Evan Stanley Farrington: The Face Behind the Field

On November 14, 1937 Evan Stanley Farrington died at age forty-six. Appropriately, the man who had been the Fort Worth school district’s director of physical education for fourteen years died after attending a Fort Worth high school football game.

Farrington was born in Lewisville in 1891. He graduated from Baylor in 1912.

By 1916 he was superintendent of Grapevine schools. In 1918 he was superintendent of the Lancaster school district.

By 1922 Farrington was a coach at North Side High School.

A year later he had left North Side High and was downtown—as director of athletics.

farrington papa 4-37This Star-Telegram column of April 1937 tells how Farrington began the citywide public schools relay race competition at Wortham Field.

farrington funeralFarrington died on November 14, 1937 just after winning approval for a new all-city high school stadium. Farrington lived on the street named for one of the two men (Dr. E. M. Waits) who delivered his eulogy. Farrington was buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

farrington 3-38 order givenIn March 1938 the Star-Telegram announced plans for the groundbreaking ceremony for Farrington Field. The ceremony featured ten-year-old son Stanley Farrington.

Under construction in 1939. (Photo from University of Texas at Arlington Library Star-Telegram Collection.)

farrington open 1939Farrington Field opened on September 15, 1939 as twelve thousand fans watched the Amarillo Golden Sandies beat the Paschal Panthers.

Architect Preston M. Geren designed the building in classical moderne style. The Works Progress Administration and school district jointly funded the $244,000 project.

Local artist Evaline Sellors sculpted relief sculptures of two athletes for the facade of the stadium. Sellors modeled the male on Samuel Adrian “Slingin’ Sammy” Baugh, who was a football star at TCU 1934-1936.

The fate of Farrington Field remains uncertain as the school district considers selling the property. The field has been on Historic Fort Worth’s endangered list five times.

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2 Responses to Evan Stanley Farrington: The Face Behind the Field

  1. Shirley Enis says:

    Farrington Field is so much a part of FW history, so many of our older citizens played football and ran relays there! The WPA did an amazing job building it, as it is still in great shape, and the city should never sell it, as I’m sure it would be torn down! Remember going to football games when both sides of the stadium were filled with students and parents! Please let us keep it and play more games there, JV games were played there in afternoons and city buses took us there from junior high schools and back!

  2. Nancy Brownlee says:

    Farrington Field is beautiful; surely there’s not another athletic field in this country anything like it. Please, please let’s keep it!

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