose rivalry dates to1899 and undergirds a strong football tradition at each school. Eachteam brought an undefeated record and a ranking in the Top 10 ofDivision I schools into that game, which Troy won, only to later loseto Piqua in tournament play.
An estimated 13,000 people turned out at Memorial Stadium for theTroy-Piqua game.
'They were three or four deep' around the fence, said Wilson, whohasn't missed a football game since 1968.
The stadium also made Troy a magnet for track meets, with thefirst one held at Memorial Stadium in 1950. The Troy Relays, thepredecessor of today's Troy Invitational, was first run at thestadium the following year.
'We laid that track out and modeled it on Ohio State,' said NorvinG. 'N.G.' Smith, who was track coach when the stadium was built. Thetrack was built with a 220-yard straight-away.
Beginning about 1970, the stadium also was one of the first in thearea to feature an all-weather track.
'We've had some great ones,' Herb Hartman, another longtime Troytrack coach, said of the athletes who have passed through thestadium.
INVESTING FOR THE FUTURE
Even without a storied past, it would have been hard to saygoodbye to Troy's 52-year-old stadium and put $3 million toward a newone.
After all, the city turned to the community in 1993 for $1.1million in donations for a partial renovation of Memorial Stadiumthat included moving the stands south 40 feet to accommodate aregulation-sized track.
'When you bring people to town, where do you go?' Mayor PeteJenkins said, then rattled off his answers to the question. Downtown.The stadium. The arena. The golf course.
'I just don't think Troy has ever been noted for letting thingsgo,' Jenkins said. 'We've always been known for keeping things up andlooking first-class.'
Jenkins said it didn't make much sense to try to wring another $3million from the private sector to pay for the improvements.
'You can't expect that to happen all the time,' he said. 'Sometimedown the road, you're going to have to pay the piper.'
Price comparisons were inevitable last year when Piqua High Schoolopened its new 8,200-seat, $3.2 million football stadium. Troyofficials have called such comparisons somewhat unfair. They pointout that, unlike Piqua's Alexander Stadium, Memorial Stadium is city-owned, not school-owned, and Troy must pay prevailing wage to fix itup.
Memorial Stadium's anticipated overhaul would include theconstruction of two air-conditioned satellite buildings that willflank the stadium's home stands and house locker rooms. The 6,520-square-foot building would house a multi-purpose meeting room, whilethe other satellite building would be 4,620 square feet.
The city would not pay for the multi-purpose room. Bart Denlinger,president of the Troy Football Parents Association, said financinghas been secured for the space, assuming bids are within budget.
Proposed remodeling beneath the home stands includes expandedconcession and spirit areas, men's and women's restrooms on both thewest and east ends, renovated storage areas, and new plumbing,heating and wiring. Other proposed improvements include a new pressbox and ramps for handicapped access.
Stan Kegley, the city's assistant engineer, said the city hopes toreceive final plans and specifications by the Fourth of July and havea new lease agreement with the Troy schools ready for review thismonth.
If all goes well, construction of the satellite buildings shouldbegin by September, with work under the home stands beginning afterthe fall sports season, Kegley said. The project should be completedby the summer of 2003.
Councilman Ted Mercer said he knew it was time for someimprovements when he heard talk of visiting teams showing up at thestadiums already dressed to play.
Too, the improvements will acknowledge the rise of soccer andwomen's sports and their presence at the stadium, Mercer said.
'We've got a stadium there that's an icon to the city, and weweren't going to keep it status quo.'
* Contact Ben Sutherly at 335-0509 or e-mail him atben_sutherly@coxohio.com
This is the second in an occasional series of articles aboutplanned or completed imrovements to several recreational landmarks inTroy's Great Miami River corridor. The first article, published inNovember 2001, reflected on Hobart Arena. the third article in theseries will focus on Treasure Island.
* NOTE: To view actual graphic please see microfilm.
