MUNCIE, INDIANA.--- After 73 years, the original Muncie Central High School football stadium has been torn down.
This is a $5.3 million dollar project that will include a new turf field, lights, bleachers and a track on the home side of the stadium.
“We are trying to make our facility modern for our students, our student athletes, and our spectators,” Principal of MCHS Chris Walker said.
As the walls of the original stadium were knocked down, the school is making sure the Bearcat Pride will still stand. Many alumni are remembering their time at the stadium and how it was like a second home.
“I had a lot of fun, it was really good,” Barnell Vance said as he reflects on his time at MCHS.
Throughout high school, Vance played football and during his senior year season, he got to compete in a sectional game.
“We were short on winning a lot of games but for senior year, to play the sectional, it was pretty neat,” Vance said.
But when he first heard of the upgrades to the stadium, the memories came back.
“It was sad to know they were tearing it down, all the years of seeing myself and other kids play in the stadium,” he said.
After not being able to keep up with the constant fixes, school officials decided it was time for a change.
“The overall maintenance of the facility just made more financial sense to start fresh and start fresh with a new facility,” Walker said.
The crew has wasted no time starting this project. This will be completed in two phases. Along with items like the lights and bleachers in Phase One, a press box and multipurpose building will be added. Phase Two will begin in 2024 with a new locker room facility.
Phase One is set to be completed at the beginning of August, just in time for the first home football game.
Contact Anna Chalker with comments at alchalker@bsu.edu
