Stadium Stir

The controversy over plans by Granada Hills High School to rename its football stadium for Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, a Granada Hills alumnus, is uncommon. Typically, high schools and small colleges dedicate stadiums with little fanfare. But the Hall-of-Fame-bound Elway, after leaving Granada Hills in 1979, graduated from Stanford and this year led the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory.

The Name Game

Fewer than half the stadiums in the Valley are named for anyone. Elizabeth Goetten, who was Taft High’s first principal from 1960-63, is the only woman to have a local stadium named after her. Last fall, Agoura High’s stadium was named for former coach Frank Greminger, who is still a teacher at the school.

Cash or Check

College of the Canyons will field a football team for the first time since 1981, and the school is exploring naming the stadium. A Canyons official indicated that a well-heeled corporation willing to pay for naming rights is preferable to either a deceased administrator or a famous athlete.

Making Tracks

The stadium at Birmingham High is one of the finest track and field venues in Southern California, largely because the U.S. Olympic Committee spent $800,000 to refurbish it before the 1984 Games. Birmingham boosters have since spent an additional $500,000 on the facility, which was named Tom Bradley Stadium because the former mayor was instrumental in raising funds.