Published August 20, 2024 by The Oklahoman
Written by Murray Evans
The Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education voted Monday to name what will be the district’s newest stadium after the family of a local businessman who founded a nonprofit that has spent the last 12 years aggressively working to upgrade the district’s athletic facilities.
A stadium that will be built at John Marshall Enterprise High School will be known as McLaughlin Family Stadium, in honor of Liz and Tim McLaughlin, who founded Fields & Futures, an organization that’s completed 70 construction projects at 17 middle and high school campuses across the district. Fields & Futures also has established a perpetual field maintenance fund to help ensure fields are cared for in the future.
The idea behind Fields & Futures, Tim McLaughlin has said, is there is a direct link between athletics and the academic mission of schools, and that every child should have the opportunity to play a sport they love on quality maintained fields with resources and support to enhance their experience.
In addition to his work with Fields & Futures, Tim McLaughlin also is a minority owner of the Oklahoma City Energy of the United Soccer League. He did not attend the meeting on Monday — district officials said he was out of the country.
The stadium — one of the projects in a $955 million bond approved by voters in November 2022 — will be the home of the John Marshall Bears and the new Belle Isle Bulls, who will begin competing when Belle Isle Enterprise High School opens in August 2025. The stadium will include facilities for football, soccer, and track and field, is being built with a budget of $15.334 million.
It will have concession areas and restrooms on both sides of the field. The initial capacity of the stadium will be 2,238, but plans call for the expansion of the stadium by 1,160 seats, said Kenneth Dennis, the principal-in-charge at Studio Architecture, the Oklahoma City firm hired by the district to design the project.
One feature of the stadium will be lighting elements on the home-side façade that can change colors, depending on whether it’s John Marshall or Belle Isle playing. Bid approvals will be considered by the board on June 24. If approved, construction will begin in August and continue through summer 2026.
The board first heard the proposal to name the stadium after the McLaughlin family during its July meeting before taking the formal vote during Monday’s meeting.
“The McLaughlin family’s unwavering support and dedication through Fields and Futures has been transformative for our district,” new district Superintendent Jamie Polk said. “Naming the North Regional Stadium after them is a testament to their enduring impact on our students and community. This new facility will stand as a beacon of their legacy and commitment to education and athletics.”
“This new facility will stand as a beacon of the McLaughlin family’s and commitment to education and athletics.” – OKCPS Superintendent Jame Polk
The stadium will join four others already in use by Oklahoma City district teams. Three of those — Carl Twidwell Stadium at Star Spencer High School, Moses F. Miller Stadium at Douglass High School and C.B. Speegle Stadium at Capitol Hill High School — are named after former football coaches. The other, Taft Stadium at Northwest Classen High School, is named after former U.S. President William Howard Taft.