Tag: Bill Denny Stadium

by Mike Pavlichko

PHOTO GALLERY: Historic Bill Denny Stadium is demolished in South River

After nearly 90 years of fans packing into its wooden bleachers, and several renovations and attempts to keep the place standing, demolition began Tuesday on South River’s historic Bill Denny Stadium, home to many great Rams football teams over the decades since it opened in 1934.

Central Jersey Sports Radio stopped by to see the demolition first hand; our photo gallery is below:

  • The September 20, 1934 edition of New Brunswick’s Daily Home News heralds the opening and dedication of Bill Denny Stadium on September 22nd. While the Rams played that day, rain postponed the official dedication ceremony weeks later. (Source: Newspapers.com)
  • South River and South Plainfield do battle on August 28, 2021 at Bill Denny Stadium (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River head coach Rich Marchesi on the sidelines during a game against South Plainfield on August 28, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River cheerleaders pep up the crowd at a game against South Plainfield on August 28, 2021. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River QB Ricky Kurtz drops back against South Plainfield, with the Denny Stadium bleachers and press box towering in the background. After the bottom half of the sign, which read “Ram Country” was vandalized, the district painted over the word “Country” and simply left “Ram.” (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River QB Ricky Kurtz tries to avoid a sack from South Plainfield’s Jason Greer on August 28, 2023, as fans watch from the now-demolished Denny Stadium bleachers. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River fans watch their Rams play South Plainfield on August 28, 2021 from the Denny Stadium bleachers. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • Bill Denny Stadium as it appeared in April, 2023, already closed to the public, though the track and grass field remained open. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • Denny Stadium’s grandstand is closed in April, 2023, due to safety concerns. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • The underside of Bill Denny Stadium, built in 1934, is made entirely of wood. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • A backhoe eats at Bill Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • The view from the Denny Stadium Parking lot as the venue is demolished on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • The demolition of South River’s Bill Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • Demolition of South River’s Bill Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • A sign that at one time honored legendary South River Ram Joe Theisman sits among the rubble in the demolition of Bill Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. Newer versions were taken down from the facade several years ago and put in storage. These apparently remained below the stadium. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)(Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River football coach Rich Marchesi – the winningest coach in program history – watches the demolition of historic Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River football coach Rich Marchesi is interviewed by Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden as the demolition of Denny Stadium continues in the background on Decemmber 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • South River head coach Rich Marchesi (middle) flanked by his sons Michael and Matthew with the half-demolished Bill Denny Stadium in the background. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
  • Demolition of South River’s Bill Denny Stadium as seen from near the end zone on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • A backhoe dumps what appears to be a lawn tractor into a dumpster during the demoltion of Bill Denny Stadium on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • Bill Denny Stadium – nearly half demolished – as seen from David Street on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
  • The press box of Bill Denny Stadium is knocked down by a backhoe on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
  • The press box at Bill Denny Stadium in South River tumbles after being knocked down by a backhoe during demolition on December 26, 2023. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
by Mike Pavlichko

Wrecking ball finally hits South River’s venerable, nearly 90-year-old Bill Denny Stadium

If a demolition crew tears down a nearly century-old stadium, but no one is around to see it, did it really happen?

In South River it did.

Demolition crews started tearing into historic Bill Denny Stadium around 8 am Tuesday morning, after the venue closed for good last Spring due to deteriorating conditions and safety concerns following years of patch-up repairs. Over the summer, the district decided the Band-Aids weren’t enough, and it would have to come down.

Thirty years ago, there might have been more fanfare. Maybe a ceremony. Heck, in 2023, a live webstream on YouTube might even have been in order.

None of that happened Tuesday when the first crews rolled in and a Case backhoe set up shop. It poked and prodded and the old structure, with wood splintering, sheet metal bending and pieces falling inside a chain link fence in the parking lot, some left there, some loaded into a dumpster.

A couple of cars slowed down to watch.

A few people walked dogs past, some barely looking up as they listened to whatever was coming out of their earbuds.

Maybe a few nearby residents watched from their houses, but no one really came out to gawk on a 40 degree morning , with grey skies that would have fueled the melancholy of any longtime South Riverite.

It was as if no one had noticed.

Then, after the back rows of the bleachers had been demolished to about the 30 yard line, a maroon (what other color would you expect) SUV pulled in, and out came Rich Marchesi, the long time South River coach who also played on that field and was a state champ his senior year, and saw his first game there when he was five years old with his mother.

Asked about his memories, he started to Central Jersey Sports Radio about his first time at Denny’s Stadium, pointing to the south end of the bleachers, saying “I was probably five years old, up in the corner” Marchesi stared at the section, shook his head, and never finished the thought.

After a few minutes, as he walked to his car, he turned around, and choked up. “I sat there with my mom,” as he pointed to the same section he did a few minutes prior, lingered for a moment, then got in his car and drove off. He came back later with his sons, Michael and Matthew.

It’s an inauspicious ending to a venerable high school football venue, one that opened in 1934, and saw nearly all the greats to wear the Rams jersey. While stars like Drew Pearson, Alex Wojciechowicz, Joe Theisman (pronounced “THEEZ-man” if you knew him when) played on the grass field, which remains, one could reasonably surmise they also sat in these bleachers many times, cheering on their heroes, the ones they aspired to be someday, just like Marchesi.

Very little appears to have been kept from the Stadium, though the booster club is auctioning off what it describes as “vintage” metal yard markers, as well as the maroon letters that spelled out “Bill Denny Stadium” on the big grey facade facing the smattering of homes on the other side of David Street.

One of the workers said they expect to be on site the full week, demolishing most of the stadium over the next day or two.

The remaining days are earmarked for cleanup, to haul away all the rotted, splintered wood, metal, rusted tackle sleds, and broken-down groundskeeping equipment that had been sitting under the aging stands, along with all the memories of no doubt tens of thousands of players, coaches, parents, fans and townspeople alike, now sitting in dumpsters with all that scrap, waiting to be hauled off.

Watch video of the Bill Denny Stadium demolition, including head football coach Rich Marchesi talking with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko and Marcus Borden:

by Mike Pavlichko

South River voters defeat Bill Denny Stadium referendum, sending School Board back to the drawing board

Voters in South River dealt a big blow to their high school’s football and other athletic teams Tuesday, rejecting a $5.5 million dollar referendum that would have replaced the now-shuttered Bill Denny Stadium, replaced the natural grass surface with artificial turf, and built a new concession stand on the site.

Now, the Board of Education has to go back to Step One.

In a statement provided to Central Jersey Sports Radio Thursday afternoon, Schools Superintendent Dr. Sylvia Zircher said, “The South River School Board and administration are disappointed in the results of the referendum question. This was a close vote and we know many of our community members share this disappointment.”

The referendum was defeated by a mere 104 votes out of 2,456 cast, by a 1,280 to 1,176 margin, with under 23-percent voter turnout.

“The intent of the referendum was to increase accessibility by converting the field to a multi-sport co-ed facility, provide our athletes equal conditions to their peers across the county, and continue to make the stadium a place of pride for the community. These are still priorities for the district, and we will now explore options to meet these goals,” Dr. Zircher said in the statement.

Putting in a turf field would also have allowed more teams to play there, like boys’ and girls’ soccer.

But it’s a crippling blow to the football team, a program which has been struggling in recent years due to low numbers and changing demographics. They finished 0-9 this season, and are 5-25 since the shortened 2020 COVID season.

Legendary Bill Denny Stadium in South River, which opened in 1938, and is shown here in May, 2023, now officially faces the wrecking ball. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

The Rams were able to play all of their home games as scheduled, but could not use the main grandstand, or the press box, which is two-levels, and accommodates public address, local cable TV, and assistant coaches.

Fans sat in temporary bleachers on the other side of the field.

Even had the referendum passed, there was no guarantee the new Bill Denny Stadium would be built in time to use in 2024, but its rejection further sets the project back, and it could be years before a full crowd is able to see a South River game.

Bill Denny Stadium was built in 1934, and is constructed almost entirely of wood. The Rams played there with the grandstand open in 2022, but this past spring, the facility was condemned by the Board of Ed and shut down, with only the track, field, concession stand and visitors’ bleachers still usable.

by Mike Pavlichko

Historic Bill Denny Stadium in South River to face wrecking ball, but football team expected to play a home schedule in 2023

So many great players have come through South River – Joe Theisman, Drew Pearson, Kenny Jackson, Alex Wojciechowicz, to name just a few – and one of the threads that holds them all together is that they all played in front of crowds at Bill Denny Stadium.

But sometime soon, though it’s not clear exactly when, Bill Denny Stadium will be no more, and its future even more murky.

Longtime Rams’ football coach Rich Marchesi confirmed to Central Jersey Sports Radio Monday afternoon that Denny Stadium was recently condemned by the Board of Education, and the bleachers cordoned off sometime last month, due to safety concerns.

Marchesi says though no date is set, it will eventually be demolished..

The South River School District sent Central Jersey Sports Radio a statement Tuesday saying, “This Spring, it was determined through two independent professional evaluations that the bleachers are no longer structurally sound or safe for use. Accordingly, the stadium bleachers have been fenced off, and they are not accessible to the public,”

However, the field and track at Denny stadium remain open and in “full use,” according to the statement, which added, “Spring track operated as usual, and we will hold high school graduation on the field. The district is in the process of investigating options to address the needs of the stadium.”

Rich Marchesi and his players on the sideline in an August 28, 2021 game against South Plainfield. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

However, when Deb Napolitano, Confidential Secretary to the Superintendent, who phoned to confirm receipt of the statement, was asked when Bill Denny Stadium would be demolished, she referred us to the statement issued by the district, which made no specific mention of any demolition plans.

“The home bleachers at Denny Stadium were built before 1945,” the statement says, “and despite ongoing maintenance over the past 80 years, they have unfortunately reached the end of their useful and safe life.”

Published reports over the last couple of years have documented problems with the bleachers, which are entirely made of wood, except for some metal benches that were put in as part of what Marchesi says was part of many “patch jobs” over the years.”

“It’s life is over. You can only patch it so much,” Marchesi told Central Jersey Sports Radio.

According to a New Jersey 101.5 news story last August, a July 2022 engineers’ report for the school district said the stadium “is at the end of its life cycle” and said it shouldn’t be used after the 2023-24 school year. The report said the stadium was structurally sound, but needed a number of repairs to ensure public safety.

Now it appears officials decided to close the stadium a year ahead of the recommendation by engineers.

“It’s time has passed. As much as I would like to keep the grass and the field and the stadium, because it is pretty cool and historic, it’s time. You know, it’s not 1977 anymore.”

A replacement for the stadium complete with stands, press box, concession stands, and ADA-compliant facilities was included in a referendum that also asked residents to approve a new pre-K school to accommodate growing enrollment in town, but that was defeated soundly in January, 882-334. A separate question seeking just the turf field also was defeated by a similar margin.

South River cheerleaders perform for the home fans at Bill Denny Stadium in South River on August 28, 2021. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

The tax impact would have been nearly $150 per year on the average homeowner in South River.

As for the future, Marchesi says school officials are working on it.

“The Board [of Education] is doing a good job, trying to figure something out, what’s good for us,” Marchesi said. The last I heard is we’ll be able to play home games on the field.”

Marchesi says the subject came up about playing all road games, but that’s not something he wants to do, saying he’d rather play home games without bleachers than travel all season, particularly with a more veteran group he hopes will improve on last season’s 2-7 record.

The stadium is named after William C. Denny, who coached the Rams for 25 years from 1927 through 1961, and died in 1984. He also founded the local Bill Denny/Rutgers Letterwinners Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame