EVERETT — This spring, Archbishop Murphy High School students will have an artificial turf field for the first time.
No longer will the students face a muddy, swampy mess during the rainy season.
The new field was a dream of iconic local coach football Terry Ennis, who died in 2007. The funding comes from an anonymous $730,000 donation made in Ennis’ memory, school spokeswoman Shannon McCann said. The ground-breaking ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Terry Ennis Stadium on campus. The artificial turf project is scheduled to wrap up in April, if the weather cooperates.
Ennis was a record-breaking coach and a Pacific Northwest Football Hall of Fame inductee. He died from cancer at 63. He had coached for 36 years, starting at Cascade High School in Everett. A 1962 graduate of Everett High School, Ennis had a career of 287 wins and three state titles.
School staff, students and families are expected to gather for Tuesday’s event, as well as a representative from the Ennis family, McCann said.
Each sports team that uses the field will have a leader present for the ceremony. That includes football, boys’ and girls’ soccer, and a new lacrosse program, McCann said.
For young men, Ennis was a motivational leader and “inspirational force,” said Roger Brodniak, an Archbishop social studies teacher who was an assistant coach for Ennis from 2000 to 2007.
Brodniak, now 40, also played high school football for Ennis at Cascade, he said. He gave up a job as an attorney to work for Ennis.
Ennis urged young people “to do the right thing at all times,” Brodniak said.
“A lot of little details usually added up to big success, so he wasn’t always talking about championships or winning, he talked about getting every little detail right, and that led to winning,” he said.
Ennis saw the school field as a place young people could be drawn to, where they could find opportunities and life lessons, Brodniak said.
The Wildcats logo will decorate the center of the new field.
Improved safety is the biggest benefit from adding the artificial turf, athletics director Erick Streelman said Friday. A muddy field poses a higher risk for twisted ankles and sprained knees.
The school often has to limit use of the field in rainy months, he said. The new turf also will be used for physical education classes, and as training space for other sports such as track and field.
“We’re really excited to be able to use it more and get more kids out there more often,” Streelman said. “Something like this would not be possible without our community. It has been so generous in making this happen. Our donors and the people who support us have been so generous and so giving in order to make this a reality.”
Stadium improvements over the past decade have included new lights, a press box, and bleachers. The most recent field update was new sod in 2009. The stadium seats about 700 people.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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