Chiefs Help Open a Local Field of Dreams

Sep 08, 2004, 3:29:14 PM

“Is this heaven?” - John Kinsella

No, it wasn’t heaven… In fact, it wasn’t even a baseball diamond carved into a cornfield in Dyersville, Iowa. Yet, Kansas City’s Central High School gleefully opened its very own “Field of Dreams” on Saturday, September 4th all the same. Thanks to an effort that was spearheaded by Kansas City Chiefs President Carl Peterson and the team’s Sport Field Manager Andre Bruce, himself a graduate of Central in 1976, the Eagles hosted Schlagle at a true home contest for the first time in nearly a decade.

“If you build it, he will come.” - The Voice in the Cornfield

The outcome of Central High School’s first home contest in recent memory wasn’t a victory on the gridiron but everyone in attendance felt like winners.

While Kevin Costner’s character, Ray Kinsella, didn’t totally grasp just who “he” was until the end of the movie, officials from both Central and the Chiefs knew who would come if they renovated Central’s dilapidated field. Simply put, they wanted to see the surrounding community come out and support Central. For years as the school’s field slipped further and further into distress, there seemed to be less and less pride exuded toward the students of Central. All games had to be played off campus and fan support started dwindling. As a result, a program that once thrived with two freshman squads in addition to an overflowing J.V. team and a packed varsity roster, was struggling to field a full team on Friday’s. No one seemed to be overly concerned save for the Principal William McClendon, himself a Central alum, and Athletics Director Gene Briseno… No one except long-time youth football advocate Carl Peterson and the Kansas City Chiefs that is.

“Ray, there was a reason they chose me, just as there was a reason they chose you and this field.” – Terence Mann

When members of the Chiefs front office first visited Central High School, they met with McClendon and Briseno to get a feel for things. They quickly found out that there wasn’t much to get a feel for. It was pointed out to the Chiefs that the majority of the players on the football team were confident that they would a receive scholarship to college even though few of them were contacted by lower-level universities and even fewer were academically eligible to. The program wasn’t just struggling because of a poor facility, it was in distress thanks to a of a lack of pride not to mention educational advancement. Before the Chiefs staffers even toured the existing field they knew that they had to do something to help in the classroom.

The result would be the Play It Smart program. Thanks to a now full-time academic coach, the team is required to not just practice on the gridiron but attend study hall in addition to ACT/SAT prep classes. They are also be looked at to become leaders in the community and regularly participate in service projects. Four members of the Chiefs, including Pro Bowler Dante Hall, WR Eddie Kennison, and G Brian Waters, adopted the program and made weekly visits to the school to support Play It Smart. The results were impressive. Of the 14 graduating seniors last year, 13 are attending college this fall. Just as importantly, the team’s cumulative GPA year rose almost a full point to 2.9. Oh, the team also made the playoffs for the first time in several years thanks to the renewed interest in the team.

“This is my most special place in all the world, Ray. Once a place touches you like this, the wind never blows so cold again. You feel for it, like it was your child.” – Dr. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham.

As the Chiefs contingent finished that initial meeting with McClendon and Briesno, the group walked the rock-hard playing surface and saw a field that was full of hazardous debris. When the Chiefs delegation asked how the field got into such a state of disrepair, they were informed that when the school was built, the construction crew had placed the football field over all of the building waste. As a result, thanks to an irrigation system that was virtually nonexistent and a barren surface that now housed more weeds than anything else, copper pipes, glass, wires, and other obstructions protruded the surface in plain sight. Even still, the duo from Central knew it was a special place that just needed some T.L.C. to become the crowning jewel of the local community. They just needed to find someone like the Chiefs that would put their faith behind the convictions of the Central administration.

The Chiefs did more than back the school with faith. Thanks to $90,000 from the Chiefs Children’s Fund, Central would soon have a new plush natural grass playing surface, a pair of shiny new goalposts and a working sprinkler system. Another $50,000 obtained thanks to an NFL Grassroots Grant allowed the school to purchase a scoreboard, a sound system and coach’s headset communication. Andre Bruce toiled over the field for more than a year as he readied the now lush surface for competition. Treating it with the same amount of care that he does the Arrowhead playing surface, he saw to it that the members of the football team took ownership of the field as well by helping with its upkeep.

“People will come, Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door, innocent as children, longing for the past.” – Terence Mann

This all takes us to a sunny Labor Day weekend. The only damper on the afternoon was a Schlagle victory but not even that could temper the excitement. The home bleachers were nearly full to capacity with members of the community that hadn’t seen the team play for years. At halftime, McClendon got on the new sound system and boomed thanks to, among others, those who had come out to support the Eagles. As usual, Bruce did his best to deflect any attention by sitting in the very last row of the stands but he did so this time with a swelling heart and moistening eyes. The ticket and concession sales soared and helped offset any operating cost the school had shelled out to make the event come to fruition.

Despite some excessive heat that seemingly stopped action after each touch of the ball due to the players cramping up, the crowd stayed and cheered. Mid-way through the fourth quarter with the outcome no longer in doubt, the crowd began chanting for THEIR Central Eagles. Not about to leave their seats just yet, those in attendance hoped that they could will the team to an unprecedented victory. However, while the turn around didn’t happen on scoreboard, but it definitely had off the field. The community now had something good to gather around. For once, they weren’t talking about a crime or shooting but about the heart showed by the football team’s never-say-die attitude. They sat and cheered until the very last player trudged off the field that afternoon.

“Maybe this is heaven.” – Ray Kinsella The work at Central is still far from over. However, step-by-step, the pieces are coming together better than anyone could have imagined. Central is slowly becoming not just a respectable team on the field, but full of outstanding citizens off it. One of last year’s seniors, Julius Jiles, received a track scholarship and now runs for the Jayhawks at the University of Kansas. But individuals like Jiles are becoming the norm not an exception. The community is beginning to have faith in others again. They’re less adapt to run and lock the door when a teen comes knocking. After all, its probably just a member of the football team checking to see if all’s OK.

And you know what? It certainly is a lot closer to being OK now that their Field of Dreams has been restored.

-CHIEFS IN THE COMMUNITY, JOIN OUR TEAM-