Buford High School in Georgia has unveiled its massive brand new stadium that is loaded with NFL-style amenities and came with a price tag that will drop your jaw.
The stadium cost an astronomical $62 million to build—the facility, named after Board of Education Chairman Phillip Beard, officially opened on Sunday.
Ironically, the stadium’s namesake, Phillip Beard, opposed the stadium’s construction and actually voted against it.
“If we’re being truthful, I didn’t like it. I voted against it, but my peers wanted a name, so they gave it mine,” he said. “I don’t work for those types of things. I work for what we’ve accomplished. We’ve got the No. 1 school district in America, ranked No. 1 academically (by Wiingy.com), and that’s the reason I work.”
Despite Beard’s resistance to the project, local officials in Buford were quick to point out his legacy of accomplishment in the community and the school district.
“Under his leadership, Buford has become more than a city,” said retired Buford City Schools Superintendent Melanie Reed. “It’s become a model of excellence. Our schools have flourished, our community has grown stronger, and our people have been united in a common purpose.”
Beard’s reticence could have stemmed from the massive cost overruns associated with the project. According to the education board chairman, the initial cost of the project was $30 million, but it skyrocketed due to inflation.
“The new stadium fits about 10,000 people and even boasts suites on top of the home side of the stands,” Men’s Journal reports. “The massive LED scoreboard is 3,500 square feet and has screens on both sides.
“There are digital ribbon boards around the stadium, also, and locker rooms.”
The first official game to be played at Beard Stadium will come on August 14, when the Buford Wolves battle Milton High School. Perhaps fittingly for the stadium and the occasion, the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
