Anderson Field/Bobcat Stadium

The Grandview Heights High School (GHHS) football stadium was built as a result of the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA), which provided paid jobs to the unemployed during the Great Depression.

The WPA earmarked $20,000 for the construction of a new stadium; other contributions brought the total construction cost to approximately $27,000. 

The 1250-seat stadium was completed and dedicated in 1938. 

Today, the stadium continues to host various Grandview Heights Schools and community sporting events and other functions.   

An artificial grass surface was installed on the field in 2007. The field was renamed after one of Grandview Height's legacy families, the Andersons,  who donated $325,000 of the $500,000 total cost of the new surface.  

Walter Earnest Anderson (W.E.) was a member of the Grandview Board of Education from 1928-31, serving as President in 1930 and 1931. During W.E.'s tenure, the Board approved grading, sodding, and fencing the athletic field between Fifth and Third Avenues. W. E.'s son, Ralph H. Anderson, class of 1927, was a member of the Board from 1956-1959, serving as President in 1957 and 1958. During Ralph's tenure the Board approved construction of the current high school gymnasium and the breezeway as well as improvements to the athletic field. 

W.E. (1871-1954) founded Anderson Concrete with his eldest son Willis in 1921. The company was one of the first to deploy transit mix concrete. Anderson family members still lead the company today.    

Roy Leslie Anderson (R.L.,1882-1969), brother of W.E., had a local business in truck hauling, later expanding to digging foundations and laying asphalt driveways. 

Many Anderson family members attended Grandview Heights Schools and displayed their athletic prowess on this field.  Among them was Richard D. Anderson (grandson of W.E.) who was inducted in the Grandview Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 for his outstanding accomplishments in both football and track.   

This program and lapel pin are from the October 1938 dedication ceremony of the GHHS football stadium. A pencil notation on the program indicates that Grandview beat Westerville South 25-7 in the first high school football game played in the new stadium. 

View of original athletic field looking north across Third Avenue from the high school, prior to stadium construction on the site. Large trees still line the southern portion of the field. 

Jack R. Anderson (back left) was a member of the GHHS 1941 tennis team his junior year. Jack was son of R.L. Anderson and his wife Katherine. Jack went on to an illustrious career in health care, eventually becoming president of Hospital Affiliates International and Chairman of INA Health Care Group (now the CIGNA Group); he also led several other large health institutions during his professional career. Jack was recognized with a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the GHHS Alumni Association.

The original football field at Bobcat Stadium provides a great background for Ralph Guglielmi, a Grandview Heights football player and 1951 graduate, shown here practicing his passing skills. Guglielmi went on to play quarterback at Notre Dame, was an All-American College Player of the Year, and was 4th in balloting for the Heisman Trophy in 1954. He played in the National Football League from 1954 to 1963, and was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.