Written by Bailey Coffman // Photo by Macy Cox
Each landmark in Searcy is significant. The First Security Stadium, home to Harding University’s football team, is no exception. Built in 1957, the field has had several revenovations over the years, the most recent being in 2014 when members of the 1959 football team and their families donated money to build a new scoreboard and video board. This fall, with the help of various coaches and board members, a new jumbotron has been constructed as part of the first phase of remodeling different athletic facilities.
In this first phase, the new scoreboard was moved to the other side of the field in conjunction with the other stadium renovations, which will include new weight rooms, concession stands, bathrooms and more. According to the production manager at Harding, Mark Prior, the new video board is 43 feet in width and 24 feet in height. When asked what this new addition to the First Security Stadium would mean in this coming year, head football coach Paul Simmons said though he’s not sure the new board will win the football team more games in this upcoming season, he is constantly looking for ways to make the stadium experience as positive as possible. He said he hopes the new jumbotron will improve the fan experience, as he wants his fans “to be fired up about coming to the games.”
Jeff Morgan, Harding athletic director, mentioned the community involvement in different
Searcy-owned businesses, two of the biggest being Unity Health and Sonic. These companies have played a huge role in making the dream of the full remodel of the First Security Stadium a reality.
“I think for Harding, one of the things we’ve always tried to do is … [have] these great relationships with people in the community,” Morgan said. “The advertisers that we have out there, we have a great partnership, and there’s a lot of people that want to support Bison football … and be a part of it.”
As Harding enters the next phase of this remodeling process, it is clear the motivation behind these steps is a love of community. Every decision made has been an effort of connection – connecting the University to the town of Searcy, connecting the fans to the players and the players to the game. Go Bisons!
