ASU Football Team has a New Stadium to Call Home

On the heels of a $1.4 million donation by Dr. Robert and Jean Ann LeGrand to provide the newly named LeGrand Stadium and Sports Complex at 1st Community Credit Union Field with new seats and lights, the Rams can now play on the campus of Angelo State.

Currently, Angelo State plays football down Johnson Street at San Angelo Stadium, where they have been since 1956. The Rams also share the stadium with Lake View and Central High Schools. The LeGrand Stadium and Sports Complex at 1st Community Credit Union Field will be located directly behind the Junell Center and will allow the Rams to have their own stadium to play.

“There is something about having your field on your own campus with your logos and being able to look out from that weight room and seeing that beautiful surface and understanding that when you come to that field, it’s like coming home,” Angelo State President Dr. Brian May said at a press conference announcing the donation Wednesday. “And we want our athletic teams to feel like they are coming home.”

The road to get to this point, however, has been a long one and has seen more generosity than just the LeGrand’s donation. With donations from the San Angelo Health Foundation, Larry Clark from Houston, and another anonymous donor, plus a large $600,000 donation from 1st Community Federal Credit Union, Angelo State was able to replace the grass at the then track stadium to artificial turf so the football team would have a place to practice that was all their own.

“I told them [1st Community] that we would play one game there [at the track stadium] a year. One game.  Well, to have one game, you need to at least have a score clock. Well, if you’re going to have a scoreboard, and artificial turf, and you got the home side stands, what we need are visitor’s stands,” May continued.

To get that scoreboard, Texas Bank from San Angelo stepped up with an additional $50,000. The LeGrand’s donation will help to get everything else.

Over the years, Angelo State has seen Dr. Robert and Jean Ann LeGrand donate over $4.2 million to a variety of causes, including academic and athletic scholarships, as well as funding for the LeGrand Alumni Center.

When told of the cost for the new stands, press boxes, and lights for the new stadium, Dr. May said that “The LeGrands did not hesitate. And because of their commitment and continued support for Angelo State University—not only in athletics, but academics—we will now play all of our home games on campus at Angelo State University.”

While the primary sport played on the surface will be football, the new stadium will also help other Angelo State athletic programs.

“It’s not [just] a football stadium, it’s a dual-purpose facility. We have a great track program here. Track and Field is very important here at Angelo State and a lot of things we were able to do in the original construction has actually enhanced our ability to run track meets here at ASU,” athletic director Sean Johnson said.

According to Coach Will Wagner, the home field advantage offered by the new stadium is already having positive effects on his team, even before the season starts.

“I know our kids are fired up. We talked about this during offseason conditioning that this was a possibility and that was probably one of our best workouts that we had all day,” head football coach Will Wagner said. “Just to see the enthusiasm from our guys and it’s carried over to spring ball. We’ve had some of our best practices since I’ve been here. The kids are excited about the possibilities and now to have it on campus is going to be something special.

“Our kids understand the tradition that is here at Angelo State University,” Wagner continued, “and they’re excited to establish a new tradition of playing all home games here.”

Senior Linebacker Rush Seaver echoed his coaches sentiments, saying, ”I think it’s going to be a huge advantage for us when we have [Western State] coming into town and we have the stands full with all the people in the dorms just having to walk over there…I’ve been here for four years and we’ve always talked about, you know, we want to play on our own field, we want to have ‘ASU Ram’ on the field, and now we have that.”

The Rams will kick off the season September 13 against Western State at 6 p.m. at their new home in front of a hopefully packed house.