During halftime of the Huskies’ 49-35 win over visiting Lyons Township on Oct. 10, public address announcer Michael Lefevre read several interesting facts and figures about the history of OPRF Stadium. The OPRF community is celebrating the historic venue’s 90th anniversary this season.
“The stadium that we play in is awesome,” OPRF senior long snapper/linebacker Andrew Borgdorff said. “We’re not on a cookie cutter field with a regular metal set of bleachers. The brick grandstand right on campus has an electric feel when it gets lit up on Friday night and the bleachers are packed by friends.”
Added teammate Jahmari Moore: “It’s a very fun experience! The Dog Pound (student section) is awesome. We have the most loyal fans in the state! It’s not even close. The amazing part of it all is that these are our friends and family. Having fun on the field and with the fans is all I can ask for.”
The current stadium was designed by architects Perkins, Fellows and Hamilton, Master of the Praire School of Design in 1924. Playing before a crowd of 6,974 spectators, the Huskies edged Austin 13-0 on Sept. 27, 1924 in the first game played at OPRF Stadium. The 1924 OPRF team went undefeated en route to the Suburban League Championship.
OPRF hosted its first night football game on Sept. 18, 2009 against Glenbard West. The visiting Hilltoppers won 31-12. In 2013, the original 250-square foot press box (after 50 years) was replaced with a new, expanded press box (500 square feet).
The stadium offers a mix of old and new with relatively recent additions like lights and the new press box, while maintaining the original look and feel of the stadium, including its signature tunnel entry deisgned by architect Jens Jensen in 1915.
“Playing in Oak Park Stadium is the best thing,” OPRF junior wide receiver Patrick Skrine said. “The adrenalin I get on Friday Nights in front of thousands is one of the things I will always remember about OPRF Football. It’s got that old time feel and really stands out from other fields in the state.
In April of 2009, an estimated crowd of 2,500 fans visited OPRF Stadium to watch the University of Illinois football team hold a scrimmage. Sharing the same school colors and fight song, the alliance between OPRF and U of I also carries historical significance. From 1910-1913, coach Robert Zuppke led the Huskies to a pair of national championships and a 29-2 record before moving on to Champaign, where he guided the Illini to four national championships and seven Big Ten titles during his impressive 28-year tenure.
“OPRF is where coach Zuppke did it,” former Illinois coach Ron Zook said during his team’s visit to OPRF Stadium. “Everything we have at the University of Illinois in football kind of came from him. It’s pretty neat.”
Added Arrelious Benn, a U of I wideout at the time who has gone on to an NFL career with stops in Tampa Bay and Philadelphia.
“This visit gives fans and recruits in the area to see what we are all about,” Benn said back in 2009. “It’s a good trip for us, and I think Oak Park has a pretty nice high school field.
Aside from football, OPRF Stadium has hosted several sports including OPRF field hockey, soccer and lacrosse along with youth football soccer, OPRF physical education classes and commencement at the end of each high school year.
Before relocating its football games to Hoffman Stadium on the Morton West campus in Berwyn, Fenwick played its games at OPRF Stadium.
Other community events held at OPRF Stadium have been the Oak Park Community July 4 Fireworks since 1925 and a memorable U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps and Silent Drill Team Performance in 2009.
During its first decades of use, tobogganing slides were built over the stands for winter sledding. Helicopters also landed and took off with community airmail.
“This is such a special, historic stadium,” OPRF coach John Hoerster said. “When I coached at Mount Carmel, we played in a historic venue at Gately Stadium and OPRF Stadium is similar with so much tradition here.
“I love how the stadium is located near the heart of downtown Oak Park. Coming to football games on Friday nights is a big community event. Hopefully, we’ll continue to help create more special memories for our fans that come to the stadium.”