Tracks of the Richwood Tiger, 7 of 12

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Tracks of the Richwood Tiger
Memorial Field

Across the alley behind the school was Memorial Field, named to honor those who served in World War II. One of the participants in the October 1946 dedication ceremony was E.G. McFarland, who had been the coach when football began at Richwood High School in 1914. (This information comes from Virg Rankin's research.)

Cinders were later laid around the football field to form a running track, leading in 1960 to the first Richwood Relays. Below we see the finish of one of the relay races. That looks like Larry Colegrove ’64 anchoring the winning Richwood team. In the background on the left is the stairway to the pressbox tower.

1964, page 55

The Relay Queen and her court presented awards to the winners: ribbons to individuals and trophies to schools. If I remember correctly, these girls were chosen by the members of the Varsity R Club, a group of about 30 boys who had won letters in football, basketball, cross country, and track and field. (There were no varsity girls' sports in those days. Title IX would not be enacted for several more years.)

1962, page 59

Varsity football at Memorial Field was played under the lights. Again, that’s the pressbox tower in the background, on the south side of the field. I recall sitting with my father on that side of the field in the 1950s to watch a six-man football game; I think the home team was from tiny Magnetic Springs High School, later to be consolidated into our district.

1964, page 45

On the north side, concrete bleachers for the home team's fans, seating 1,300, were added in 1959.

This structure, which we called the "stadium," was actually located within the cinder track's oval. If a distance runner on the backstretch looked up and to his left, this is the angle he'd see.

1962, page 57

A decade before my time, night games at Memorial Field employed a white football for better visibility. But the painted pigskin proved slippery. As lighting improved, the NFL stopped using the white ball in 1956, and Richwood High School followed suit.

1954, page 67

The football team practiced on another field a couple of blocks away, behind the elementary school. (In fact, they played their games here, after school, until Memorial Field was built following World War II.) Head coach Fritz Drodofsky was not above using a club to make sure that his fullback started moving promptly when the ball was snapped.

1954, page 67

PET PEEVES: RON STIDHAM
Teenagers

One football game each fall was designated as "homecoming." I believe each of the four classes voted to choose its attendant to the homecoming queen, and she was elected by the whole school. The results were announced before the big night.

Then the members of the court rode to the field in open convertibles. In the fall of 1964, Homecoming Queen Roxye Carter (on the left below) was accompanied by her predecessor Barbara Williams, the queen from the recently graduated class of ‘64.

1965, page 69

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