[1]Asheville High School Memorial Stadium
Formerly known as Cougar Stadium, Asheville High School Memorial Stadium was completed in 1982 with the addition of a home grandstand, concession stand, and press box facility. The first game in this stadium was a 31-6 victory over the Erwin Warriors. The stadium became the home of the football team after most of downtown Asheville Memorial Stadium (see below) was demolished for safety reasons. The stadium has been voted the most beautiful high school stadium in North Carolina on several occasions. It originally contained a Bermuda grass playing field surrounded by a rubberized track, the first such track in the area and recently resurfaced. Due to the stadium's size, for many events such as soccer, field hockey, and J.V. sports, only the visitor's side is open to the public. The stadium recently received a new lighting system designed for television broadcast, and is fully wired with video and audio for event broadcasts with several camera positions, including on the sideline and on a platform in the endzone.
In the summer of 2005, GameDay Grass synthetic turf, manufactured by General Sports Turf Systems [2], was added at a cost of approximately $600,000. The field renovation included extensive graphics, two-tone green turf, new goal posts, a second long jump pit, and asphalt pavement past the end zones. (Installation Photo Gallery [3]).
The two-story press box was named after local broadcasting legend Zeb Lee, who broadcast every Asheville High Football game for over 40 years on WSKY-AM. In honor of Lee, his booth is still labeled with the call letters of the station he once owned. The first floor of the press box contains private booths for the Cougar Sports Network and home radio (if present), an open area for other media and additional radio stations, and a media hospitality room. The second floor contains private booths for each team's coaches, and a large open area for official scoring, public address announcer, scoreboard and :25 clock operator, statisticians, and others. The roof of the press box provides space for team video.
| New Synthetic Turf Installation Photo Gallery [5] UPDATED 9/14/05 |
Click to Enlarge Photos (Prior to Summer 2005 Renovation)
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Construction of the original stadium was completed in 1927 and was dedicated before a crowd of 6,000 citizens to the 63 veterans lost in World War I. In 1949, extensive upgrades were completed to the stadium and park. A new 3,600 capacity seating area was constructed to create one of the most modern facilities in the Carolinas. A new brick pedestrian entrance arch was also constructed and dedicated to the war dead of Buncombe County.
See this link at the City of Asheville [17]for more information about this facility.
McCormick Field (1924-1948)
Before playing at Memorial Stadium, McCormick Field hosted several historic years of Asheville and Lee Edwards football, including the Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice era in the early 1940's. McCormick Field was built in 1924, and rebuilt in 1992. It is currently home to Asheville's Class A Minor Leage Baseball team, The Asheville Tourists. It is one of the most historic fields in minor league baseball where such greats as Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson have played. The field has also been seen in several feature films, including Bull Durham. Photos and more information are available here [18].