Victory Stadium - History

History

Victory Stadium was constructed in 1942. The name was meant to be a rallying cry for Allied victory in World War II. The stadium seated approximately 25,000, which made it the largest football stadium in Virginia when it opened, and regularly hosted games with large crowds during the first decades of its existence. Most famously, Victory Stadium hosted an annual Thanksgiving Day game between Virginia Military Institute, or VMI, and Virginia Tech, then known as VPI, until 1969. The game was part of a day of festivities which included a parade from downtown Roanoke to the stadium. From 1958 to 1969, Victory Stadium also hosted an annual game, typically featuring VPI, known as the Harvest Bowl. From 1946 to 1950, the South's Oldest Rivalry between the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina was held at the stadium. Roanoke's now closed Jefferson High School attracted large crowds in the 1950s and 1960s and won the state championship in 1957. In 1971, Victory Stadium hosted the Virginia High School League Group AAA state football championship in which T. C. Williams High School of Alexandria, Virginia defeated Andrew Lewis High School of Salem, Virginia 27-0. T.C. Williams' season was depicted in the 2000 film Remember the Titans although Andrew Lewis was replaced with another team in the film's championship game. In 1973, Roanoke's Patrick Henry High School won the Group AAA state football championship, defeating T.C. Williams, 9-0, at Victory Stadium in a semifinal match. In 1996, Victory Stadium hosted the Group AA, Division 4 state football championship in which Salem High School defeated Sherando High School of Stephens City, Virginia 20-12. In 2004, Roanoke's William Fleming High School defeated Magna Vista High School of Henry County 13-8 in a Group AA, Division 4 state football semi-final at Victory Stadium en route to a state runner-up season.

From the 1970s through 2005, Victory Stadium primarily served as the home football field for Roanoke's two high schools, Patrick Henry and William Fleming. Other special events were held at the stadium such as an annual 4th of July concert and a Dave Matthews Band concert in 1998 which attracted the largest crowd in Victory Stadium's history. Franklin County Speedway owner Donald "Whitey" Taylor staged several stock car races in the stadium in 1991 and 1992; races had also been run during the 1950s and 1960s. The stadium's location next to the Roanoke River resulted in the field being flooded several times. The last serious flood occurred in the fall of 2004 and forced many home football games that season to be moved to other schools. Concerns about the stadium's structural integrity caused engineers to close off upper levels to fans in 2005. All home football games for the 2006 season were scheduled to be played at other schools in the Roanoke area before the stadium's fate was decided. The final game played at Victory Stadium was a 42-16 William Fleming victory over Alleghany High School.