Goodbye to old Seymour stands

The old stands at Benton Householder Field came down this month to make way for new metal bleachers that will nearly double the capacity in the visitor’s stands. The construction project came just in the nick of time. John F. Kennedy was President when the stands were originally built in 1963. The braces were concrete block and originally had wooden slats that ran across the braces to make the seats. The stands served for four years until a freak occurrence led to the wood’s removal. During a class picture in 1967, the wooden slats had more than they could handle and several of the planks gave way. In 1968, as Lyndon Johnson was announcing he would not run for re-election, the remaining boards were removed and poured concrete slabs were placed on top of the braces to make bench seating. The late seventies and early eighties saw the batting cage for the new baseball field, later to be named for Don Doyle, put underneath the stands. Across the field the large home stands with a new coaches’ and press box was installed. The old box was retired from use due to safety concerns. The old stands had periodic refurbishing but concerns over the original braces and the limited size led to the plans for the new risers. “Those stands could hold about 500, maybe a little more if they knew each other well,” said long time Eagles Head Football Coach and Athletics Director Gary Householder. As Seymour High has grown so have the number of fans on both sides of the field. SHS has doubled in size in the last fifteen years. According to Householder when the weight of the slabs was removed the old braces on the ends simply collapsed into piles of block. The new stands are similar to the facilities at Pigeon Forge High School and will have room to accommodate nearly a thousand visiting fans. The wooden light poles were also removed and new metal poles are going up to replace them. The construction time line would have the new stands in place by July 4. Final work on the light poles will be completed shortly after. The new stands’ height is accommodated by extra distance. The stands will come very close to the baseball field’s foul line. If space allows Seymour Head Baseball Coach, Brian McCord plans to replace the batting cage under the stands with a new facility. Parts were salvaged from the old cage before it was taken down with the stands. McCord has secured funding for a new batting cage but is hoping some funds will be available to help reseed the outfield. Seymour’s new locker room facility is also nearing completion on the high school home side of the field. The old facility is located on what is now the Intermediate Schhol end of the field and has seen better days. All the new facilities should be ready in time for the first home game against Fulton on September 12. 3A Seymour opens its schedule at 5A Sevier County High on Saturday, August 23 in a intercounty grudge match. Don Doyle field is closed due to the construction. While the football field is not directly in the construction area, Coach Householder has “Stay off field” signs posted to protect the grass for the upcoming gridiron season.