Looking for the best seat in Highlander Stadium? It could be in a neighbor’s garage, office, bedroom, or courtyard.
The stadium is getting an upgrade thanks to 2015 bond funds, and its Blue Back chairs are being replaced for the first time since the stadium was built in 1980.
The original chairs were removed in May. Many were disposed of, but about 150 were saved and stored in the end zones until July 31, when Scots fans had a chance to take home a piece of history during the first-ever Highlander Stadium Seat Sale.
A customer was already waiting outside the stadium by the time the sale started at 9 a.m. She was an HPISD alum who wasn’t sure what she was going to do with a seat, but knew that she needed one.
“It’s a special community, and this is a small piece of it,” 2001 grad Will Armstrong said as he selected chairs about an hour later.
When they’re attached to Highlander Stadium, Blue Back seats are pricey and hard to get. Once a seat-holder has purchased their Blue Backs, they have a right-of-first refusal on their seats. Many keep the same spots for years.
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The removed seats were a bargain at $20 each, though they required some tinkering to be useful as places to sit. The seats didn’t stand on their own, and many pairs only included one side arm.
But despite more than 40 years in the elements, their plastic didn’t show signs of heavy wear and tear. HPISD facilities director Marcus Crispin explained that they don’t make chairs like these anymore. The seats are hard plastic, and the legs cast iron.
Charlie Flint, a member of the Highland Park football team’s defensive line, and Crews Messer, who plays quarterback, helped lift the heavy pairsof seats as they were selected by customers.
The students, who have a lifetime-worth of memories of the seats, said they were happy to help with the task. Flint remembered watching his brother from the stands while eating “loads of hot dogs.”
Ryan Fanning, a member of the class of 2007, bought pairs of seats with the numbers 12, 34, 33, 10, and 44, the same ones that he and teammates wore when they played football for HP in the backfield. He also picked up a pair with his lacrosse number and the year of his graduation.
“As you get older, just seeing the program, seeing the history, and the gratitude of being a part of that kind of work with people that you grew up with and know so intimately has been impossible to replicate,” Fanning said. “Good memories. Lifelong friends.”
Proceeds from the Stadium Seat Sale will help create more memories for HPISD alums. Funds will be used by the Highland Park Alumni Association, which brings graduates together at reunions and events such as the distinguished alumni program, explained Tracy Flint, director of alumni relations at the Highland Park Education Foundation.
And this year’s Scots fans won’t be left seat-less. The Blue Backs will be replaced with versions in the same shade of blue, but with legs that appear more golden than faded yellow, facilities director Crispin said.
Fans can also expect their stadium to have a fresh coat of paint and one more showstopping upgrade — LED lights that can change colors and sync to music.
