The B.C. Rain High football team looks on at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the school’s new on-campus stadium Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of B.C. Rain High School)
By ARTHUR L. MACK
Hundreds of students, faculty, guests and Mobile County Public School System employees joined school board president Sherry McDade at the ribbon cutting of B.C. Rain’s on-campus stadium Tuesday.
“B.C. Rain has been here for many, many years and they have played at many different stadiums,” McDade said. “Now, they have their very own stadium and they are excited. I’m looking forward for great things from them. The community has always embraced our school here at Rain and we know they will come in and do whatever it takes to make it a success.”
McDade said Rain’s on-campus facility will be an asset to the community, particularly its feeder schools.
“We have Maryvale Elementary, we have Gilliard (Elementary), we have Palmer Pillans Middle School and they are accessible to the stadium,” she said. “The events they have at their school, if they can’t have them on their playgrounds, they can come down here at B.C. Rain.”
McDade also recognized Betty Fowler, former Red Raiders football coach Ben Glover and former basketball coach Thomas Reed, all of whom attended the ceremony.
The on-campus stadium is especially exciting for Rain head football coach Lawrence Yelding, whose teams played home games wherever they could, particularly Trimmier Park and Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
“This is definitely a dream come true for the school, for the athletic department and for this community,” he said. “The guys were hoping to get out here this spring but I told them it doesn’t matter what happens this spring. We’ll endure and when the season kicks off, you know you’ll be in a brand-new stadium. This is an awesome feeling and I’m really excited for these young men.
“This is just like a home. When you live in an apartment complex, you have a roof over your head and the things you need but it’s really not a home. In this case, we played at Trimmier, we played at Ladd and all over the place. Just having a field on your home campus you can come to every day, it just makes it special.”
Earlier this month, ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held for on-campus stadiums at LeFlore, Vigor and Davidson, each costing just over $5 million. An on-campus facility is planned for Williamson, leaving Murphy as the only county public school without an on-campus stadium.
