Gus Stadium gets facelift; good as new again
NISD Communications Department
September 8, 2006
When the Northside ISD Stadium was first built in 1969 in the middle of a pasture area that was the Alamo Downs Race Track site, Northside ISD had just opened its third high school.
Named for long-time educator and athletics director C. Marvin Gustafson in 1993, the Stadium recently completed a major overhaul of systems and received an extensive facelift. The stadium, one of several major athletic facilities, is located at the Hardin Athletic Complex at Loop 410 and Culebra Rd.
The public is invited to a Re-Dedication Ceremony on Friday, Sept 15 during halftime of the Holmes High School vs Jay High School football game.
Thirty-seven years after it was built and with eight comprehensive high schools competing for the field, "Gus" Stadium as it is affectionately called, is completely updated to a state-of-the-art comprehensive athletic complex which serves thousands and thousands of athletes, bands, and cheer/dance squads. Gus Stadium is also the site of hundreds of other special events like major band festivals, Special Olympics and at one time, even high school graduations.
Funding was approved by voters in the successful 2001 bond election, the renovations occurred in two phases over a 14 month period.
Phase I included the replacement of the decades-old sod and irrigation system with a safer, artificial "real grass" turf system, the installation of a new 8-lane, synthetic rubberized track surface, and the replacement of other major infrastructure systems for a total cost of $1,880,000.
Phase II included renovations and improvements to the existing press box (to accommodate visitors, music directors, coaches, scouts, game officials, and press); and the construction of larger concession buildings with hot and cold storage areas; ticket booths and offices; player dressing rooms/showers/lockers, training, and restroom facilities; modern first aid stations; a new public address system; modern sports field lighting systems; parking lot improvements; and improvements as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Total cost was $7,500,000.
"This facility has survived the test of time and many hundreds of athletes including such greats as Priest Holmes with the Kansas City Chiefs and N. D. Kalu formerly with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins," says Dr. John Folks, superintendent. "It has been a landmark on Loop 410 at Culebra Road for many years and will continue to be a destination for students and families for years to come."
"We are very excited to have this beautiful facility brought up to the same standards as its sister stadium at the Farris Complex which opened two years ago on Loop 1604 at Bandera Rd," he adds.
The namesake of the facility, C. Marvin Gustafson, served as NISD athletic director from 1976 to 1989, after serving as an elementary school teacher, basketball, track, and football coach. He served as president of the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association, and was inducted into the Coaches Hall of Honor in 1989.
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