Callaway Stadium to get new scoreboard
June 30, 2008

The upgrade of Callaway Stadium will take a "jumbo" leap forward this season. Behind the efforts of the football coaches in Troup County, and some generous donations from local businesses and the Callaway Foundation, the stadium will have a new scoreboard when the first game of the season is played at Callaway Stadium in August.

The scoreboard will be similar to the Jumbotron-style scoreboards seen at other stadiums, including the one in Carrollton. The total scoreboard size will be 27 feet by 32 feet, and the video screen will be nine feet by 15 feet. The cost is around $200,000, and all of the money is coming from private sources. Fans will be able to watch replays and other video highlights on the scoreboard. The new board will stand in the same location as the current scoreboard, which will be retired.

"It'll be an impressive board," said LaGrange High head coach Steve Pardue.

Pardue was a driving force behind the scoreboard endeavor. The idea first cropped up when LaGrange played a playoff game in Carrollton a few years ago.

"They have a Jumbotron, and Bobby Carmichael at CB & T said we should look into getting one of those, and that kind of jump-started it," Pardue said.

The effort grew serious when the 2007 season ended. Pardue enlisted the help of Troup coach Bubba Jeter, Callaway coach Pete Wiggins and LaGrange College coach Todd Mooney. He also received a lot of help from Frank McRae of Commercial Bank & Trust.

"Frank was a tremendous help to me on how to secure financing," Pardue said. "He was a big help, and I want to think him for it."  Tod Tentler, chairman of the Troup County Parks and Recreation Commission, also offered a major helping hand, Pardue said.

The most important thing was to gain financing. Without any public financing, Pardue knew he¹d have to convince some local businesses to make some significant contributions. He found the businesses he approached to be fully receptive, and with the financing in place, Pardue ordered the scoreboard last month.

Daktronics, the leading name in the industry, is making the scoreboard, and Pardue said it should arrive well in advance of opening day. The scoreboard is the latest upgrade to the 50-year-old stadium. A few years ago, the natural grass on the field was replaced by artificial turf.

"We already had one of the premier stadiums, but the addition of the turf and the scoreboard just adds to it," Pardue said.

Eight local businesses and the Callaway Foundation are paying for the scoreboard. The Gold sponsors are CB & T, Milliken, National Management Resources Corp. and West Georgia Health System. The Silver sponsors are LaGrange Toyota, Southern Orthopedics, All-Pro Chevrolet and State Farm (Matt Orr, Jerry Cleveland, Mary Smith, Billy Kelton and David Christie).

"I really want to think everybody, especially our sponsors that made it happen," Pardue said. "We were able to pay for all of it through our sponsors."

Courtesy of LaGrange Daily News