By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Much has grown up around Rhodes Stadium on Elon’s campus, but for many longtime observers of the university’s football team it still seems like a new venue.
It turns 25 years old this week.
“It’s such an upgrade for the program. More importantly, for the institution,” said Marty Baker, who spent more than 40 years as an athletic trainer at the school. “Look at it, 25 years ago and now, it’s still a pretty dang good place.”
There have been wins and losses for the Phoenix in the on-campus home – and some stories along the way.
Kyle Wills, who became a senior associate athletics director, has been on hand for Elon game days for more than a half-century. He’s one of the links from the past venue to the current.
The stadium was built in an undeveloped part of campus, though walkable from the main academic center of the college.
“I’ve got a photo of Alan White and I with a shovel,” Wills said, referring to the former longtime athletics director.
The stadium was built with major financial support from Elon trustee Dusty Rhodes, and his wife, Peggy. It’s named after the Rhodes family. He died in 2024 and she passed away in February.
“I think the vision of Dusty and Peggy Rhodes holds true today,” Baker said.
Elon had long played games off campus at Burlington Memorial Stadium on the campus at Williams High School. On game days, the facility was rebranded to give it an Elon tone, with that transformation often taking place in the hours following high school games on Friday nights.
The opener of the new $13 million stadium was scheduled for Sept. 15, 2001, against Eastern Kentucky. Earlier that week, terrorist attacks that became known as 9/11 changed the course of everyday life in the country. Sports events were cancelled or postponed around the country for days, but some non-major colleges went ahead with plans to hold contests.
The Eastern Kentucky/Elon football game stayed on the schedule temporarily. The Eastern Kentucky team even departed on the trip to North Carolina before the decision came late in the week to cancel the game.
So instead, the first game at Rhodes Stadium was held a week later. North Carolina A&T won 23-7 on Sept. 22, 2001.
Baker would have missed the originally scheduled stadium debut because of a scouting trip with his son.
“Everyone had in their mind why we were here (Sept. 22) instead of a week earlier,” he said.
A transition for many
For Wills, the dawn of a new era also meant leaving behind the past. He has attended games for years because his father had been an athletic trainer and athletics administrator at the college. The younger Wills became a student equipment manager for the football team before he was hired at the school.
He said when the 2000 finale was held in Burlington, it felt strange as he was in charge of the clean-up.
“It was sad for me,” he said. “I was the last one to leave Burlington Memorial Stadium. I just sat on the bench after it was over.”
This year, Wills attended the football opener last month.
“But this needed to happen,” he said of the on-campus facility.
Until a couple of years ago following his retirement, Wills attended every home Elon football game since 1970.
“I never saw much of the football,” he said of handling game-day operations. “I walked around the whole time.”
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At last month’s game vs. Glenville State, area resident Duke Justice sat on field level near the corner of the end zone. He has been part of the scene at Rhodes Stadium since it opened.
Justice has assisted the officiating crew and chain crew with their logistics. He has been doing that since Wills was in high school, regardless of venue.
Justice also helps with the game clock at Western Alamance games. Wills knew he could count on him for Elon through the years.
“Duke walked in my office every year and said, ‘I’m ready,’ ” Wills said.
Other area residents have been among the regulars on game days. Sonny Wilburn, former president of the Alamance County Area Chamber of Commerce, said he bought season tickets the year the stadium opened and has been attending ever since.
Jeff Michel was an Elon player in the late 1970s and he has followed the team for years. He has been a ticket holder “since Day 1” at the stadium.
“It allowed us to compete at a higher level,” Michel said. “Having an on-campus stadium helps in recruiting.”
For Michel, he said he particularly liked the years in the Southern Conference. Current Football Bowl Subdivision members Appalachian State and Georgia Southern made visits to the stadium.
“That was a fun league back then,” he said.
In the stadium’s early years, shuttles brought fans from the other side of the railroad tracks to the stadium. Those parking areas no longer exist, but the opening of Schar Center in 2018 created new parking options across the street from the stadium.
Game day flavor
Senior associate athletics director Faith Shearer was handing out T-shirts to freshmen as part of the season opener last month. She looked up and saw a bunch of youth running in her direction.
“I thought for sure we were getting mobbed and they were coming for free T-shirts,” she said. “But they just wanted the empty boxes.”
That’s because the grassy hill areas at each end of the stadium are prime real estate for families attending games – and youth looking for their own fun sliding down the slopes.
By game’s end, empty boxes were dotting the hill near the main entrance.
The largest recorded crowd for Rhodes Stadium came with more than 14,000 for Appalachian State’s 2009 visit.
After Elon defeated Sacred Heart on Saturday night, 24-21, the football team’s all-time record in the stadium is 68-68.
This week, the Phoenix will play Maine on Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Stadium.
