The 2005 Homecoming game on Saturday between the Bakersfield College Renegades and the Ventura College Pirates will mark the 50th anniversary of Memorial Stadium.
Tickets are free to the game as school officials hope to fill as many seats as possible for the celebration. It’s an important game for the 6-2 Renegades as well as a fun birthday celebration, according to Jan Stuebbe, BC athletic director.
There will be a pregame ceremony at 6:30 p.m. before the football game. Former athletic directors, head football coaches and track coaches will be present for the celebration, including members of BC’s 1955 football team, Stuebbe said.
“The 1955 football team will be introduced. Claude Gilbert, the first player to touch the ball and Jim Riley the first player to score at Memorial Stadium, will be in attendance at the Homecoming celebration,” Stuebbe said. “The first 1,000 kids (12 and under) to enter the gates will receive Big Red nerf footballs, and we will be singing “Happy Birthday” to Memorial during the game.”
Terry Morris, Ventura head coach, is looking forward to a competitive game as well as the country atmosphere that Bakersfield presents.
“It’s an honor and always fun to go to Memorial Stadium and play a tradition like Bakersfield,” Morris said. “Ventura and Bakersfield used to be a rivalry years ago. We are going to show up to play and hope to give everyone a good game. Our goal is to keep the cannon from sounding off.
“I’m just a good ol’ boy from Texas, Tennessee and I love the country music scene up there,” Morris said. “I hope Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakum are there. I hope Yoakum sings the national anthem.”
Memorial Stadium was completed in 1956. The stadium has an estimated 19,000 seats, said Becky Hawthorne, business services ticket office coordinator. It is the largest community college stadium in the state. So far, through giving out tickets and season-ticket holders, approximately 8,000 have tickets for the game, including several groups, such as fire department workers, post office workers and local schools. Stuebbe estimated the crowd will be more than 10,000.