Longtime Lebanon High football fans will find a mix of old and new this fall when they step into venerable Alumni Stadium for the first time after an extensive remodeling, the first since the 1990s.
After playing all of their games on the road last year due to the discovery of contaminated soil, the Cedars will be back home and playing on a new artificial turf gridiron that will officially be known as Dick Shiner Field at Alumni Stadium, named after the Cedar great who played quarterback in the National Football League for 11 years.
According to district superintendent Dr. Nicole Malinoski, “all [soil] issues have been resolved. Most of the contaminated soil was found under the grounds of the intermediate school, but all issues were remediated.”
The new all-weather surface will replace natural grass fields that have been used and abused since the iconic brick stadium at 7th and Lehman streets hosted its first game against Pottsville High on Sept. 23, 1939. Built for $100,000, the stadium was dedicated in front of nearly 7,500 fans during a pre-game ceremony featuring eight bands and drum and bugle corps.
At one point in the late 1960s, the stadium was home to Lebanon High, Lebanon Catholic High, Lebanon Valley College, the semi-pro Lebanon Rams, and assorted junior varsity and junior high teams, leaving the playing surface as much dirt as grass by the end of the season.
The cinder track, a section of home stands at the south (railroad) end, and trees at the north end have been removed. The concession tunnel under the home stands will be closed off, and a new home side concession/restroom building has been built at the home side Lehman Street end.
Nevertheless, the familiar brick exterior and architectural details will remain largely undisturbed, along with the arched entrance, the press box, and the slightly smaller home stands.
The $8.2 million stadium work is part of the $40 million construction and renovation project at the adjacent Lebanon Middle School, which is being funded by a construction bond and the district’s general fund, according to Malinoski.
Malinoski told LebTown that a ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned in the fall, but no date has been set. The stadium, she said, “will be ready for the first home game on Sept 11th vs Reading High.”
Artificial turf means that the stadium will now be available to other LHS teams. Malinoski said other games that could be held there include junior high football, girls’ and boys’ high school and junior high soccer, and high school and junior high field hockey.
Dick Shiner Field will also be “lined for future lacrosse programs and will include access to district-wide intramural programs, including the possibility of girls’ flag football,” according to Malinoski.
The stadium’s last facelift took place in the mid-1990s, when it was renamed Alumni Stadium and the current arch over the main entrance was installed.
A product of the Great Depression
The country was mired in the Great Depression in 1937 when the possibility of a stadium in the city was first considered.
On June 10, 1937, under the headline “Athletic Stadium Plans Furthered at School Board Meet,” the Lebanon Daily News reported that “Plans for the construction of an athletic stadium … at 8th and Walton Streets were definitely set in motion on Wednesday when School Directors L.F. Hoy and Paul Schott, and City Superintendent John W. Hedge held a conference with George Speicher, local PWA engineer.”
PWA was the U.S. Public Works Administration, part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. It oversaw large public works projects such as dams, bridges, hospitals, and schools, and gave jobs to hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers across the country.
The inaugural game at the stadium was well-attended, but did not go well for the host Cedars.
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