STADIUMS

Brian Piccolo Memorial Stadium

Stadium Info

After 29 years without a stadium, Brian Piccolo Memorial Stadium was built on the St. Thomas Aquinas High School campus. Construction was completed in September 1975 and the first game was played on Friday September 19, 1975 versus the Cardinal Gibbons Redskins. The Raiders finally had a place to call home. Prior to the building of Piccolo Stadium, locations, such as, Stranahan Field, Lockhart Stadium, McArthur Stadium and the Plantation Athletic League (P.A.L.) Field served as the home field for the Raiders.

The Raiders used Stranahan Field located at Broward Boulevard and Federal Highway for home games from 1946 through 1958. H.Y. Lockhart Memorial Stadium opened in 1959 and served as the home of the Raiders from the 1959 season through 1963. For the 1964 season only, McArthur Stadium at McArthur High School in Hollywood, Florida was designated the Raider home field. During the 1965 through 1974 seasons, the Plantation Athletic League (P.A.L.) Field welcomed the Raiders.

The stadium is named in honor of Louis Brian Piccolo. Brian prepped at St. Thomas, which at that time was known as Central Catholic High School. Brian went on to star at Wake Forest University where he lead the nation in rushing yardage his senior year.

Passed up in the NFL Draft, the All-American halfback signed with the Chicago Bears in 1965 as a free agent. He played for the Bears for only 4 seasons, 1966-1969. On June 16, 1970 at the age of 26 years, Brian died of a rare form of cancer.

His life was memorialized by the motion picture, ?Brian?s Song?, and in the best-selling biography, Brian Piccolo, A Short Season, by Jeannie Morris.