Seventy years ago this weekend, a new era of football at East Texas State Teachers College began with the dedication and opening of Memorial Stadium. The Lions were defeated 42-20 by North Texas on September 23, but the grand occasion was a highlight of Lion athletic history.
 
The stadium was constructed at a cost of $300,000 and was formally dedicated in memory of 78 ex-students of East Texas State who were killed in World War II. Adjusted for inflation, that construction cost translates to nearly $3.3 million today.


 
The original idea of the stadium was born in 1945 at a meeting of Noble Arthur, president of the Ex-Students Association, secretary John Windell, and W.A. Thomas concerning ideas to honor ex-students killed in World War II. Other ideas included a statue before the stadium was agreed upon. The Ex-Students Association conducted a fundraising drive, which was eventually taken over by the school.
 
All businesses in Commerce shut down at 7 p.m. that day, with a pregame dedication at 7:30 p.m., followed by an 8 p.m. kickoff.


ET alumnus Sam Rayburn, who was Speaker of the United States House of Representatives at the time, was one of the pre-game speakers. "Taps" was played, and the names of the 78 ex-students killed in World War II were read aloud.

 
Also appearing at halftime of the game were the world famous Kilgore College Rangerettes, as well as the Kilgore College band. The scoreboard at the time was similar to the board in Dallas' Cotton Bowl, and the turf was some of the finest in the South. At the time of its opening, the West stands held 10,000 fans, with portable bleachers on the East side holding up to 5,000 fans.
 
The bronze plaque from the dedication remains on the exterior of the stadium with the words of General Douglas MacArthur – "On the fields of friendly strife are sown the seed that on other days and upon other fields will bear the fruits of victory."

 
In the 69 seasons of football played at the corner of the highway and Live Oak Street since that day, the Lions have seen Memorial Stadium and Ernest Hawkins Field bear the fruits of victory in 64.6 percent of the 360 games played there, with a record of 227-122-11. That record includes the 1972 NAIA Champion Bowl over Carson-Newman and the 2017 NCAA Division II national semifinal over Harding.
 


Lion Football and Track and Field look forward to many years of continued success in Memorial Stadium. We encourage Lions to share their favorite memory of Memorial Stadium with the Varsity L Club.

Material for this article were gathered from the TAMUC Libraries Digital Media Collections, online editions of The Commerce Journal, and Lion Athletics archives.