Campus reflects on Stoll Field’s importance

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In 1949 coach Paul “Bear” Bryant led the Cats to victory on Stoll Field at McLean Stadium.

In the construction of the new student center, UK has authorized the destruction of the historical Stoll Field. Stoll Field at McLean Stadium has been home to many historic moments for both the university and college football.

According to Transylvania University’s website, the first game ever played in the south was on this field, where the Pioneers battled it out in 1880 against Centre College for a final score of 13¾ to 0. The Pioneers got such an unusual score because originally football adopted rugby rules where a field goal earned ¼ of a point.

Stoll was also home to the first game in the South Eastern Conference, according to SBNation. Kentucky faced Sewanee on Sep. 30, 1933.

One of the most historiccoaches in the game, Paul “Bear” Bryant called Stoll Field home as well. Coach Bryant was famous for his work with the University of Alabama, but he was also the head coach at UK from 1946 to 1953.

During his time coaching the Cats, Bryant carried the Cats to the 1951 Sugar Bowl match-up against the Oklahoma Sooners, according to CBS Sports. The Cats brought home the victory on Jan. 1, 1951, 13-7 in New Orleans. With “Bear,” the Cats had eight consecutive winning seasons and four bowl games including the Sugar Bowl (1951) and the Cotton Bowl Classic (1952).

Some students and organizations still use this field with historic roots today. The field sits on Avenue of Champions and across the street from many educational buildings. Students utilize the field in the midst of a city for a variety of recreational activities.

Nick Prather, a rugby player for UK and an animal science freshman described his disappointment at the news Stoll will become a parking lot.

“During the offseason we actually use that (Stoll Field),” Prather said. “During the offseason at night, we would play and kind of practice around the end of the season to the point where we start our first practice for next season that month.”

The UK Marching Band occupied Stoll on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the fall semester as they prepared for upcoming shows for football games. Even though Stoll takes a beating during those months of the year, it always had a heartbeat played by the drumline between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. three times a week.

“My favorite memory is easy. The last rehearsal on Stoll we sang My Old Kentucky Home at the end. Great way to end our time there,” said Athletic Band Director Scott-Lee Atchison, as he looked back on his time spent on the historic Stoll Field.