Farrington Field hosted high school heroes, pro legends

Farrington Field hosted high school heroes, pro legends

Published on May 19, 2026

Fort Worth's field of dreams is an art deco beauty named Farrington Field, located directly across from Casa Mañana near the busy intersection of Lancaster Avenue and University Drive.

The idea for Farrington Field originated with the longtime athletic director of the Fort Worth public school system, Evan Stanley Farrington, who became the principal advocate for a large citywide facility for high school athletes. In 1937, the Fort Worth Board of Education approved construction of the public high school stadium for $244,000 with federal assistance from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Shortly after, Farrington died suddenly, and the school board voted to name the new field after the late athletic director.

"Nothing in the city more outstanding"

On March 8, 1938, Farrington's son, Stanley Farrington, broke ground on the 20,000-seat stadium. Plagued by numerous setbacks, including the walkout of 60 skilled workers over long working hours, construction on the project proceeded more slowly than expected.

Designed by architects Arthur George King and Everett Lee Frazier Sr. under the guidance of Preston M. Geren Sr., the state-of-the-art facility had advanced overhead lighting, 70-foot columns adorning the west entrance, another decorative entrance on the north side and a 90-foot press box on the top of the west stands.

Evaline Sellors (1904-1995) designed the two large relief figures of athletes at the entrance in an art deco style, which was popular among WPA artists at the time.

Amarillo High School defeated Fort Worth Paschal High School 31-13 in the first game played at the stadium on Sept. 15, 1939.

Official dedication of the facility was delayed until Nov. 3. The stadium, whose price had ballooned to $400,000, was dedicated by Karl E. Wallace, district director of the WPA, in an elaborate ceremony, which an estimated 10,000 people attended before the Arlington Heights and Riverside high school football teams played.

Prominent newspaperman, businessman and civic booster Amon G. Carter gave a speech before the game in which he said that "there was nothing in the city more outstanding ... than the stadium."

In 1953, due to the monetary success of Farrington Field, the Public Schools Gymnasium, now Jack A. Billingsley Field House, was built near Farrington Field.

College, pro teams battle

In addition to hosting high school football games, the stadium was home to the Texas Wesleyan College Rams football team, which played there from 1939 until the team disbanded in 1941 due to World War II. In 2017, after a long hiatus, the football team restarted and played home games at Farrington Field. The stadium also hosted various track and field events, such as the Southwestern Exposition Track and Field Meet.

Three professional football games were also played at the stadium during the early 1960s. These games were the brainchild of Fort Worth businessman Tommy Mercer. In 1961, Mercer rented Farrington Field for $4,500 and paid another $25,000 to bankroll an exhibition game - the first professional football game played in Fort Worth - between two American Football League (AFL) teams, the Dallas Texans and the Denver Broncos. Nearly 22,000 fans packed into Farrington Field to see the Texans defeat the Broncos 29-27.

The next year, about 18,000 people attended a second Mercer-sponsored exhibition game, which prompted Mercer to attempt to secure an AFL franchise in Fort Worth. In 1964, another exhibition game in Fort Worth occurred between the Kansas City Chiefs (the former Dallas Texans franchise), led by future Super Bowl champion and MVP Len Dawson, and the Denver Broncos. The game ended in a 14-10 win for the Chiefs.

A gathering place for the community

Numerous notable events in Fort Worth history have transpired on the stadium's grounds.

On June 16, 1951, Gen. Douglas MacArthur addressed a crowd of about 7,500 people at Farrington Field as part of his Texas speaking tour following his firing by President Harry Truman over public disagreements surrounding the escalation of the Korean War.

After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce President Raymond Buck helped organize a non-denominational convocation where Protestant, Catholic and Jewish religious leaders of the city gave speeches. On Nov. 25, about 5,000 people attended the memorial service for Kennedy at Farrington Field.

In 2022, the site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo: The west entrance to Farrington Field. The bas-relief sculptures were created by artist Evaline Sellors to adorn both sides of the entrance. (Photo courtesy of Fort Worth ISD.)

Photo: Current-day overhead view of Farrington Field. (Photo courtesy of Visit Fort Worth.)

Photo: Farrington Field under construction in January 1939. (Photo courtesy of University of Texas at Arlington.)

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