Chillicothe Stadium History

Oct 2, 1931
Hornets play 1st game on new Chillicothe Business College field, ends in scoreless tie with Carrollton.

Oct 27, 1932
After three ties and two defeats at the new stadium, the Hornets beat Maryville 13-6 for their first win in the new stadium.

1952
Chillicothe Business College closes, and Chillicothe School District takes over the stadium

Sept 13, 1963
 Bob Fairchild wins his first game as the new Chillicothe Head Coach in
the stadium, beating Carrollton 10-7

Nov 26, 1972
Chillicothe beats Chaminade 14-6 on
a muddy Chillicothe field to give the Hornets their 2nd state title.

Nov 25, 1978
Chillicothe beats Washington 42-0 at home for their 3rd state title. It would be the last state title game played at Chillicothe

1979
The Litton family donates money to refurbish the stadium, which is renamed to "Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium"

Nov 22, 1997
The Bob Fairchild era ends with a semi-final loss to Country Day at
Jerry Litton Stadium.

Sept 4, 1998
New Head Coach Phil Willard wins
his first game as Hornets Head
Coach, beating Kearney at Jerry
Litton Stadium
 

     In 1931, the Empire State Building was finished, Al Capone was sent to prison, Herbert Hoover was in the White House, and the Chillicothe Hornet Football team began play in a new state of the art facility built by the Chillicothe Business College.

     81 years later, the Chillicothe Hornets will debut in a new facility to be built next to the Chillicothe High School. Construction on the three million dollar facility will begin with dirt work this fall and building construction in early 2012 in anticipation of completion for the 2012-13 school year.
     Features of the new facility will include a synthetic turf field, eight lane track, top of the line lighting, new electronic score board, improved locker rooms, concession and restroom facilities.
     One long-time feature that will be carried over to the new facility is the traditional parking spaces directly behind the visitor's bench. Bleacher seating will be all on one side of the field.
      The project will be home to the Hornets Football team, the Boys and Girls track teams, Boys and Girls soccer teams and will be used by high school physical education classes and other activities.
      The facility is being funded completely through private donations raised by a Stadium Committee and the Chillicothe Education Foundation. Foundation President Ed Douglas says the stadium will have far ranging benefits.
     "The old stadium is separated from the High School which makes physical education at the High School very difficult" stated Douglas. "As an example, students that run the mile in physical education classes must run on the gravel parking lot and in wet weather, there is no suitable place for outside physical activity." Douglas stated it will also benefit marching band, which presently has to practice in a school parking lot.
     Funding for the project has come from a variety of sources. Local foundations donating to the project included the Jerry Litton Family Memorial Foundation, the Joe and Lenore Lambert Foundation, the Mervyn W. Jenkins Foundation, the Roger Browning Foundation, the F. M. and Gladys McCall Foundation, the Hedrick-Lawson Foundation, the Chillicothe Community Foundation and the Orscheln Foundation. Numerous local business and individuals also contributed to the project.

     Construction activity will begin immediately with dirt work and installing the new fields this fall. The buildings (locker rooms, concession stand and press box) and bleachers will be built early next year with the anticipation that the project will be completed for the 2012 fall sports season. McAnany Construction Inc, located in Shawnee, Kansas is the general contractor for the field work and Copeland Development Construction Company, Incorporated of Chillicothe is the general contractor for the buildings. Michael Cole of MW Cole Engineering, Inc, a CHS graduate, is the engineer for the project.

     Douglas stated the project is funded with five year donor pledges and will be financed with a loan from a local Chillicothe bank. The Education Foundation will own the property throughout the construction period then will be given to the School District. The Board of Education will determine the ultimate use of the existing stadium property.
      The Hornet All Sports Booster Club will embark on a community fund-raising campaign to obtain the last $200,000 necessary for special items to complete the project.