Debate surrounds naming of UW-La Crosse’s football field

by Cynthia Martens

News Reporter

In 2000, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse changed the name of its football stadium from Veterans Memorial Stadium to Harring Stadium, after recently retired football coach Roger Harring. Local veterans were outraged, saying the name change violated the agreement the city and university entered in 1988.

Coach Harring amassed the 12th-best record in college football and won three national titles in 31 years at La Crosse. Also a veteran, Harring initially requested that his name be dropped from the stadium because of protests.

The history of the La Crosse stadium began just after World War II.

“How it came about was in 1945 or 1946, after World War II, about 700-plus people petitioned for a place to honor veterans for all the wars, from the Mexican War to World War I and World War II and beyond,” Pat Houlihan, La Crosse city attorney, said. “The area of the university in question was the community center going back to 1880. People were developing a field for sports between the Mississippi and the Bluffs. Normally when you honor veterans, you try to do it where people can gather. It’s kind of a cemetery in that sense. It’s just very emotional to veterans in La Crosse. Obviously having the name taken down was very offensive to veterans.”

In December 2000, veterans rejected the university’s proposal to keep the name “Roger Harring Field” but also create a walkway with historical depictions of America’s wars between Veterans Memorial Monument and the stadium. In addition, the proposal would have allowed UW-L, the city and a group of veterans to together create a plaque that described the history of the stadium. The university would have asked the city to consider naming local streets in honor of veterans.

University officials said the goal is to honor veterans while also recognizing the man who brought UW-L football national acclaim.

The debate is as heated today as it was at the start.

“We’re still in litigation because we can’t agree. The chancellor approved the name change a few years ago. The name is on the stadium now. It’s just the argument over it that has not been resolved,” Ed Alshuler, UW Legal System counselor, said.

When asked which name he thought would make more sense to future generations living in La Crosse, Alshuler said the future was not a concern in the naming of the stadium. “We’re not looking into the future, we’re looking at what makes sense now,” Alshuler said.

Houlihan did not share this opinion.

“No one will remember who Coach Harring was years and years from now. There will be another great coach. It’s not that Coach Harring wasn’t any good. He had many accomplishments. But it’s more important and more lasting to honor all veterans. In Chicago, they were thinking of selling the naming rights of Soldier Field, but the people of Chicago said no. That was in the news quite a bit,” Houlihan said.

In nine years, the 25-year contract the veterans have will end and the university will have full control of the naming rights of the stadium. La Crosse Tribune editor John Smalley suggests that the veterans and Houlihan should compromise with the university and settle the case outside of court, saying that once the university has the full naming rights, whatever is decided in court today could eventually be revoked.