When the referee’s whistle trilled moments after the final seconds ticked off the clock last Friday evening, the football game between the hosting Herbert Hoover High School Huskies and the Mingo Central High Miners ended, a dominating HHHS 55-3 victory at Joe Eddie Cowley Field in Clendenin.
It also marked the Huskies’ final game played at the storied field, concluding 57 fall seasons of football (and other sporting events throughout the year) that happened there, first as Husky Stadium and later as Joe Eddie Cowley Field (renamed in honor of the late HHHS football coach who led teams from 1978 to 1998 and ranks third for most high school football wins — 163 — in Kanawha County history).
Following last Friday’s game at “The Joe,” a “Final Lights Out” ceremony took place, a photo opportunity for students, alumni and fans to take the field and take pictures. Afterward, a short history was read of games and highlights of special moments at Joe Eddie Cowley Field, and the field’s lights were, literally, turned off for the last time.
On the Herbert Hoover Football Twitter and Facebook social media accounts, several of the field’s signature moments were posted as part of its nearly 60-year legacy. They include:
• 1965: The first game was played at the field on Sept. 4, with the Huskies taking on DuPont High. The first Huskies victory on the field — over Charleston Catholic High — occurred on Nov. 18.
• 1977: The Huskies clinched an undefeated season of play with a 65-0 win over Charleston Catholic High.
• 1994: The largest crowd ever recorded at Husky Stadium occurred on Sept. 30, prompted by the appearance of DuPont High foe and future NFL wide receiver Randy Moss.
• 2007: New bleachers were installed at Husky Stadium.
• 2011: The renaming to Joe Eddie Cowley Field.
• 2016: The first game played following the June flooding that forced the closure of Herbert Hoover High. It was on Sept. 9 versus Nitro.
• 2021: The Huskies clinched another undefeated season, going 10-0 by conquering Logan High 48-6.
Extremely familiar with much of that and other Husky gridiron lore is HHHS Principal Mike Kelley, who offered a pre-game forecast two days before the finale kickoff.
“It’s going to be an emotional night for a lot of people,” Kelley said. “I think it’s bittersweet for those with so many memories of Joe Eddie Cowley Field, but people are also very excited about the new facility. It’s a bit of an emotional roller coaster.”
Kelley counts himself among those roller coaster riders. “My dad coached at Hoover. I’ve been going to football games at Hoover since I can remember. My brother and I used to go to football practices with my dad. As kids, we’d be there all day long and we served as managers. It’s not since the stadium opened, but I’ve been going to Hoover football games since the mid-’70s.”
He said he thinks the many of the collective memories will also be for two men who shaped the field’s history without ever playing a down on the turf. “Joe Cowley meant a lot to me. He meant a lot to a lot of people up in our Elk River community. And Marvin Gandee worked on that field for the last three decades and did that for free. He wanted the field to be nice for the kids and the fans, and he recently passed away. I think there’ll be some emotion tied to that during the last game, too.”
Cowley died at the age of 80 in June 2016 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Hoover faculty and staff members and students held a memorial service for Gandee, nicknamed “Greasy,” on Oct. 20 at the football field as well. Named to the HHHS Hall of Fame, Gandee, 86, died on Oct. 14 after a short illness.
If all things continue according to plan, next season, the Huskies will play their home games on the athletic field adjoining the new high school located between the Interstate 79 Elkview exit of Interstate 79 and U.S. 119 in Elkview. The field will include bleachers built into a hillside and be part of an area incorporating practice football and soccer fields, tennis courts, and batting cages.
“As of today, yes, we think we will be ready to start playing all of our athletics at the new school next year,” Kelley said.
It also marked the Huskies’ final game played at the storied field, concluding 57 fall seasons of football (and other sporting events throughout the year) that happened there, first as Husky Stadium and later as Joe Eddie Cowley Field (renamed in honor of the late HHHS football coach who led teams from 1978 to 1998 and ranks third for most high school football wins — 163 — in Kanawha County history).
Following last Friday’s game at “The Joe,” a “Final Lights Out” ceremony took place, a photo opportunity for students, alumni and fans to take the field and take pictures. Afterward, a short history was read of games and highlights of special moments at Joe Eddie Cowley Field, and the field’s lights were, literally, turned off for the last time.
On the Herbert Hoover Football Twitter and Facebook social media accounts, several of the field’s signature moments were posted as part of its nearly 60-year legacy. They include:
• 1965: The first game was played at the field on Sept. 4, with the Huskies taking on DuPont High. The first Huskies victory on the field — over Charleston Catholic High — occurred on Nov. 18.
• 1977: The Huskies clinched an undefeated season of play with a 65-0 win over Charleston Catholic High.
• 1994: The largest crowd ever recorded at Husky Stadium occurred on Sept. 30, prompted by the appearance of DuPont High foe and future NFL wide receiver Randy Moss.
• 2007: New bleachers were installed at Husky Stadium.
• 2011: The renaming to Joe Eddie Cowley Field.
• 2016: The first game played following the June flooding that forced the closure of Herbert Hoover High. It was on Sept. 9 versus Nitro.
• 2021: The Huskies clinched another undefeated season, going 10-0 by conquering Logan High 48-6.
Extremely familiar with much of that and other Husky gridiron lore is HHHS Principal Mike Kelley, who offered a pre-game forecast two days before the finale kickoff.
“It’s going to be an emotional night for a lot of people,” Kelley said. “I think it’s bittersweet for those with so many memories of Joe Eddie Cowley Field, but people are also very excited about the new facility. It’s a bit of an emotional roller coaster.”
Kelley counts himself among those roller coaster riders. “My dad coached at Hoover. I’ve been going to football games at Hoover since I can remember. My brother and I used to go to football practices with my dad. As kids, we’d be there all day long and we served as managers. It’s not since the stadium opened, but I’ve been going to Hoover football games since the mid-’70s.”
He said he thinks the many of the collective memories will also be for two men who shaped the field’s history without ever playing a down on the turf. “Joe Cowley meant a lot to me. He meant a lot to a lot of people up in our Elk River community. And Marvin Gandee worked on that field for the last three decades and did that for free. He wanted the field to be nice for the kids and the fans, and he recently passed away. I think there’ll be some emotion tied to that during the last game, too.”
Cowley died at the age of 80 in June 2016 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Hoover faculty and staff members and students held a memorial service for Gandee, nicknamed “Greasy,” on Oct. 20 at the football field as well. Named to the HHHS Hall of Fame, Gandee, 86, died on Oct. 14 after a short illness.
If all things continue according to plan, next season, the Huskies will play their home games on the athletic field adjoining the new high school located between the Interstate 79 Elkview exit of Interstate 79 and U.S. 119 in Elkview. The field will include bleachers built into a hillside and be part of an area incorporating practice football and soccer fields, tennis courts, and batting cages.
“As of today, yes, we think we will be ready to start playing all of our athletics at the new school next year,” Kelley said.
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