Impressed! All fans who attend the Pigskin Classic football contests this weekend at Campbell Field and Denes Stadium in Corbin will be totally impressed with the completed Redhound Complex.
For over 65 years I have attended high school football games at stadiums throughout the state. The completed facility at the Redhound Complex is the most impressive high school football facility I have ever seen.
It wasn’t always this way, as I remember starting my broadcasting career in 1961 inside the small press box at Denes Stadium. After 30 years, of broadcasting Corbin Redhound football games, and being a fan another 35 years, I’ve seen many improvements.
In my first year of doing the play-by-play for the Hounds I was fortunate to describe the actions of the great and future UK All-American and NFL Rookie of the Year sensation Rodger Bird as one of the players for Corbin High.
But going into that press box was something else. It was a wreck. High school teacher and friend Glenn Parks also worked part time at the radio station. Both he and I took a bag of nails and our hammers to help stabilize a rickety old seating platform.
A few years later, a new press box was constructed on the visitor side of the field. School board member Jerry Bird came to my office at the newspaper one day and said, “ Come with me, Don. I wanna show you something.” He wanted to give me a tour of the new press box on the visitor side of the field.
That was better, but field conditions for years were terrible. When it would rain, the field got muddy and it was almost impossible to identify the numbers on the player’s uniforms. Not only that, it was very difficult to identify the yard line markers for several years. They were small markers, inserted in the ground at the sideline.
But things continue to progress and more interest was shown in field conditions. It got to the point where the field had a beautiful grass cover, and the markings on the field were excellent.
Even with how good that was, it couldn’t compare with what has happened during the last few years. Denes Stadium, which is one of the few concrete stadiums remaining, has had a new grey coat of paint. New turf was added to the field prior to playing the 100th anniversary football game the year before last. In addition, a new concession area was constructed.
And now, the visitors side of the field has new bleachers and a new press box and dressing rooms added, plus there is added parking all around the complex.
I attended the University of Kentucky for the purpose of becoming a play-by-play sports announcer. Back in 1961, radio was king. We did not have television competition and becoming a sports announcer was a profession. I had opportunities to work in other parts of the state, but after graduating from Corbin High School and watching the great Calvin Bird, a classmate of mine who later went on to play football at UK and also became an All-American, it was my desire to come back and announce Redhound sports.
Never did I dream that the facilities that are there now would ever become so great. It is so great that the tourism commission could use pictures of it as one of the sites to see in Corbin.
Credit goes to former Superintendent of Corbin Independent School System Dave Cox, the Board of Education, and many others who have been involved in making this outstanding facility possible.
The News Journal staff has prepared an excellent preview to high school football in this edition of the News Journal. You will enjoy reading it and also you undoubtably will enjoy attending the Pigskin Classic this weekend in the completed Redhound Complex.
