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Refurbishing an athletic treasure
By Chris Pika, June 14, 2006; 8:00 pm,
NewOrleansSaints.com
Jun 14, 2006 – 8:00 pm
Click here to make a donation to help restore Tad Gormley Stadium
Upon entering New Orleans' Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park, it was easy to see why Saints rookie RB Reggie Bush wanted to help get the stadium ready for use by local high school teams this fall.
Reggie Bush (L) and City Park CEO Bob Becker (R) inspect Tad Gormley Stadium on Wednesday Chris Pika/NOS.com
As Bush, members of the Jesuit High School football team and City Park officials wandered the field on Wednesday afternoon, very little grass could be seen on the field surface -- most of it brown and brittle and sitting atop large patches of dirt. The goalposts did not have their uprights and the press box still had a few windows boarded up. Across the street from the stadium, gutted and wrecked homes stood in quiet witness to the massive flooding that the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina brought to City Park.
Bush wanted to bring back the camaraderie among players and the cheers of the crowd dressed in their teams' colors to the stadium this fall. Three of those colors -- the blue of Jesuit, the purple of St. Augustine and the maroon of Brother Martin -- were on hand Wednesday as Bush announced a combined donation of $86,000 to New Orleans City Park for the upkeep of Tad Gormley.
The combination comes from $50,000 donated through Bush's connection with adidas to re-sod and nurture the field and $36,000 from him personally to maintain the playing area during the prep season.
These funds will aid in bringing back the field, which was used by future stars such as Marshall Faulk among others, for the 27 local schools that depend on the facility weekly for athletic events.
Members of the Jesuit High School football team walk on the Tad Gormley Stadium field Chris Pika/NOS.com
Bush made the announcement at City Park's Pavilion of the Two Sisters and he stressed the need for high school athletics in the city's rebuilding efforts. "With all of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, I learned that the main field that most of the high schools play at was destroyed," Bush said. "It was common sense that they needed a field to play on and I felt like it was a great opportunity to help out."
As Bush looked out to the high school players in the front row, he said, "You guys just go out and play football. We'll take care of the rest. Go out and pursue your dreams and one day maybe all of you can play in the NFL."
Education was on the mind of Bush, who spoke to the players about its' importance in their future lives.
"Education is important," Bush told the players. "Obviously, I left early (for the NFL) and my plan is to get my degree as soon as possible. The NFL has a program in which players who did not get their degree can go back and finish their degree. My parents always taught me that you get your education first and football comes second. Football only lasts so long because it is a tough, physical sport. Football is not forever, but a degree is something no one can take away from you and that's the bottom line."
Hurricane Katrina wiped out the entire athletic program at St. Aug for the last school year, but the Purple Knights football team will be back for 2006 and will once again use Tad Gormley as their home field. Head Coach Wayne Cordova, a 1996 graduate of St. Aug, said that Bush's involvement goes beyond a financial contribution.
"What Reggie did today is really going to help us out not only for this year, but for years to come," Cordova said. "The guys were excited to come out here today and get a chance to meet him, and he gave them some good advice on education -- that's one of the things we are stressing at St. Augustine -- that they are going to be students first and athletes second."
Cordova talked about what it will be like to get back on the field at Gormley for the first time on August 26 in the City Park Jamboree.
"It is going to be a very exciting moment when we get to run back on that field," he said. "I haven't been on that field in a while. My players did not get a chance to play last year due to the circumstances, and we appreciate what Reggie and the Saints organization has done for the city as a whole."
Tad Gormley Stadium was under water for several weeks after the post-Hurricane Katrina flooding Photo courtesy of Pictometry International
Around 40 prep games are played in the 26,500-seat stadium each year and the structure has a long, rich history in New Orleans high school athletic lore. The flooding after Katrina made the stadium a virtual lake for weeks and extensive repairs were needed. The goal of Bush's work with Tad Gormley Stadium is, with the help of his corporate partners and other contributors, to have the grass field replaced with synthetic turf prior to the 2007 prep football season. To learn more about the efforts, or to make a contribution to the project, go to www.neworleanscitypark.com.
"You can donate whatever you can," Bush said in promoting the program through the web site. "One dollar, ten dollars, a hundred dollars or a thousand dollars, whatever you can to help put FieldTurf on the field, which is better than grass and lasts a lot longer."
It is the second major contribution that Bush has made to the New Orleans educational community since he was drafted by the club in late April. He recently, with his connection to addias, contributed $50,000 to Holy Rosary Academy and High School in New Orleans.
"We have taken our lead from the Saints organization and Greg Bensel (the Saints' VP of Communications) brought this to our attention two months ago," said Bush's marketing representative Mike Ornstein about the Tad Gormley contribution. "We tried real hard to get the synthetic turf done right away, but it is a little more complicated than we thought. So, we decided to go for the grass field now and really work hard over the next three-four months to get that (the synthetic field) done."
Bob Becker, the CEO of New Orleans City Park said that what Bush has done for high school athletics through his contributions will have a far-reaching impact.
"What Reggie has done is look for places where he can aid in the area's recovery," said Becker. "The excitement I feel is primarily for high school football in our city. This contribution will have a great impact on the coaches, players and families. It signals the rebirth of prep football in New Orleans."
Refurbishing an athletic treasure
By Chris Pika, June 14, 2006; 8:00 pm,
NewOrleansSaints.com
Jun 14, 2006 – 8:00 pm
Click here to make a donation to help restore Tad Gormley Stadium
Upon entering New Orleans' Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park, it was easy to see why Saints rookie RB Reggie Bush wanted to help get the stadium ready for use by local high school teams this fall.
Reggie Bush (L) and City Park CEO Bob Becker (R) inspect Tad Gormley Stadium on Wednesday Chris Pika/NOS.com
As Bush, members of the Jesuit High School football team and City Park officials wandered the field on Wednesday afternoon, very little grass could be seen on the field surface -- most of it brown and brittle and sitting atop large patches of dirt. The goalposts did not have their uprights and the press box still had a few windows boarded up. Across the street from the stadium, gutted and wrecked homes stood in quiet witness to the massive flooding that the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina brought to City Park.
Bush wanted to bring back the camaraderie among players and the cheers of the crowd dressed in their teams' colors to the stadium this fall. Three of those colors -- the blue of Jesuit, the purple of St. Augustine and the maroon of Brother Martin -- were on hand Wednesday as Bush announced a combined donation of $86,000 to New Orleans City Park for the upkeep of Tad Gormley.
The combination comes from $50,000 donated through Bush's connection with adidas to re-sod and nurture the field and $36,000 from him personally to maintain the playing area during the prep season.
These funds will aid in bringing back the field, which was used by future stars such as Marshall Faulk among others, for the 27 local schools that depend on the facility weekly for athletic events.
Members of the Jesuit High School football team walk on the Tad Gormley Stadium field Chris Pika/NOS.com
Bush made the announcement at City Park's Pavilion of the Two Sisters and he stressed the need for high school athletics in the city's rebuilding efforts. "With all of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, I learned that the main field that most of the high schools play at was destroyed," Bush said. "It was common sense that they needed a field to play on and I felt like it was a great opportunity to help out."
As Bush looked out to the high school players in the front row, he said, "You guys just go out and play football. We'll take care of the rest. Go out and pursue your dreams and one day maybe all of you can play in the NFL."
Education was on the mind of Bush, who spoke to the players about its' importance in their future lives.
"Education is important," Bush told the players. "Obviously, I left early (for the NFL) and my plan is to get my degree as soon as possible. The NFL has a program in which players who did not get their degree can go back and finish their degree. My parents always taught me that you get your education first and football comes second. Football only lasts so long because it is a tough, physical sport. Football is not forever, but a degree is something no one can take away from you and that's the bottom line."
Hurricane Katrina wiped out the entire athletic program at St. Aug for the last school year, but the Purple Knights football team will be back for 2006 and will once again use Tad Gormley as their home field. Head Coach Wayne Cordova, a 1996 graduate of St. Aug, said that Bush's involvement goes beyond a financial contribution.
"What Reggie did today is really going to help us out not only for this year, but for years to come," Cordova said. "The guys were excited to come out here today and get a chance to meet him, and he gave them some good advice on education -- that's one of the things we are stressing at St. Augustine -- that they are going to be students first and athletes second."
Cordova talked about what it will be like to get back on the field at Gormley for the first time on August 26 in the City Park Jamboree.
"It is going to be a very exciting moment when we get to run back on that field," he said. "I haven't been on that field in a while. My players did not get a chance to play last year due to the circumstances, and we appreciate what Reggie and the Saints organization has done for the city as a whole."
Tad Gormley Stadium was under water for several weeks after the post-Hurricane Katrina flooding Photo courtesy of Pictometry International
Around 40 prep games are played in the 26,500-seat stadium each year and the structure has a long, rich history in New Orleans high school athletic lore. The flooding after Katrina made the stadium a virtual lake for weeks and extensive repairs were needed. The goal of Bush's work with Tad Gormley Stadium is, with the help of his corporate partners and other contributors, to have the grass field replaced with synthetic turf prior to the 2007 prep football season. To learn more about the efforts, or to make a contribution to the project, go to www.neworleanscitypark.com.
"You can donate whatever you can," Bush said in promoting the program through the web site. "One dollar, ten dollars, a hundred dollars or a thousand dollars, whatever you can to help put FieldTurf on the field, which is better than grass and lasts a lot longer."
It is the second major contribution that Bush has made to the New Orleans educational community since he was drafted by the club in late April. He recently, with his connection to addias, contributed $50,000 to Holy Rosary Academy and High School in New Orleans.
"We have taken our lead from the Saints organization and Greg Bensel (the Saints' VP of Communications) brought this to our attention two months ago," said Bush's marketing representative Mike Ornstein about the Tad Gormley contribution. "We tried real hard to get the synthetic turf done right away, but it is a little more complicated than we thought. So, we decided to go for the grass field now and really work hard over the next three-four months to get that (the synthetic field) done."
Bob Becker, the CEO of New Orleans City Park said that what Bush has done for high school athletics through his contributions will have a far-reaching impact.
"What Reggie has done is look for places where he can aid in the area's recovery," said Becker. "The excitement I feel is primarily for high school football in our city. This contribution will have a great impact on the coaches, players and families. It signals the rebirth of prep football in New Orleans."
