Enterprise says goodbye to Bates Memorial Stadium

ENTERPRISE — Enterprise residents filled “The Hole” one last time Friday night to watch their Wildcats play what was likely their last game in the much-beloved Bates Memorial Stadium.

Excitement and a bittersweet sense of goodbye colored the atmosphere of the game Friday night, as each spectator in the stands realized that this was likely the last time the Wildcats would thunder down the steps of the stadium onto the field, or the last time their team would score a touchdown or make a first down there.

Generations of former Wildcats watched the game, each probably reliving a few memories of his own with every play on the field.

“It’s sentimental,” Marrell Jenkins, class of ’66, said. “It’s a sad, sad thing. If you think about football, and you think about Enterprise football, then you think about Bates Memorial Stadium.”

Jonte Garcia, an Enterprise High student, said, “No matter what happens here tonight, there are going to be a lot of memories of the last game played at ‘The Hole.’ ”

Related:

Former Enterprise Wildcats Carlos Robinson and Harrell Thompson, as well as former "Big Blue" band member Ricky Adams sit down on the old concrete steps to share their memories of times in "the hole," and the people who contributed to the rich history in R.L. Bates Memorial Stadium.

To view our multi-part video interview with them, or video from the final game, please visit this video page or see them on the youtube channel at youtube.com/enterpriseledger.

Wildcat football and Bates Memorial Stadium have been a family tradition for the McQueen family. Mike McQueen played football for Enterprise in the late 70s before attending the University of Alabama and playing for coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Two of his sons, Nicholas and Alex, recently played for the team before graduating, and another son, Mitchell plays for the Wildcats now.

“There’s a connection of generations for us,” Mike said.

For Alex, playing football for the Wildcats gave him the opportunity to see if all of his dad’s stories of the glory days were true.

“I didn’t know if it would live up to the hype, but it certainly did,” he said.

Bates Memorial Stadium has been the home of the Wildcats for more than 50 years. Named in memory of Enterprise’s principal in the 1930s, R.L. Bates, it is the only building or facility in the Enterprise School System named after an individual.

The stadium has long been a good luck charm for the Wildcats. Enterprise teams have won 76.7 percent of their games at the stadium, including the first one played by the Wildcats after a 2007 tornado which leveled the main school building.

Enterprise officials recognized every decade of individuals associated with the program from the 54 years during the game. Included was the 1979 state championship team, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The Wildcats also won a state title in 1982 and were named mythical state champions in 1960 during the Bates Memorial years. Prior to the game, the school also received about $110,000 from Ronnie Gilley and BamaJam Enterprises through the Bo Harrell Foundation and the Jimmy Bowden Foundation.

The Wildcats will relocate next season to a new stadium built at the site of the new Enterprise High School.