Spartan Stadium
Content
SPARTAN STADIUM
SPARTAN STADIUM COMMEMORATIVE EDITION
A new
beginning
Rebuilt, renamed Spartan
Stadium ready for future
The Lima News
SECTION Sunday,
G
Aug. 24, 2014
Sunday, February
Section23,G2014
New stadium ready for unveiling / 2G
Great players, games played here / 3G
Project photos from start to finish / 4G
SPARTAN STADIUM
2E Sunday, August 24, 2014
limaohio.com
‘Not a bad seat in the house’
THE LIMA NEWS
SPARTAN
STADIUM, BY
THE NUMBERS
2,001,714.23
Total cost of the Spartan
Stadium project
247,466
Amount of money in donations
Lima schools received in 2009 for
the east-side bleachers
76,000
Cost to build Lima Stadium
back in 1936
Craig J. Orosz
5,499
Spartan Stadium, a $2 million renovation project, opens for this football season. The totally rebuilt structure replaces the 78-year-old Lima
Stadium on the same site along the Ottawa River.
Square footage of the west-side
concession and restrooms
Renovated Spartan Stadium opens today
By Kelly Doran
room.
“When you go through a facility
like that compared to what you’ve
LIMA — When school officials
had in the past, for me, for these
heard test results saying Lima
kids, it was an overwhelming feeling
schools would have to reduce loads
of excitement that our kids, who are
in the west-side stands of Lima
already very proud of themselves,
Stadium, Randall Crossley said they now have this wonderful facility,”
knew it was time to renovate.
said Jill Ackerman, Lima schools
The district-owned stadium
superintendent.
had been monitored for years
The seating in the stadium is
and engineering core testing was
much more convenient, Ackerman
done on the stadium every five
said. The steps are wider, and the
years, according to
view is better. The
Crossley, supervisor
stadium is much easier
of plant operations
for people who are
“It’s kind of
with Lima schools.
handicapped, as well.
like that feeling
The east side had the
“There’s not a bad
same problems, but it
seat in the house,”
when you went
deteriorated at a faster
Crossley said.
from an old
rate than the west side,
The new stadium,
school to a brand along with other efforts
Crossley said.
The district will
to increase school
new structure.
dedicate its newly
pride, is displayed in
Our kids deserve the students, Ackerman
renovated $2 million
Spartan Stadium at 2
nice stuff, and
is finding. She has
p.m. today, opening it
been very moved by
it’s just going to
up to the public with
incidents of school
be really great.”
tours from 2 to 4 p.m.
pride by the students.
Crossley said but
The school’s efforts to
— Jill Ackerman,
there is a different
increase school pride
Lima schools
configuration to the
are why the board of
superintendent
new stadium and, of
education voted to
course, everything is
change the name to
newly renovated.
Spartan Stadium, she
One obvious improvement is there said.
are a lot more toilets, Crossley said.
The school was able to fund most
“I don’t think you’ll have to wait in of this project because it financed
line now,” he joked.
it, according to Ryan Stechschulte,
Another is that buses will be
Lima Schools’ treasurer. The district
directed to the north parking lot
had some money left over from its
now, which is directly behind the
building project that began in 2001,
locker room. Team parking will be
and it could pay for part of the eastseparate from fan parking, Crossley
side renovations with donations.
said. The locker rooms are also
The total cost for the stadium is
bigger, with 72 lockers in each locker $2,001,714.23.
[email protected]
4,600
The school will seek sponsorships
for various buildings or facilities
in the stadium, according to
Stechschulte.
“It’s kind of like that feeling when
you went from an old school to
a brand new structure. Our kids
deserve nice stuff, and it’s just going
to be really great,” Ackerman said.
Number of seats in the stadium,
including bleachers on the field
4,200
Square footage of the locker rooms
and the official’s room building
Reach Kelly Doran at 419-993-2093 or
on Twitter @kdoranlima.
1,820
Square footage of the east-side
concession and restrooms
IF YOU GO
144
What: Spartan Stadium
dedication
Number of lockers in the
two locker rooms
When: 2 to 4 p.m. today
Where:
Spartan Stadium,
Bellefontaine Avenue, Lima
77
Number of toilets,
including urinals
Highlights:
•Tours available with fall
athletes and coaches.
•New concession
stands open.
•New DECA Spirit
Shack open to purchase
Spartan gear.
•Kids can play catch with
Lima Senior football players
on the field.
•Spartan cheerleaders
will teach children cheers.
•Sparty, Lima Senior’s
mascot, will mingle
with guests.
•Chance to win prizes.
10
Number of shower heads
7
Number of restrooms, including
a family restroom
5
Number of contractors that were
employed for the project
CONTRACTORS ON SPARTAN STADIUM PROJECT
Hume Supply
Lima, Ohio
Demolition and
pad installation
$271,967.82
GT Grandstands
Plant City, Florida
Bleachers
$369,500.00
Heyne Construction
Hume Supply
Minster, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Locker Rooms, conces- West concession and
sion stands/restroom,
restroom
north parking lot:
$457,306.41
$734,200.00
Musco Lighting
Oskaloosa, Iowa
Field Lighting
$105,540.00
Core Engineering
Spencerville, Ohio
Engineering
$63,200.00
Courtesy of Lima schools
’
Don Johnsons
Florist & Bridal
800-686-4597
447 N. Elizabeth Street | Lima, OH 45801
ALL
Congratulations!
LocAted in
one pLAce!
www.macc.net
Industrial • Commercial • Institutional
1707 N. West St.
Ft. Wayne • Columbus • Findlay • Lima
West Carrollton • Lexington, KY
Lima
419-227-5110
40639522
40639530
THE LIMA NEWS limaohio.com
Spartan STADIUM
Sunday, August 24, 2014 3E
Generations
of
memories
Stadium saw some of
region’s best players, games
Seventy-eight years before it was
reborn with a new appearance and a
new name, Lima Stadium was created
using a combination of funds from a
Great Depression-era agency, the Works
Progress Administration, and local
money.
The old concrete stadium cost
nearly $76,000 to build in 1936. For
that amount, Lima and
the surrounding area got
priceless memories in
nine decades.
In its lifetime, the original Lima Stadium was
the football home of Lima
Senior, Lima Central
Jim
Catholic, Lima South,
Naveau
Lima Central, St. Rose
Staff
and was the site of many
Columnist
high school playoff games.
It also was home to
soccer, track and graduations over the
years.
The biggest games drew nearly
10,000 people to a stadium whose
listed capacity was closer to 6,000.
Countless NFL and NCAA Division
I players came into Lima Stadium as
high school players.
The first home-grown NFL standout
was Bill Lange, a 1946 St. Rose High
School graduate who played six years
in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams,
Baltimore Colts and Chicago Cardinals.
Lima South graduate Joe Morrison
played 14 years for the New York
Giants from 1959-72.
Lima Senior’s Mike Current was a
13-year pro from 1967-1979 for the
Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and
Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Spartans’ William White had an
11-year NFL career with the Detroit
Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta
Falcons from 1988-1998. William
Howard played two seasons with
Tampa Bay in 1988 and 1989.
Lima Central Catholic’s Jim Lynch
had an 11-year career with the Kansas
City Chiefs and started on their Super
Bowl-winning team in 1970.
The list of visiting players who went
on to the NFL includes names like Cris
Carter, Keith Byars, Dan “Big Daddy”
Wilkinson, Bob Hoying, Jeff Hartings,
Zac Dysert, Brandon Saine and Quinn
Pitcock.
Gary Moeller, who was head coach
at Illinois, Michigan and the Detroit
Lions, played there for Lima Senior.
Jim Young, who was head coach at
Arizona, Purdue and Army, coached
there when he was at Shawnee, as did
Larry Smith, who later became head
coach at Tulane, Arizona, USC and
Missouri.
Lima’s first team to reach the state
playoffs, the 1973 LCC team, played
there. So did teams such as Delphos St.
John’s, Marion Local and many others
on their way to state championships.
The dedication game for the stadium
was on Thanksgiving Day in 1936
when South defeated Central 12-6 in
their annual cross-town rivalry.
That rivalry burned brightly until
the two schools consolidated into Lima
Senior in 1955.
It probably was never brighter than
in 1946 when Central completed a
perfect season with a 32-0 win over its
rival in front of 9,500 fans, who packed
the grandstand seats and the temporary
bleachers that were set up for the game.
Another game that filled the old
stadium beyond capacity was when
Cincinnati Moeller came to town to
play Lima Senior in 1984.
At the time, Moeller was the biggest
name in high school football and had
won 108 out of its last 111 games. The
Crusaders beat Lima Senior 28-7, but
it was still an electric atmosphere on a
Saturday night.
If South-Central was the stadium’s
greatest rivalry, Lima Senior against
Middletown and Lima Senior against
Cincinnati Princeton weren’t far
behind.
The first Lima Senior win over
Princeton came in 1977 when the
Spartans won 15-13 in Lima Stadium.
Maybe the most important win ever
against Princeton at Lima Stadium was
a 21-14 victory in 1996, the year Lima
Senior won the Division I state championship.
It came one week after the Spartans’
only loss of the season at Massillon and
set their course for the rest of the year.
Without that win, there might not have
been a state championship.
Lima Senior-Middletown games
could be memorable whoever won.
In 1983, Middletown came into Lima
Stadium unbeaten and ranked No. 3
in the state. Lima Senior had only one
loss. The Spartans had William White,
and the Middies were led by Cris
Carter. Both were being recruited heavily by Ohio State.
Later they would become teammates,
roommates and close friends. That
night, they were rivals.
Carter got the best of things on the
scoreboard with a 28-7 win, but White
got the better of Carter on an 84-yard
touchdown run, the last 40 yards with
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
the Middletown star a step behind him.
Doug Koenig, of Lima, takes a photograph of his wife, Janis, in February outside Lima Stadium before
For 78 years, plays like that and more demolition began on the west grandstand. Janis’ father was an electrician for the school district and
brought fans to their feet.
was the person who turned on the lights before each game.
But it wasn’t just future pros who created memories.
Plays like one from 1961, when
LCC’s Bill Murphy was playing quarterback for the first time after taking over
for the injured starter, still resonate.
On his first snap in the home opener,
Murphy ran 68 yards for a touchdown
on a play on which seven Shawnee
defenders missed him on his way to the
end zone.
The stadium also taught the fans to
expect the unexpected sometimes. Like
the night in the 1980s when the sky
diver delivering the game ball was just
a bit off target and ended up landing on
the roof of a shed east of the stadium
and was trapped there when he broke
through the shingles up to his shins.
Unlike the sky diver, Lima Stadium
had a soft landing. Unlike older, more
famous stadiums such as Tiger Stadium
and Crosley Field, its site didn’t fall
into disuse.
The concrete façade is gone.
Bleachers have replaced the west
grandstand, following the east grandstand, which came down after the 2007
season.
But the memories remain. And the
new version of the stadium, recently
named Spartan Stadium, waits for its
own memories to be made.
Reach Jim Naveau at 419-993-2087 or on Twitter
@Lima_Naveau.
Lima Central Catholic
High School,
The new Lima
Stadium includes a
new press box and
bleachers to go along
with the field turf that
was replaced several
years ago.
Craig J. Orosz |
The Lima News
with a proud tradition of
football in Lima since 1956,
looks forward to another
winning season in the
newly renovated Stadium!
40639832
Spartan STADIUM
4E Sunday, August 24, 2014
limaohio.com
THE LIMA NEWS
Spartan Stadium, from start to finish
Feb. 27: Crews work to demolish the west grandstands of Lima Stadium, the last remaining portion of the original 1936 structure.
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
June 30: Crews work on a concession stand behind the bleachers at the stadium.
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
July 30: The completed west grandstands at Spartan Stadium include a new press box and good sight
lines for the home fans.
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
40639978
May 21: Joshua Ebig, an employee from Stadium Solutions in Cabot, Pennsylvania, places sub-steps
on the new west grandstands of the stadium. A total of 126 steps were installed.
THE LIMA NEWS limaohio.com
SPARTAN STADIUM
Sunday, August 24, 2014 5E
History in the making
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
The west grandstands of the former Lima Stadium stood along with Ottawa River in Lima for 78 years. The concrete structure was built through the Works Progress Administration during the Depression.
It was on the National Register of Historic Places.
Stadium’s 1936 opening unveiled Depression-era project
relief director, have been drawn from
relief rolls to work out weekly on the
project. The work is being supervised
More than 4,000 people came out on by the F.E.R.A. engineering staff.”
that cold, sunny Thanksgiving morning
The Federal Emergency Relief
to watch South defeat Central 12-6 on
Administration’s goal was alleviating
an interception by Paul Hudson with
unemployment by creating unskilled
only three minutes left to play. But the
jobs in local and state government.
real star of that game in 1936 was the
FERA and its successor, the Works
stadium.
Progress Administration, worked in
In November 1936 the Lima News
conjunction with the Lima board of edutouted fruit cake as the perfect holication to construct the stadium.
day gift, President Franklin Delano
On Nov. 25, 1936, the Lima News
Roosevelt was re-elected and one of
described the stadium as “completely
Wallis Simpson’s ex-husbands couldn’t
modern with permanent stands capable
think of anything bad to say about the
of comfortably seating 6,000 spectawoman who would shake up the British tors.” Those stands, the News assured
monarchy.
its readers, had been deemed “perfectly
And the dedication game between
constructed and 100 percent safe” by
South and Central – the 18th in the
government engineers and inspectors
series and the first game ever played at before the stadium was turned over to
Lima Stadium – was front-page news.
the Lima school district by WPA offiThe previous week, Central, 3-4-1 that
cials.
year, defeated Bluffton in the last game
“Lying between East Market and East
played at College Field near Horace
High streets bounded on the west by
Mann School. South, 7-2, won at Van
the Ottawa River and east by Calumet
Wert.
Street, the elaborate new Lima Stadium
Work on Lima Stadium began in the
was built at a cost of $76,000,” the
summer of 1934. On Nov. 4 of that year, News reported. “The pillars rest on
with cold weather closing in, The Lima solid rock and hard pan, some as deep
News wrote, “With more than 18,700
as 18 feet below the surface.”
cubic yards of dirt cut and filled on
The story quoted the stadium’s
Lima’s new recreation field near Lincoln architects, Thomas D. McLaughlin and
Park, preliminary work of grading,
Associates, as saying they used 1,700
leveling and draining the 11-acre tract
cubic yards of concrete in creating the
fronting the Ottawa River on East High two stands.
Street is drawing to a close.”
“Original general contractor for the
The field, according to the News, “is
stadium was let to Green and Sawyer,
being constructed on the site of a forof Lima, for $62,170, although addimer dump.”
tional work to the amount of $2,685
The story added that “62 men,
was authorized which increased the
according to J.C. Timberlake, county
aggregate cost to $64,865,” the story
[email protected]
On Nov. 25, 1936, the Lima
News described the stadium
as “completely modern with
permanent stands capable of
comfortably seating 6,000
spectators.” Those stands,
the News assured its readers,
had been deemed “perfectly
constructed and 100 percent safe”
by government engineers and
inspectors before the stadium was
turned over to the Lima school
district by WPA officials.
continued. “Land purchases totaled
approximately $12,000.”
WPA labor was used to construct
shuffleboard and tennis courts, build
fences and other incidental work,
according to the News. “Of the actual
cost of constructing the buildings, the
board of Education paid 55 percent, or
$35,670, while the P.W.A. (the Public
Works Administration, a New Deal
agency created to fund large public projects) provided the remaining 45 percent
of the money.”
For the 1937 season, the News reported, “Officials plan to install lights for
night games.”
South and Central would meet at
Lima Stadium until 1954. In 1955
the schools combined to form Lima
Senior. St. Rose and, later, Lima Central
Catholic also would call Lima Stadium
home.
In April 2002, school officials were
notified that efforts to place the Lima
Stadium on the National Register
of Historic Places were successful.
Nathalie Wright, who was Ohio’s
National Register coordinator in 2002,
said that despite changes made to the
stadium since 1936, the National Park
Service, which administers the National
Register program, apparently did not
feel those changes hurt the structure’s
historic character.
Time caught up with the stadium in
2010 when the crumbling east stands,
which had held the cheering South
fans during that first game in 1936,
were torn down and replaced with steel
stands. They had been closed for several years. The west stands were demolished and replaced earlier this year.
JEANNE
BioLife donor
RECEIVE UP TO
BE A LIFESAVER
AT BIOLIFE.
It doesn’t matter who you are or
what you do, your plasma
donation has the potential to save
countless lives.
$360
IN AUGUST!
VISIT BIOLIFEPLASMA.COM TO
LEARN MORE AND SCHEDULE
YOUR DONATION.
4299 Elida Rd • Lima, OH 45807
419.224.0117
All BioLife donor eligibility criteria must be met to protect the donor’s
health and product safety.
NEW DONORS OR DONORS WHO HAVEN’T
DONATED IN FIVE MONTHS OR MORE, PRESENT
THIS COUPON AND RECEIVE $250 IN JUST FOUR
DONATIONS.
$250
Must present this coupon prior to the initial donation to
receive a total of $50 on your first, a total of $75 on your
second, a total of $50 on your third, and a total of $75
on your fourth successful donation. Initial donation
must be completed by 8.31.14 and subsequent
donations within 30 days. Coupon redeemable only
upon completing successful donations.
May not be combined with any other offer.
Only at participating locations.
40639141
By Greg Hoersten
SPARTAN STADIUM
6E Sunday, August 24, 2014
limaohio.com
THE LIMA NEWS
#1 For All Your Checking Needs
Good luck
to all area high
school football
teams this
upcoming
season!
1. No minimum balance.
2. No monthly fees.
3. Unlimited check writing.
4. Free high school spirit ATM/debit card
PLUS first box of high school spirit checks.
Act now to get your favorite high school
VISA debit card - only at Superior!
5. Free online and mobile banking,
including remote check deposit.
Lima • Delphos • Ottawa • Wapakoneta • St. Marys • Kenton
SuperiorFCU.com
Phone: 419.223.9746
THE LIMA NEWS
Upickem
#1 For
All YourSchool
Checking Needs
High
Football Contest
Good luck
to all area high
school football
teams this
upcoming
season!
Contest Starts
Monday-August 25th
1. No minimum balance.
FOR CONTEST DETAILS . . .
4. Free high school spirit ATM/debit card
PICK UP THE LIMA NEWS ON
PLUS first box of high school spirit checks.
MONDAY
OR GO TO
5. Free online and mobile
banking,
including remote check deposit.
LIMAOHIO.COM
2. No monthly fees.
3. Unlimited check writing.
Act now to get your favorite high school
VISA debit card - only at Superior!
SuperiorFCU.com
Lima • Delphos • Ottawa • Wapakoneta • St. Marys • Kenton
Phone: 419.223.9746
40629538
SPARTAN STADIUM COMMEMORATIVE EDITION
A new
beginning
Rebuilt, renamed Spartan
Stadium ready for future
The Lima News
SECTION Sunday,
G
Aug. 24, 2014
Sunday, February
Section23,G2014
New stadium ready for unveiling / 2G
Great players, games played here / 3G
Project photos from start to finish / 4G
SPARTAN STADIUM
2E Sunday, August 24, 2014
limaohio.com
‘Not a bad seat in the house’
THE LIMA NEWS
SPARTAN
STADIUM, BY
THE NUMBERS
2,001,714.23
Total cost of the Spartan
Stadium project
247,466
Amount of money in donations
Lima schools received in 2009 for
the east-side bleachers
76,000
Cost to build Lima Stadium
back in 1936
Craig J. Orosz
5,499
Spartan Stadium, a $2 million renovation project, opens for this football season. The totally rebuilt structure replaces the 78-year-old Lima
Stadium on the same site along the Ottawa River.
Square footage of the west-side
concession and restrooms
Renovated Spartan Stadium opens today
By Kelly Doran
room.
“When you go through a facility
like that compared to what you’ve
LIMA — When school officials
had in the past, for me, for these
heard test results saying Lima
kids, it was an overwhelming feeling
schools would have to reduce loads
of excitement that our kids, who are
in the west-side stands of Lima
already very proud of themselves,
Stadium, Randall Crossley said they now have this wonderful facility,”
knew it was time to renovate.
said Jill Ackerman, Lima schools
The district-owned stadium
superintendent.
had been monitored for years
The seating in the stadium is
and engineering core testing was
much more convenient, Ackerman
done on the stadium every five
said. The steps are wider, and the
years, according to
view is better. The
Crossley, supervisor
stadium is much easier
of plant operations
for people who are
“It’s kind of
with Lima schools.
handicapped, as well.
like that feeling
The east side had the
“There’s not a bad
same problems, but it
seat in the house,”
when you went
deteriorated at a faster
Crossley said.
from an old
rate than the west side,
The new stadium,
school to a brand along with other efforts
Crossley said.
The district will
to increase school
new structure.
dedicate its newly
pride, is displayed in
Our kids deserve the students, Ackerman
renovated $2 million
Spartan Stadium at 2
nice stuff, and
is finding. She has
p.m. today, opening it
been very moved by
it’s just going to
up to the public with
incidents of school
be really great.”
tours from 2 to 4 p.m.
pride by the students.
Crossley said but
The school’s efforts to
— Jill Ackerman,
there is a different
increase school pride
Lima schools
configuration to the
are why the board of
superintendent
new stadium and, of
education voted to
course, everything is
change the name to
newly renovated.
Spartan Stadium, she
One obvious improvement is there said.
are a lot more toilets, Crossley said.
The school was able to fund most
“I don’t think you’ll have to wait in of this project because it financed
line now,” he joked.
it, according to Ryan Stechschulte,
Another is that buses will be
Lima Schools’ treasurer. The district
directed to the north parking lot
had some money left over from its
now, which is directly behind the
building project that began in 2001,
locker room. Team parking will be
and it could pay for part of the eastseparate from fan parking, Crossley
side renovations with donations.
said. The locker rooms are also
The total cost for the stadium is
bigger, with 72 lockers in each locker $2,001,714.23.
[email protected]
4,600
The school will seek sponsorships
for various buildings or facilities
in the stadium, according to
Stechschulte.
“It’s kind of like that feeling when
you went from an old school to
a brand new structure. Our kids
deserve nice stuff, and it’s just going
to be really great,” Ackerman said.
Number of seats in the stadium,
including bleachers on the field
4,200
Square footage of the locker rooms
and the official’s room building
Reach Kelly Doran at 419-993-2093 or
on Twitter @kdoranlima.
1,820
Square footage of the east-side
concession and restrooms
IF YOU GO
144
What: Spartan Stadium
dedication
Number of lockers in the
two locker rooms
When: 2 to 4 p.m. today
Where:
Spartan Stadium,
Bellefontaine Avenue, Lima
77
Number of toilets,
including urinals
Highlights:
•Tours available with fall
athletes and coaches.
•New concession
stands open.
•New DECA Spirit
Shack open to purchase
Spartan gear.
•Kids can play catch with
Lima Senior football players
on the field.
•Spartan cheerleaders
will teach children cheers.
•Sparty, Lima Senior’s
mascot, will mingle
with guests.
•Chance to win prizes.
10
Number of shower heads
7
Number of restrooms, including
a family restroom
5
Number of contractors that were
employed for the project
CONTRACTORS ON SPARTAN STADIUM PROJECT
Hume Supply
Lima, Ohio
Demolition and
pad installation
$271,967.82
GT Grandstands
Plant City, Florida
Bleachers
$369,500.00
Heyne Construction
Hume Supply
Minster, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Locker Rooms, conces- West concession and
sion stands/restroom,
restroom
north parking lot:
$457,306.41
$734,200.00
Musco Lighting
Oskaloosa, Iowa
Field Lighting
$105,540.00
Core Engineering
Spencerville, Ohio
Engineering
$63,200.00
Courtesy of Lima schools
’
Don Johnsons
Florist & Bridal
800-686-4597
447 N. Elizabeth Street | Lima, OH 45801
ALL
Congratulations!
LocAted in
one pLAce!
www.macc.net
Industrial • Commercial • Institutional
1707 N. West St.
Ft. Wayne • Columbus • Findlay • Lima
West Carrollton • Lexington, KY
Lima
419-227-5110
40639522
40639530
THE LIMA NEWS limaohio.com
Spartan STADIUM
Sunday, August 24, 2014 3E
Generations
of
memories
Stadium saw some of
region’s best players, games
Seventy-eight years before it was
reborn with a new appearance and a
new name, Lima Stadium was created
using a combination of funds from a
Great Depression-era agency, the Works
Progress Administration, and local
money.
The old concrete stadium cost
nearly $76,000 to build in 1936. For
that amount, Lima and
the surrounding area got
priceless memories in
nine decades.
In its lifetime, the original Lima Stadium was
the football home of Lima
Senior, Lima Central
Jim
Catholic, Lima South,
Naveau
Lima Central, St. Rose
Staff
and was the site of many
Columnist
high school playoff games.
It also was home to
soccer, track and graduations over the
years.
The biggest games drew nearly
10,000 people to a stadium whose
listed capacity was closer to 6,000.
Countless NFL and NCAA Division
I players came into Lima Stadium as
high school players.
The first home-grown NFL standout
was Bill Lange, a 1946 St. Rose High
School graduate who played six years
in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams,
Baltimore Colts and Chicago Cardinals.
Lima South graduate Joe Morrison
played 14 years for the New York
Giants from 1959-72.
Lima Senior’s Mike Current was a
13-year pro from 1967-1979 for the
Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and
Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Spartans’ William White had an
11-year NFL career with the Detroit
Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta
Falcons from 1988-1998. William
Howard played two seasons with
Tampa Bay in 1988 and 1989.
Lima Central Catholic’s Jim Lynch
had an 11-year career with the Kansas
City Chiefs and started on their Super
Bowl-winning team in 1970.
The list of visiting players who went
on to the NFL includes names like Cris
Carter, Keith Byars, Dan “Big Daddy”
Wilkinson, Bob Hoying, Jeff Hartings,
Zac Dysert, Brandon Saine and Quinn
Pitcock.
Gary Moeller, who was head coach
at Illinois, Michigan and the Detroit
Lions, played there for Lima Senior.
Jim Young, who was head coach at
Arizona, Purdue and Army, coached
there when he was at Shawnee, as did
Larry Smith, who later became head
coach at Tulane, Arizona, USC and
Missouri.
Lima’s first team to reach the state
playoffs, the 1973 LCC team, played
there. So did teams such as Delphos St.
John’s, Marion Local and many others
on their way to state championships.
The dedication game for the stadium
was on Thanksgiving Day in 1936
when South defeated Central 12-6 in
their annual cross-town rivalry.
That rivalry burned brightly until
the two schools consolidated into Lima
Senior in 1955.
It probably was never brighter than
in 1946 when Central completed a
perfect season with a 32-0 win over its
rival in front of 9,500 fans, who packed
the grandstand seats and the temporary
bleachers that were set up for the game.
Another game that filled the old
stadium beyond capacity was when
Cincinnati Moeller came to town to
play Lima Senior in 1984.
At the time, Moeller was the biggest
name in high school football and had
won 108 out of its last 111 games. The
Crusaders beat Lima Senior 28-7, but
it was still an electric atmosphere on a
Saturday night.
If South-Central was the stadium’s
greatest rivalry, Lima Senior against
Middletown and Lima Senior against
Cincinnati Princeton weren’t far
behind.
The first Lima Senior win over
Princeton came in 1977 when the
Spartans won 15-13 in Lima Stadium.
Maybe the most important win ever
against Princeton at Lima Stadium was
a 21-14 victory in 1996, the year Lima
Senior won the Division I state championship.
It came one week after the Spartans’
only loss of the season at Massillon and
set their course for the rest of the year.
Without that win, there might not have
been a state championship.
Lima Senior-Middletown games
could be memorable whoever won.
In 1983, Middletown came into Lima
Stadium unbeaten and ranked No. 3
in the state. Lima Senior had only one
loss. The Spartans had William White,
and the Middies were led by Cris
Carter. Both were being recruited heavily by Ohio State.
Later they would become teammates,
roommates and close friends. That
night, they were rivals.
Carter got the best of things on the
scoreboard with a 28-7 win, but White
got the better of Carter on an 84-yard
touchdown run, the last 40 yards with
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
the Middletown star a step behind him.
Doug Koenig, of Lima, takes a photograph of his wife, Janis, in February outside Lima Stadium before
For 78 years, plays like that and more demolition began on the west grandstand. Janis’ father was an electrician for the school district and
brought fans to their feet.
was the person who turned on the lights before each game.
But it wasn’t just future pros who created memories.
Plays like one from 1961, when
LCC’s Bill Murphy was playing quarterback for the first time after taking over
for the injured starter, still resonate.
On his first snap in the home opener,
Murphy ran 68 yards for a touchdown
on a play on which seven Shawnee
defenders missed him on his way to the
end zone.
The stadium also taught the fans to
expect the unexpected sometimes. Like
the night in the 1980s when the sky
diver delivering the game ball was just
a bit off target and ended up landing on
the roof of a shed east of the stadium
and was trapped there when he broke
through the shingles up to his shins.
Unlike the sky diver, Lima Stadium
had a soft landing. Unlike older, more
famous stadiums such as Tiger Stadium
and Crosley Field, its site didn’t fall
into disuse.
The concrete façade is gone.
Bleachers have replaced the west
grandstand, following the east grandstand, which came down after the 2007
season.
But the memories remain. And the
new version of the stadium, recently
named Spartan Stadium, waits for its
own memories to be made.
Reach Jim Naveau at 419-993-2087 or on Twitter
@Lima_Naveau.
Lima Central Catholic
High School,
The new Lima
Stadium includes a
new press box and
bleachers to go along
with the field turf that
was replaced several
years ago.
Craig J. Orosz |
The Lima News
with a proud tradition of
football in Lima since 1956,
looks forward to another
winning season in the
newly renovated Stadium!
40639832
Spartan STADIUM
4E Sunday, August 24, 2014
limaohio.com
THE LIMA NEWS
Spartan Stadium, from start to finish
Feb. 27: Crews work to demolish the west grandstands of Lima Stadium, the last remaining portion of the original 1936 structure.
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
June 30: Crews work on a concession stand behind the bleachers at the stadium.
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
July 30: The completed west grandstands at Spartan Stadium include a new press box and good sight
lines for the home fans.
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
40639978
May 21: Joshua Ebig, an employee from Stadium Solutions in Cabot, Pennsylvania, places sub-steps
on the new west grandstands of the stadium. A total of 126 steps were installed.
THE LIMA NEWS limaohio.com
SPARTAN STADIUM
Sunday, August 24, 2014 5E
History in the making
Craig J. Orosz | The Lima News
The west grandstands of the former Lima Stadium stood along with Ottawa River in Lima for 78 years. The concrete structure was built through the Works Progress Administration during the Depression.
It was on the National Register of Historic Places.
Stadium’s 1936 opening unveiled Depression-era project
relief director, have been drawn from
relief rolls to work out weekly on the
project. The work is being supervised
More than 4,000 people came out on by the F.E.R.A. engineering staff.”
that cold, sunny Thanksgiving morning
The Federal Emergency Relief
to watch South defeat Central 12-6 on
Administration’s goal was alleviating
an interception by Paul Hudson with
unemployment by creating unskilled
only three minutes left to play. But the
jobs in local and state government.
real star of that game in 1936 was the
FERA and its successor, the Works
stadium.
Progress Administration, worked in
In November 1936 the Lima News
conjunction with the Lima board of edutouted fruit cake as the perfect holication to construct the stadium.
day gift, President Franklin Delano
On Nov. 25, 1936, the Lima News
Roosevelt was re-elected and one of
described the stadium as “completely
Wallis Simpson’s ex-husbands couldn’t
modern with permanent stands capable
think of anything bad to say about the
of comfortably seating 6,000 spectawoman who would shake up the British tors.” Those stands, the News assured
monarchy.
its readers, had been deemed “perfectly
And the dedication game between
constructed and 100 percent safe” by
South and Central – the 18th in the
government engineers and inspectors
series and the first game ever played at before the stadium was turned over to
Lima Stadium – was front-page news.
the Lima school district by WPA offiThe previous week, Central, 3-4-1 that
cials.
year, defeated Bluffton in the last game
“Lying between East Market and East
played at College Field near Horace
High streets bounded on the west by
Mann School. South, 7-2, won at Van
the Ottawa River and east by Calumet
Wert.
Street, the elaborate new Lima Stadium
Work on Lima Stadium began in the
was built at a cost of $76,000,” the
summer of 1934. On Nov. 4 of that year, News reported. “The pillars rest on
with cold weather closing in, The Lima solid rock and hard pan, some as deep
News wrote, “With more than 18,700
as 18 feet below the surface.”
cubic yards of dirt cut and filled on
The story quoted the stadium’s
Lima’s new recreation field near Lincoln architects, Thomas D. McLaughlin and
Park, preliminary work of grading,
Associates, as saying they used 1,700
leveling and draining the 11-acre tract
cubic yards of concrete in creating the
fronting the Ottawa River on East High two stands.
Street is drawing to a close.”
“Original general contractor for the
The field, according to the News, “is
stadium was let to Green and Sawyer,
being constructed on the site of a forof Lima, for $62,170, although addimer dump.”
tional work to the amount of $2,685
The story added that “62 men,
was authorized which increased the
according to J.C. Timberlake, county
aggregate cost to $64,865,” the story
[email protected]
On Nov. 25, 1936, the Lima
News described the stadium
as “completely modern with
permanent stands capable of
comfortably seating 6,000
spectators.” Those stands,
the News assured its readers,
had been deemed “perfectly
constructed and 100 percent safe”
by government engineers and
inspectors before the stadium was
turned over to the Lima school
district by WPA officials.
continued. “Land purchases totaled
approximately $12,000.”
WPA labor was used to construct
shuffleboard and tennis courts, build
fences and other incidental work,
according to the News. “Of the actual
cost of constructing the buildings, the
board of Education paid 55 percent, or
$35,670, while the P.W.A. (the Public
Works Administration, a New Deal
agency created to fund large public projects) provided the remaining 45 percent
of the money.”
For the 1937 season, the News reported, “Officials plan to install lights for
night games.”
South and Central would meet at
Lima Stadium until 1954. In 1955
the schools combined to form Lima
Senior. St. Rose and, later, Lima Central
Catholic also would call Lima Stadium
home.
In April 2002, school officials were
notified that efforts to place the Lima
Stadium on the National Register
of Historic Places were successful.
Nathalie Wright, who was Ohio’s
National Register coordinator in 2002,
said that despite changes made to the
stadium since 1936, the National Park
Service, which administers the National
Register program, apparently did not
feel those changes hurt the structure’s
historic character.
Time caught up with the stadium in
2010 when the crumbling east stands,
which had held the cheering South
fans during that first game in 1936,
were torn down and replaced with steel
stands. They had been closed for several years. The west stands were demolished and replaced earlier this year.
JEANNE
BioLife donor
RECEIVE UP TO
BE A LIFESAVER
AT BIOLIFE.
It doesn’t matter who you are or
what you do, your plasma
donation has the potential to save
countless lives.
$360
IN AUGUST!
VISIT BIOLIFEPLASMA.COM TO
LEARN MORE AND SCHEDULE
YOUR DONATION.
4299 Elida Rd • Lima, OH 45807
419.224.0117
All BioLife donor eligibility criteria must be met to protect the donor’s
health and product safety.
NEW DONORS OR DONORS WHO HAVEN’T
DONATED IN FIVE MONTHS OR MORE, PRESENT
THIS COUPON AND RECEIVE $250 IN JUST FOUR
DONATIONS.
$250
Must present this coupon prior to the initial donation to
receive a total of $50 on your first, a total of $75 on your
second, a total of $50 on your third, and a total of $75
on your fourth successful donation. Initial donation
must be completed by 8.31.14 and subsequent
donations within 30 days. Coupon redeemable only
upon completing successful donations.
May not be combined with any other offer.
Only at participating locations.
40639141
By Greg Hoersten
SPARTAN STADIUM
6E Sunday, August 24, 2014
limaohio.com
THE LIMA NEWS
#1 For All Your Checking Needs
Good luck
to all area high
school football
teams this
upcoming
season!
1. No minimum balance.
2. No monthly fees.
3. Unlimited check writing.
4. Free high school spirit ATM/debit card
PLUS first box of high school spirit checks.
Act now to get your favorite high school
VISA debit card - only at Superior!
5. Free online and mobile banking,
including remote check deposit.
Lima • Delphos • Ottawa • Wapakoneta • St. Marys • Kenton
SuperiorFCU.com
Phone: 419.223.9746
THE LIMA NEWS
Upickem
#1 For
All YourSchool
Checking Needs
High
Football Contest
Good luck
to all area high
school football
teams this
upcoming
season!
Contest Starts
Monday-August 25th
1. No minimum balance.
FOR CONTEST DETAILS . . .
4. Free high school spirit ATM/debit card
PICK UP THE LIMA NEWS ON
PLUS first box of high school spirit checks.
MONDAY
OR GO TO
5. Free online and mobile
banking,
including remote check deposit.
LIMAOHIO.COM
2. No monthly fees.
3. Unlimited check writing.
Act now to get your favorite high school
VISA debit card - only at Superior!
SuperiorFCU.com
Lima • Delphos • Ottawa • Wapakoneta • St. Marys • Kenton
Phone: 419.223.9746
40629538
