Spartan Municipal Stadium
Portsmouth, Ohio
Ohio Historical Marker Dedication Ceremony
October 5, 2003
The Spartan Historical Society organized a ceremony to honor the oldest NFL stadium where football is regularly played. Numerous high school teams have had the privilege to play at the same stadium that once had NFL superstars like Bronko Nagurski on the field.
The Spartans was Ohio's only NFL team in the early 1930s and was the second smallest team in the league behind only Green Bay. The team came close to winning two titles in its four seasons (1930-1934). Because of the Great Depression, the team was sold to a Detroit businessman and renamed the Lions.
Glenn Presnell remains as the sole reminder of an age when men played football simply for the love of the game. The days before large TV contracts and sports agents alienated football players from the general public. In those days, professional football players had to work other jobs to supplement their incomes.
The Spartan Historical Society is a group of football fans devoted to promoting the memory of professional football in our area, the preservation of Spartan Municipal Stadium, and the enshrinement of Glenn Presnell at the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
The Spartan Historical Society
http://www.portsmouthspartans.org
front (L-R): Katie O'Neill, Billy McClurg back (L-R): Jim Ridgeway, Paul Flaugher, Glenn Presnell, Jim Kennedy, Bob Vaughn, Paul O'Neill, Chris Willis of NFL Films
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue wrote, “With Ohio celebrating its Bicentennial this year, it is certainly appropriate that Spartan Municipal Stadium today receives an Ohio Historical Society marker for being one of the early NFL stadiums still in use today.”
Chris Willis of NFL Films was the keynote speaker and spoke about the stadium and its fans. Willis stated, “The four years the Spartans spent playing home games here, their home record was 19 wins, two losses, and four ties. No other team in the NFL at that time, within those four years, had a better record at home.”
Glenn Presnell told the crowd about the Spartans traveling by bus in order to save money. “I can remember the one bus trip we took. We went to Washington, then back to New York, from New York to St. Louis, St. Louis to Chicago, and then Chicago back to Portsmouth. I will always remember the long number of fans that met us out at Lucasville to escort us into town and I don’t think we lost a game.”
Ironton's Dave Berry wrote and performed a song as a tribute to professional football in our area. The names Jim (Thorpe), Earl (Dutch Clark), and Glenn (Presnell) refer to professional football stars that played in Southern Ohio back in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The song was played at Spartan Municipal Stadium on October 5, 2003 as Glenn Presnell was introduced as the special guest for the Ohio historical marker dedication. It was a touching moment as the crowd rose and applauded the legendary Spartan, Glenn Presnell.
http://tuhker.tripod.com/menofiron.html
All photos are the property of Bob Vaughn & may not be reproduced without permission.
Copyright Bob Vaughn 2001, 2002, 2003. All rights reserved.
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