Stadium to be dedicated Friday

On Friday, August 22, 2008, Swanton High School will be dedicating its football stadium to David Hansbarger. It will have the new name of David W. Hansbarger Stadium.

The event will take place at approximately 6:45 p.m. before the varsity football game against Lake. Coach Hansbarger will be present along with many of his former players and coaches as the façade of the press box will reveal the new name.

Hansbarger was one of the most successful coaches in NWOAL history, the former Bulldogs' mentor turned a struggling grid program in the early 1970's into a legitimate contender in which his teams captured two Northern Border League Championships and five NWOAL titles while going undefeated twice in 1975 and 1981 during his outstanding tenure.

Hansbarger whose career record is 154-87-5 from 1972-1995, also guided the Bulldogs to their first post-season appearance in the 1995 Division IV state playoffs. An active member in the Ohio Football Coaches Association, he has served various capacities with the orginazation.

His other honors included being named Region I Coach of the year in 1975, 81, 90, and 95 and also coached the Ohio High School North-South All Star game in 1991 and the Ohio-Pennsylvania Big 33 All-Star Game in 1996. He was inducted in the Swanton High School Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Ohio High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002.