It took nearly $4 million, 736 days and the work of more than 300 people from 52 companies for the vision of seven men to become a reality.
More than two thousand Cougar fans—many dressed head to toe in teal, gold and black—filled the stands of Christopher High School’s new Don Christopher Sports Complex for its grand opening Sept. 5. Among the roughly 2,300 spectators were the seven men who made it all possible: Russ Pacheco, George Sammut, Randy Moen, Larry Sanford, Jim Rhodes and Jerry Zimmerman—the fathers of football players—as well as the complex’s namesake, Don Christopher. The Cougars christened their new stadium with a 12-6 win over Sobrato High.
Christopher and his wife, Karen, donated $3.4 million toward the stadium’s final $3.9 million price tag. As the guests of honor during a pre-game ceremony, they were the recipients of a standing ovation and roaring applause from the crowd.
With Phase I of the complex’s construction complete—the field, scoreboard, bleachers, press box, field goal posts, as well as the shot put and discus rings—the Christophers announced they will also fund Phase II. Karen announced that Phase II will complete the track, concession and ticket booths, visitors bleachers (for which Sobrato fans could be heard cheering across the stadium) and restrooms. The second phase is expected to be complete by February.
“We just want to say how absolutely impressed we are and how proud we are about this whole thing—the Christopher complex. I think you’ve heard (the name) Christopher long enough and loud enough and it’s time to stop,” Don joked before handing the microphone over to his wife.
“Thank you everybody that came out tonight to support this opening; it means a lot to us to be a part of this community and to see you all here. It just means a lot to us, so thank you,” Karen said.
Before the game, the Christophers were presented with a plaque from the Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education, a proclamation from County Supervisor Mike Wasserman and a certificate of recognition from Assemblyman Luis Alejo.
“A seed was planted a little over two years ago and a short while later Don Christopher took one of the most generous acts that I’ve ever seen in my career and decided to fund Phase I of this wonderful sports complex,” GUSD Superintendent Debbie Flores said. “We can’t say enough about your generosity and it seems kind of trivial to give you a plaque after all you’ve done, but we’re going to do it anyway.”
At halftime, representatives from all the teams and organizations that will use the new complex—football, track and field, marching band, cheerleading and dance, boys and girls soccer, field hockey, lacrosse and the Associated Student Body—read aloud letters thanking the Christophers and promised to bring greatness to the stadium. Don and Karen, both sporting Christopher High letterman jackets, watched as students took to the field, joining with the entire marching band, to form a supersized ‘C’ as a sign of their Cougar pride.
Donna Pray, executive director of the Gilroy Foundation, thanked not only the Christophers, but also the six football fathers who formed the Don Christopher Sports Complex committee—which is part of the foundation—after approaching Don with the idea for the stadium two years ago. The committee oversaw every detail of the new stadium, from the different types of turf to the color scheme. They raised $86,000 for the stadium’s construction after coming up with the idea for the Top 100 Legacy Club seats—which cost $2,000 and include the buyer’s name on the seats as well as four lifetime passes to all sporting events—and selling more than half of them.
“If it weren’t for them, this place wouldn’t look like it does now, so thank you guys very, very much,” Pray said. “736 days ago you came up with this idea and here we are tonight. I know everyone is delighted and you guys were instrumental in making this happen.”
Flores also thanked the citizens of Gilroy for their support of Measure P in 2008, which helped build Christopher High School and partially fund the new stadium. She also recognized the numerous other ways the Christophers have contributed to the success of not only CHS, but also Gilroy High School. Since 2009, the family has donated more than $500,000 worth of electronics, vehicles and other items to the schools.
