Built in 1956 and named for Reggie Grob six years later, the stadium was used originally as the varsity home stadium of Spring Branch High School. Today, it serves as a regular site for junior varsity high school and middle school football games. It is also used for soccer games and tournaments.
Event Photos: http://springbranchisd.smugmug.com/Building-My-Future/Reggie-Grob-Stadium/
Under the 2007 Bond Plan, stadium renovations included a new training facility, new ticket booth, new landscaping and paved concrete areas, a refurbished press box and concession stand, replacement irrigation and pump generation systems, and a new grass field. The smaller stadium seats about 4,000 people.
The stadium is named for one of Spring Branch’s most famous young men and athletes. Reggie Grob gave his life for the game he loved, and in doing so, he saved the lives of athletes who followed him.
Coach Darrell Royal gave Reggie Grob a scholarship after he came to Texas in 1961 as a reserve on the freshman team. On Sept. 1, 1962, Reggie Grob, was overcome by heat on the first day of University of Texas football practice.
After 17 days in an Austin hospital, Reggie Grob died. He was 19 years old. Two other Texas players were hospitalized. “Because of his death, others have lived. There has been a lot of research into heat stroke and exhaustion because of Reggie’s death,” Board of Trustees President David Converse said.
Led by the American Medical Association, trainers and doctors began looking into the effects of heat on the human body. Within a year of Reggie’s death, schools nationwide began to implement heat-related practice routines.
Joining SBISD leaders, Board of Trustees members, senior staff, athletics staff and contractors at the ribbon cutting event held between football games were several Grob family members.
They included Warren Grob, Reggie’s father, and family members Chuck Grob, Reggie’s brother; Nancy Grob, Chuck’s wife; Charles Grob, Reggie’s nephew; and a family cousin Kathy Cottrell.
In addition to the ribbon cutting, special remarks were also made by Spring Branch High School tailback Chris Gilbert, who went on to run for 3,231 yards in 29 games for Texas in 1966-68.
He was the first player in NCAA history to record three 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Gilbert, elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999, helped develop Whispering Pines Golf Course. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Touchdown Club of Houston.
“This is a special place,” Gilbert said. “Thousands of players consider Grob Stadium to be their home field. This is the playing field that we will always remember. Chuck Grob and I played many games right here, and so did Reggie.
“Reggie was an outstanding football player who enabled so many players that followed to change the way that they train. He changed the way that football players across Texas prepare and play.”
In his remarks, Chuck Grob thanked the school district for preserving the older stadium and field rather than tear it down. “This stadium stands as an icon in the history of Spring Branch,” he said.
Reggie Grob Stadium is located at 9000 Westview.