The DeKalb County Tigers’ John L Vanhooser Field has in the past been described as “The worst stadium in high school football.” The field has long been described as “A stadium that only seats 35,” or one that takes night vision to see the action.
Through the dedication of the coaching staff, the Quarterback Club, and local fans, the field has come a long way with improvements since those days. A new field house, booths, and concessions, are a few improvements, and the turf on the field has never looked better. But, two big improvements may be coming soon that will make the football experience even better in DeKalb.
At the last meeting of the DeKalb County School Board, members voted unanimously to move forward on accepting bids to replace the bleachers and provide new lights on the field, something that has been on the Tigers’ wish list for a long time.
“It’s going to be a huge improvement,” DCHS Assistant Principal Thomas Cagle said. “If you take our current seating that’s around 900, the new bleachers we would almost double the seating capacity to around 1,800. Anyone that’s been there for a ball game, homecoming, or graduation ceremony knows that we struggle at having enough room for everyone to sit. This would be a great addition for our community and our school.”
The needs for new bleachers coincide with the success the Tigers have seen over the past seasons. With that, fans are in attendance more than ever. In addition, other events held on the field call for more available seats and lighting, but the proposal was not only help the football field.
“The success that Coach (Steve) Trapp and the players have been able to have on the field over the past few years, has continued to increase and naturally brings more fans to the field,” Cagle said. “With the addition of the new bleachers being install at the football field, we would also be able to take the newest set of bleachers that is currently at the football field, and move them to the new soccer field.”
“The soccer field has lights pretty much just like what we want to upgrade to at the football field,” Cagle explained. “Anyone who’s been to the soccer field knows there’s no dark spots on the field in any area. The lights will be a little different, but it will be better for the fans and it’s a safety issue as well. We’ll have better lights in and around the bleachers and around the entire facility.”
As for a timeline, Cagle said the lights might come sooner than later. “As far as my understanding is that we want to move as quickly as we can. I think we’d like to have the lights done before graduation if possible, and move on with the bleachers maybe next summer. Once again, we all know the shape of the economy as far as shipping and receiving goods. We will have plans but may have to adjust those plans.”
Cagle praised Coach Trapp and those that have volunteered their time and efforts to improve the football field. “This is something that Coach Trapp has been working on for multiple years. As far as Coach Trapp and the Quarterback Club go, they have worked hard improving the field. Trapp and Coach (Michael) Shaw were instrumental in building, by hand, the current fieldhouse that houses the locker room. The coaches and parents put together the Tee Shirt Shack, and built the ticket booths twice after they were damage in a storm this year. Coach Trapp put in the fence, and the turf looks amazing. There’s a lot that they have done and labored to make improvements to the field.”
Cagle also thanks the School Board and Director Cripps. “I’m very thankful to Director Patrick Cripps and the School Board, for taking the time to listen to us and our ideas.”
