Email   Print   Share By Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Staff

Facebook Digg Delicious October 25, 2012 | News

Command Sgt. Maj Douglas Gault, Fort Hood Garrison command sergeant major; Col. Matthew Elledge, Fort Hood Garrison commander; Brig. Gen. James Richardson, III Corps and Fort Hood deputy commanding general; and Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Schroeder, III Corps and Fort Hood command sergeant major, cut the ribbon at the opening of the new Hood Stadium Friday morning. Later Friday evening, the stadium hosted its first event in a high school football game between two KISD schools -- Harker Heights and Shoemaker. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Staff

The newly opened Hood Stadium, built at a cost of $14 million, consists of 5,500 seats. The stadium held its inaugural event Friday night with a high school football game between two KISD schools -- Harker Heights and Shoemaker. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Staff

Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Schroeder, III Corps and Fort Hood command sergeant major, holds a football for Brig. Gen. Dean Milner, III Corps and Fort Hood deputy commanding general (Canada), to kick at the new Hood Stadium Friday. The stadium can hold up to 5,500 people and will host a multitude of sports, entertainment and military events. Sgt. Jordan Johnson, 13th PAD

Fort Hood leaders and supporters from around Central Texas gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning to mark the opening of the newly constructed Hood Stadium.

Replacing Fort Hood’s old stadium – known as Prichard Stadium in honor of the former 1st Armored Division commander, Maj. Gen. Vernon Prichard, who was a 1914 first-team All-American out of West Point – the new $14 million complex consists of a track and field, suitable for both football and soccer, and soon-to-be-built softball fields.

A memorial plaque in honor of Prichard at the entrance of the new stadium is all that is left to serve as a reminder of the post’s old stadium, which stood from 1951-2010, before its demolition made way for construction of Fort Hood’s new hospital.

“To have a modern facility where we can play football, where units can come out and play intramurals, where we maybe can have All-Army

competitions here, the sky is the limit in terms of what we can do here,” said Fort Hood’s Directorate of Public Works director Brian Dosa, who referred to the old stadium as having become antiquated and out-dated.

Maj. Gen. James Richardson, III Corps and Fort Hood deputy commanding general, addressed the crowd at the ceremony to open “one of the best facilities on Fort Hood.”

“Vince Lombardi would say that the achievements of an organization are the result of the combined efforts of each individual,” he said. “This project represents true team effort.”

Dosa said the stadium’s target completion date of this fall was set about six months ago when Fort Hood formed a partnership with Killeen Independent School District, which scheduled a select number of its high school football games to be played on post.

“Just to get it completed so that we could play football tonight was a big challenge, to be honest,” he said.

Hood Stadium’s inaugural event Friday night showcased this partnership as two KISD teams – Harker Heights and Shoemaker – went head to head.

“We have a very strong partnership with Fort Hood,” said Robert Muller, superintendent, KISD. “And we are so appreciative that we have opened up this venue for us to play tonight.”

Muller said KISD worked side by side with Fort Hood during the stadium’s planning and development to ensure the stadium met all of the UIL standards.

With four high schools in the district, the ability to utilize Hood Stadium, in addition to KISD’s primary facility, Leo Buckley Stadium, alleviates scheduling headaches during the fall football season.

“I think the important thing about this stadium is that it allows us to play football on Friday nights,” Muller said. “… By having the opportunity to access this stadium, we can play all of our games on Friday night, as opposed to moving them to Thursday night, which isn’t a good night because it’s a school night.”

In addition to the game between Harker Heights and Shoemaker, KISD is scheduled to play two more games at Hood Stadium this year – Killeen vs. Belton on Friday and Ellison vs. Shoemaker Nov. 9.

“As we set the schedule for next year, we anticipate that we will be able to play here on Friday night and schedule games here ... with four high schools, that’s a tremendous help,” Muller said.

“To have a facility that will serve our Soldiers and our Families first, but then also the community, is just a win-win,” Dosa said.

Construction continues on the complex that will host Fort Hood staples like Freedom Fest and Earth Fest, as well as many other entertainment events, with the complex’s four softball fields and permanent stage expected to be completed near the end of the year, Dosa said.

The DPW director also mentioned the facility’s flexibility to future expansion.

“Originally, the design was to have stands on both sides, but when we looked at it to be able to have fans sit up high enough to have a good perspective on the field, and also to have a press booth, we made the decision to change that and have it all on one side,” he said. “We hope in the future to maybe partner with KISD and have some stands go on the other side as well.”