The Lipscomb Football Chronicles
The fall of 1967 found the Mustangs playing football once again after a 30 year hiatus. After spending two seasons trying to play a game on its practice field located on Maplehurst Ave., The Mustangs really needed a home field with bleachers and facilities. New High School Principal Jacky Ray Davis and new Head Coach began their search for a place to play their home games. Both had their connections in Metro and the Mustangs began to play their games at TPS. Over the next several years, the home field could be found at a number of schools including the TPS site, Glencliff, West End Jr. High, and even Hillwood to name a few. Lipscomb would pay each school a few and the host school would keep revenues from the concession stands. The Host school would also be responsible for getting the field lined off for each game. So each home Friday night, the mustangs would partially dress in their locker room below the old Burton Gym and then catch a chartered MTA bus to its home field for the evening and then finish dressing usually next to the bus as most host locker rooms were not available for their use.
As the years progressed, Lipscomb was getting heat from the Southern Association of Schools to upgrade and build new facilities in order to keep their accreditation. Remember during those years, Harding Hall was running down, Burton Gym was in disrepair and the school had no Gymnasium or football field. Acuff Chapel did not even have a bathroom in it. Finally something had to be done. The High School Administration went to Willard Collins to make their pitch for a high school football field and stadium complex and with a track. Collins said yes but they would have to raise the money. Board Member Charles Youree and local homebuilder and developer, Reese Smith, Jr. indicated their willingness to donate money to the project. Nile Yearwood stated that he would be project manager and would do it for free while his son design the complex. Nile Yearwood indicated that they would all have to chip in with the labor while they also was able to get a number of suppliers to donate materials. Mr. Yearwood acutally drove the bulldozier and the backhoes on the project. It is believed that Mr. Smith gave $75,000 and Mr. Youree gave $50,000 in condition that the school matched his gift. Local Commerce Union Banker to the Country Music Industry, Clarence Reynolds, felt he could find some country music customers who would come in and do a couple of benefit concerts to help raise money for the effort. Initially Ronnie Milsap and Barbara Mandrell consented to help Lipscomb out. Barbara became miffed at the school due to some mis-communications and bowed out. But her sister, Louise who was coming on strong in the business agreed to do a show. The two benefit shows held in McQuiddy Gym combined raised nearly $85,000. for the effort. Now everything was in place and ready to go. Question now, where would the stadium be built. Maplehurst was the obvious answer, but what area of it. Initial thought would be where the baseball field was located. But early engineering reports indicated that there was a spring in the area. Finally, the present site was selected. This would be a unique building process, a lot of " would be chiefs" wanting to give input. You had both Jacky Ray Davis, Richard Jones, and Glenn McCadams and the big boss Nile Yearwood, the real project manager. Other teachers and coaches were hired to help build the stadium during the summer, including Ernie Smith. The concrete forms for the stadium were actually built on site. The press box was built out of the forms used in the bleacher settings. The first season, the field was finished but not the stadium. Jacky Ray Davis got Vanderbilt AD, Roy Kramer to allow Lipscomb to use their temporary bleachers that year.
Williard Collins
Charles Youree
Nile Yearwood
Principal Jacky Ray Davis
Ronnie Milsap
Louise Mandrell