Debate surrounds naming of UW-La Crosse’s football field
by Cynthia Martens
News Reporter
In 2000, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse changed the name
of its football stadium from Veterans Memorial Stadium to Harring
Stadium, after recently retired football coach Roger Harring. Local
veterans were outraged, saying the name change violated the
agreement the city and university entered in 1988.
Coach Harring amassed the 12th-best record in college football
and won three national titles in 31 years at La Crosse. Also a
veteran, Harring initially requested that his name be dropped from
the stadium because of protests.
The history of the La Crosse stadium began just after World War
II.
“How it came about was in 1945 or 1946, after World War II,
about 700-plus people petitioned for a place to honor veterans for
all the wars, from the Mexican War to World War I and World War II
and beyond,” Pat Houlihan, La Crosse city attorney, said. “The area
of the university in question was the community center going back
to 1880. People were developing a field for sports between the
Mississippi and the Bluffs. Normally when you honor veterans, you
try to do it where people can gather. It’s kind of a cemetery in
that sense. It’s just very emotional to veterans in La Crosse.
Obviously having the name taken down was very offensive to
veterans.”
In December 2000, veterans rejected the university’s proposal to
keep the name “Roger Harring Field” but also create a walkway with
historical depictions of America’s wars between Veterans Memorial
Monument and the stadium. In addition, the proposal would have
allowed UW-L, the city and a group of veterans to together create a
plaque that described the history of the stadium. The university
would have asked the city to consider naming local streets in honor
of veterans.
University officials said the goal is to honor veterans while
also recognizing the man who brought UW-L football national
acclaim.
The debate is as heated today as it was at the start.
“We’re still in litigation because we can’t agree. The
chancellor approved the name change a few years ago. The name is on
the stadium now. It’s just the argument over it that has not been
resolved,” Ed Alshuler, UW Legal System counselor, said.
When asked which name he thought would make more sense to future
generations living in La Crosse, Alshuler said the future was not a
concern in the naming of the stadium. “We’re not looking into the
future, we’re looking at what makes sense now,” Alshuler said.
Houlihan did not share this opinion.
“No one will remember who Coach Harring was years and years from
now. There will be another great coach. It’s not that Coach Harring
wasn’t any good. He had many accomplishments. But it’s more
important and more lasting to honor all veterans. In Chicago, they
were thinking of selling the naming rights of Soldier Field, but
the people of Chicago said no. That was in the news quite a bit,”
Houlihan said.
In nine years, the 25-year contract the veterans have will end
and the university will have full control of the naming rights of
the stadium. La Crosse Tribune editor John Smalley suggests that
the veterans and Houlihan should compromise with the university and
settle the case outside of court, saying that once the university
has the full naming rights, whatever is decided in court today
could eventually be revoked.
