Looking Back: the football field was where?

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society
 
When Grain Valley High School introduced football in 1923 I believe their field was on the north side of the 1909 brick school.  My belief is based on some old photographs and what I remember being told years ago.  (I am old, but I really don’t remember much about football games in our town until the 1950s)

1932 Grain Valley Football Team
  
I do remember the football field west of the school. In researching this article, I found the following story in the 1949 Treasure Chest (yearbook):
 
In the twenty years between 1928-29 and 1948-49 no Grain Valley eleven-man football team ever won more than three games in any one season. The 1948 football team very decisively broke that jinx, winning eight games out of nine played.
Grain Valley really went all out for football during the 1948 season. At a very considerable expense, a new lighted football field was made available. This required the purchase, by the Board of Education, of more land adjacent to the original school field, the grading of the land and the erection of the lights. The Grain Valley Parent Teachers Association contributed $500 to the fund as well as sponsoring a benefit play for the lights.
              On September 1, about thirty-six boys answered the call for football practice, A great deal of new equipment fired the boys with the determination to show the community we were grateful for their efforts.
              After the necessary required practice the important night rolled around. The sidelines were filled with more people than (had) ever attended a football game here before.
              Oak Grove, our opponent for the evening, came on to the field followed shortly by the blue and white Valley squad. Whistles blew, the game started—and such a game! Grain Valley literally swept them off their feet. When the final whistle blew the score read—Grain Valley 39, Oak Grove 0.

1948 Grain Valley Football Team
Photograph from the 1949 Treasure Chest
 
 
Do you recognize any names from the 1948 squad? Eugene Affolter, Dick Bradford, Gene Butler, Charles Ray Brown, Reid Butler, Larry Ellis, Melvin Foltz, Kenneth Gibler, Paul Graham, Jimmie Stephenson and Alvin Story.
 
Reading this article from the old Treasure Chest, one thing stuck out in my mind. Our team was referred to as “the blue and white Valley squad.” The recent adoption of the term “Valley” in reference to our school is not new.  It was used 76 years ago, at least in this football story!
 
NEXT WEEK
I was recently encouraged to write about the football field behind the community center but then my research led to this story.  NEXT WEEK, I will tell you about the original Moody Murry Field!