A proposal will go before the Springfield school board Tuesday to name the footfall field at Glendale High School after legendary coach Bob Price.
Price, who died in 2020, coached at Glendale for 24 seasons starting in 1973. He went 146-96 to become the winningest football coach in the history of Glendale and the Springfield district.
He led the Falcons to seven Ozark Conference championships and he was inducted into the Missouri Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1995.
Josh Scott, director of athletics and activities, said he’s heard talk of naming the field in Price’s honor since taking the job five years ago. He said the interest has only grown in that time.
“Whenever I receive significant interest from the community, I reach out to the superintendent to get permission to form a (naming) committee,” he said.
Three committees were formed in the past year. In addition to Coach Bob Price, two other naming proposals will also go before the board Tuesday:
If approved, each school will honor coaches — through signage, plaques and displays — who made a difference at the high school and with students as well as made a mark in the sport they coached.
“As we’re honoring these coaches, it’s not solely based off win-loss records” Scott said. “This is based off men and women who have made what we deem significant contributions to instill the values we want in our student athletes.”
Scott added: “It’s not a situation where you have to win a state championship or you don’t go in. We don’t define success that way. These are people who have been successful…building better kids.”
He explained the proposed names for the Kickapoo and Parkview gyms will allow the schools to honor past and future coaches.
Scott said they aren’t naming basketball courts after a single coach because they are the home court for multiple sports: volleyball, girl’s basketball, and boy’s basketball.
“We wanted to make sure we had something geared specifically toward that school and their culture and their mascot,” he said.
At Kickapoo, the emphasis is on honoring coaches who have been inducted to their respective sports’ Hall of Fame, the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame, and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
Scott said the name of a facility represents its history and helps tell its story to the crowd that gathers and future staff and students.
“When you go to Kickapoo now, not only do you know the history of our programs and how successful they’ve been. Not only do you know you are going into an atmosphere that you’re going to have to play your absolute best to compete with us…but now you look at the court and we’re going to remind you,” he said. “You’re in a place where we have Hall of Fame coaches in every single sport.”
The process for naming a building, facility or grounds in the district has been spelled out in board policy.
“There is always a name in mind and that is what initiates the conversation,” Scott said. “We’d like to make sure, when a name comes up, it’s not just spur of the moment.”
It starts with the creation of a committee to study potential names. Preference is given to names of local individuals associated with the use of the space, especially if they have a special significance to students, staff or the community.
Names of former school employees may be considered if they have been retired for five or more years or they are deceased.
The committees submit the proposed name to the superintendent, who forwards them to the school board for final approval.
Members of the three naming committees included:
In 2019, the board approved naming the Kickapoo soccer field after a pioneering coach and beloved science teacher, Jose Domingo Florez.
The Springfield school board will have a combined study session and regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting is open to the public. The agenda includes the following items:
Claudette Riley is the education reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to criley@news-leader.com.