A new era begins this month with the announcement that the Columbiana Booster Club is beginning its campaign to renovate the crumbling football stadium and add new features to the entire complex.

With Firestone Park newly restored and beautified, it was obvious the next center of attention had to be this aging structure.

Completed in 1936 when Harvey and Idabelle Firestone bequeathed the new park to the town of Columbiana, the structure has undergone many changes over the years. It was constructed of stamped concrete that still stands today and was and is one of only two stadiums in the state of Ohio to be located in a public park. A special feature at that time was two small concrete dressing rooms under the stadium for the teams to dress. These unique spaces were relegated to storage in the 1950’s when a stand-alone locker room was built and lighting was installed. Friday night football was born.

The 1970’s saw the removal of the wooden seats and installation of aluminum seating, a sprinkler system, and improvements made to the 100-yard playing field. The scoreboard was replaced in recent years funded by the Firestone family in order to avoid breaking one of the deed covenants which forbids advertising of any form in the park. In 2020 the Columbiana Exempted Village School District took over ownership of the stadium from the City of Columbiana with a long-term lease agreement.

Many fine athletes have graced Firestone Field over the years, perhaps of most note, Dick “Sonny” Fisher. After an outstanding career at Columbiana High School he went on to star at Ohio State University from 1939 to 1941. It was during this era that the football team got its “Clipper” nickname that stands to this day. The sports announcer who did the play-by-play for the Buckeye games would say: “There goes the Columbiana Clipper” and the name stuck in honor of this famous Columbiana athlete.

Dick Fisher played for both football and basketball teams at his high school and at OSU; he also set some of the track event records for CHS. Most local fans regard him as the most exceptional athlete, among many other talented players, to represent and play for the high school.

For that reason, the Fisher family is requesting that the newly-renovated stadium bear his name, the Dick “Sonny” Fisher Stadium. In conjunction with the Bradford A. and Patricia L. Tingle Foundation, they are pledging a $300,000 donation if residents can raise and match that amount. The cost of the new stadium is $1.4 million dollars and has been identified as Phase 1 of the overall project. The entire project cost, which includes two other phases and includes new field surfaces, a band shell, updated restrooms and a new concession stand is estimated at $3.2 million dollars.

During the next several months Booster Club officers, members and school and city officials on the Stadium Committee will be reaching out to the community for donations and gifts. Booster Club officers are: Sean Zentner, President; Pat Tofil, Vice President; Becky Buchheit, Treasurer; Kami Bacon, Secretary; and Nick DeMaiolo, Teams Coordinator. Rose Conrad is serving as Public-Relations Director. Officials of the Columbiana Exempted Village Schools working with the Boosters on the Stadium Committee includes: Don Mook, Superintendent; David Buzzard, Principal; Jeff Jackson, Vice-Principal; Jason Martin, Middle School Principal; Kim Sharshan, Elementary Principal; Bob Spaite, Head Football Coach; Erin Heasley, Athletic Director; Larry Baughman, Assistant Athletic Director; Ryan Holmes, Intervention Specialist; Kathy Davies, Treasurer; and Tony Roncone, Columbiana School Board. Additional committee members are Lance Willard, Columbiana City Manager; Dan Bekar, Columbiana City Council; Ron Detwiler, Randy Guy & Nancy Tirpak, Columbiana Park Board; Summer Barker, Strollo Architects; Pat Tingle, Donor; and Ashley Booth, a member of the Boosters.

Accompanying this article see the picture of the newly designed stadium prepared by Summer Barker of Strollo Architects. Plans are to demolish the dated interior, install metal stands and a new outer shell similar to the historic one constructed in 1936. The stands will be modified to minimize the height of the press box, offer reserved seating and ADA accessibility in the central area.

The stadium committee is meeting weekly with plans to have the new stadium ready for the 2024 football season. For continuing updates on this exciting community capital project, visit “Columbiana Athletic Boosters” on Facebook.