Whatever it’s called, it’s ... HOME : No plans yet to give Mountie Stadium a namesake
Posted on Sunday, August 17, 2008
Sunday photograph by David Frank Dempsey
Gary Bond remembers the excitement of moving into a new football stadium.
The community was buzzing and the team was happy to get away from the old field that is now the Rogers Post Office.
“ That old facility down there was horrible, ” said the former Rogers football coach of the original Mountie Stadium. “ Teams wouldn’t dress in there, they dressed on their buses.
“ It was exciting. But it wasn’t near then what it is now, these (stadiums ) are unbelievable. ”
That buzz is back in Rogers as the Mounties get to show off their new stadium — now on the high school campus on Perry Road — during Monday’s Kickoff festivities.
It’ll be a bittersweet event as the program had to say good-bye to its home for the past 30 years — David Gates Stadium.
“ That’s all I know and that’s all a lot of people know, ” Mounties football coach Ronnie Peacock said from his new office at the new fieldhouse. “ I’m not sure you can move (the name ) Gates Stadium over here because that’s Gates Stadium. ”
That leaves Rogers High School with a stadium simply named Mountie Stadium — for now.
“ We don’t have any plans right now to do (name the stadium ) in the immediate future, ” Rogers athletic director Mark Holderbaum said. “ I suspect in the future we will start addressing that. ”
When and if the time comes to attach a person’s name to the football stadium, the school district will have a strong tradition it could follow.
“ In our school district we have some of our buildings named after past educators or previous coaches, ” Holderbaum said. “ In the past there’s been some reflection back into the service-oriented people that have impacted the schools or the school district or the athletic programs. So certainly that would be a consideration at that time. ”
Gates Stadium was one of the first, taking its name from a former school board member who led the charge in building the new facility.
Bond said Gates was a coach before he moved to the area with Daisy Manufacturing and remained active in youth athletics in Rogers.
The stadium opened the 1978 season without a name but made Gates the namesake during the inaugural season, starting a tradition of honoring important community members.
W. E. King Arena, the Rogers High gym, opened in 2001 with that name honoring the school’s former principal while the fieldhouse at Gates Stadium was named after Gary “ Blackie” Bond in 1997. Bond, a Rogers Mountaineer Hall of Fame member, built a 138-95-8 record during 23 years as the head coach. He was the defensive coordinator before that and athletic director for six years after he stopped coaching.
Nine schools in the school district have been named after former teachers, administrators or com munity members, starting with Grace Hill Elementary in 1979.
“ I would suspect that’s a precedent to reflect back upon as one possibility in considering any naming, ” Holderbaum said.
A Web site tried to help the Rogers School Board in making that decision. Vote forWhitey. com was created in July 2007 to petition that the new stadium be named after longtime Mountie supporter and 1955 Rogers grad Whitey Smith. The Web site campaign has gained more than 1, 600 votes.
“ I didn’t really like it (when it started ) but after (supporters ) talked to me a time or two, they kind of changed my mind, ” Smith said. “ We do a lot of community work and everything. I don’t want people to think that’s the reason we did it. We do it because we enjoy it.
“ It would be a great honor but it’s not something you plan on happening. ”
Smith was the founder of the Quarterback Club, which operated the south end-zone concessions at Gates Stadium and used the proceeds for scholarships and purchases for the program. Smith said the Club disbanded after the 2007 season but still has money to give scholarships for the next couple of years.
Smith will be visiting both Gates Stadium and brand-new Mountie Stadium during the season.
“ I’m going to support both teams, ” he said. “ They’re all Rogers kids. On Friday nights you can pick the one you want to cheer for but after that they’re all our kids. ”
The kids at Rogers High School are just excited to have a new home — no matter what you call it.
“ I’m just excited about playing in a new stadium, ” Peacock said. “ We’re going to do something to bring the spirit over.
“ It’s new and good and we’re proud of it. ”
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