Celebrating Cowboy Football’s 500th Win & Turf Upgrades

On Friday, September 1, 2023, Hardin-Simmons University will dedicate the refurbished Parramore Field and celebrate Cowboy Football’s 500^th win at 6:30 P.M. Following the celebrations, HSU Cowboys will play Albright College at 7:00 P.M.

The field’s turf was upgraded in preparation for the new season. Along with updated imagery, more padding was added under the turf for the safety and health of players. Plus, the design of the turf makes it 15 degrees cooler than previous iterations.

About Parramore Field:

From dust and dirt to green turf with purple and gold and gold accents, Parramore Field has come a long way. In the summer of 1907, Parramore Field was cleared of mesquite trees, holes were filled, and the ground was leveled.

For the first two years, the heavy mesquite sod held out and helped break the force of falls. However, the grass was beaten out and the field became as hard as floor in some places and sandy in others. Any time a ball hit the ground, dust would rise.

According to Dr. Rupert Richardson ’12, in his book Famous Are Thy Halls, “In those places where the dust accumulated, a deft flip of the fingers just as the ball was snapped could prove exceedingly irritating to an opponent. It was a joke among the boys that men who played against tackles Clarence Cash and Horace Murphy often found the field very dusty.”

Parramore Field was named in honor of Colonel James H. Paramore (1840-1917). Col. Parramore was an active member of the Simmons Board of Trustees from 1894 until his death in 1917. Over the years, he financially contributed to the school’s endowment, multiple construction projects, and was often the speaker at campus events and chapel. His advice was often sought by faculty, staff, and other college trustees.

Col. Paramore found time for his many roles as a rancher, landowner, church deacon, and business owner. Two of his larger operations included Abilene Cotton Oil Company and San Simon Ranch in New Mexico. Col. Parramore was active both in Abilene and on campus, building community. He was known throughout town for the largescale barbeques he would host, with his good friend and fellow HSU Trustee C.W. Merchant, that all were welcome to attend.

The Parramore name and legacy continued with others. Mary Frances Hall, a former female residence hall, was named for Col. Paramore’s wife, Mary, and C.W. Merchant’s wife, Frances, after they raised the funds for construction. Col. Parramore’s daughters, Susie and Mary, were the first graduates of music at Simmons College.

In its early years, Parramore Field was used for football, track and field, baseball, and basketball. The men’s track and basketball uniforms were considered immodest by Col. Parramore, so he paid for the construction of a fence around the field to prevent the female students and anyone else from catching immoral glimpses. (The men’s uniforms consisted of shorts and tank tops, while the women’s uniforms were full wool skirts, long sleeves, and tights.)

In 1916, Parramore Field became Parramore Stadium with the construction of bleachers. In 1928, more substantial bleachers were added.

Over the years, Parramore Stadium has had many different looks, as the university’s athletic teams expanded and contracted. Once football was reintroduced to the campus in 1990, the field began to resemble what it is today. Dedicated on September 11, 1993, Shelton Stadium was officially open for business. The newly constructed stadium, with press box and concessions, was named in honor of A.B. “Stormy” and Ruby Shelton, while the field’s name remained in honor of Col. Parramore.

Parramore Field changed from grass to artificial turf in in 2014, and the rest is history.