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This is the 100th season of Andalusia High School football so let’s take a look back at the history of Andalusia Municipal Stadium.

Andalusia Municipal Stadium was completed in 1950 and before that Andalusia played games in the schoolyard.

The stadium construction was completed in the spring of 1950 while Tracy B. Wilder was the mayor of Andalusia.

It cost around $150,000 to build the stadium at the time and included concrete bleachers on the home side and temporary bleachers on the visitor’s side.

The stadium seated more than 4,000 people, which was rather large at the time.

Although built at the high school, Andalusia Municipal Stadium was used for much more than just football.

The former inaugural game at the stadium was on April 12, 1950, and pitted the Andalusia Arrows (minor league team in the Alabama-Florida Baseball League) against the University of Alabama.

They played a minor league All-Star baseball game at the stadium on July 10, 1950.

More than 7,000 tickets were made available for the game and those in attendance saw Alabama come away with a 24-10 win.

Along with a baseball field and football field, stadium also included a track.

Andalusia High School’s first game in the new stadium came against the Red Level Tigers on Sept. 15, 1950. The Bulldogs topped Red Level 31-0.

The stadium was also used for other events, including a concert by Hank Williams and the Drifting Cowboys on Sept. 27, 1950.

A bronze plaque was placed in the stadium to show the names of those that made the stadium a reality.

The plaque reads, “Municipal Stadium 1950, Built through the cooperation of T.B. Wilder, Mayor; COUNCIL, J.F. Colquet, G.G. Dunn, John G. Wright, C.C. Bass, Lamon Fowler; SCHOOL BOARD, W.H. Albritton, L.E. Brown, Mrs. C.H. Chapman, J.A. Thompson, J.V. Bell; RECREATION BOARD, M.J. Newberry, C.C. Bass, J.A. Thompson, Eugene Shreve, Raymond Shreve; ENGINEERS-BUILDERS, McDonald, Hooper, and DeJarnette.”

The stadium has gone through changes over the years, but none as big as the renovations that were recently completed.

The stadium got a huge facelift that included an artificial turf field with Andalusia spelled out in one end zone, Bulldogs spelled out in the other and a huge “A” in the middle of the field. The field itself was moved closer to the home side.

Along with the new turf, a large plaza was built at the stadium parking lot entrance that includes a bronze statue of a Bulldog.

New concession stands were built on the home and visitor’s sides of the field.

The stadium also features a large scoreboard with a jumbotron in the center.

There is also a brand new multi-leveled press box that includes media areas on the top floor and a hospitality floor for fans in the new reserved seats.

The newest addition to the stadium has been a massive American flag that can be easily seen while driving down the bypass.

The latest renovations to Andalusia Municipal Stadium and Andalusia High School auditorium totaled approximately $12 million.

The construction projects completed at Andalusia High School’s stadium and auditorium in 2018-19 was the result of public-private partnerships with Andalusia City Schools, the Andalusia Public Building Authority, the City of Andalusia, and many generous individuals.

Private donations to the project were made by the following businesses, civic groups and individuals:

ADC, AHS Class of 1967, Andalusia Rotary Foundation, Andalusia Star-News, Andalusia Youth Football, David Anthony, Balanced Healthcare, William Baldwin, SS Baldwin, George Barnes, Bass Agency, Billy and Kelley Bergfeld, Ann Faulkner Bevino, Ivan Bishop, Terri Bonner, Ben and Angie Bowden, Tim Bryan, Bob and Shan Burkhardt, CCB Community Bank, Lucky and Felicia Cope, Covington Casket, William and Becky Cumbie, Jr., Darby Pharmacy, Tim and Melanie Day, Dixon Foundation,

Paula Sue Dubelt, Kim Dyess, Charles and Nancy Eldridge, Charles Thomas Eldridge,

Michael Eldridge, Mark Harper, The Hobson Family, Earl and Sylvia Johnson, Troy and Angie Jones, Jones and Jones Law, Billy Ruth Kendrick, Charlotte Latham, Roy Mohon, Joran L. Morgan, Tim and Tammy Nall, Kristy and James O’Brien, O’Neal Agency, William and Diane Palmer, Steve and Debbie Posey, PowerSouth, Joe and Sandra Proctor, John Benjamin Reeves, Jack and Marcia Reichart, Paul and Jenny Rogers, Lex and Susan Short, Gary Smith, Southeast Gas, Southern Independent Bank, Starr Family, Patsy and Kendall Taylor, Trent and Patty Taylor, John and Faye Vick, Wal-Mart Corporation, Jim and Pat Wilcox, Eddie Williamson, Wright Brothers, LLC, Richard Wyatt.