History of Don Drumm Field
 

Influenced by unemployment and the economic depression, a movement began in the 1930s to erect a full-fledged stadium for use by the city, the Marietta Public School System and Marietta College. A stadium commission, consisting of Mayor F.A. Steadman, Frank L. Hayes, Harold S. Bates, Edwin B. Strecker, John H. McCoy, Thomas J. Summers, Allan T. Williamson and Lawson Scott, looked into and investigated all the possibilities.

In 1933, the CWA announced it would award $135,000 to Marietta for construction of the stadium. The project stimulated the economy by employing approximately 470 workers. The College, owning the land where it was built, deeded it to the City of Marietta on Dec. 11, 1933.

The deed, subject to the following restrictions, said that the "City of Marietta shall erect or cause to be erected on said premises, without cost to grantors, a Municipal Stadium, to be completed by Sept. 1, 1934.

In recognition of its donation, the College was given preferential rights to the new complex. The deed stated that Marietta College reserves the perpetual right to the use of the stadium. Second preference in the use is in favor of the Marietta City Public Schools.
 

The cost estimate for the facility, which would accommodate 4,300 people, was $200,000. Marietta City Council voted a bond issue of $35,000 for materials. The Board of Education donated fill dirt from High School Hill to elevate the area, which was in the flood plain, five feet. Ground was broken Dec. 31, 1933. While not completely finished, the stadium was dedicated on Friday, Oct. 5, 1934.

In the summer of 1963, the stadium became a major part of a city-wide clean-up campaign enacted by Mayor John A. Burnworth. The city made $6,000 available and the College added $1,400 into improvements to the running track and the College crews donated 800 to 1,000 man hours. Some of the improvements included sandblasting and painting the bleachers, new seats, an asphalt walkway from the main gate to the grandstand and work on the lavatories and locker rooms.

On March 31, 1966, the city leased the stadium to the College for a 15-year period — playing a key role in the expansion of the campus toward the Ohio River. The College paid all utilities and bore all the costs of maintenance and necessary improvements. The College still guaranteed the Marietta City Schools use of the stadium.

After approval from the Stadium Commission and Mayor Burnworth, the stadium was rededicated as Don Drumm Field on Sept. 24, 1966. Drumm was a 1915 graduate of MC and he received 18 letters in three sports over a six-year period. Drumm spent a total of 42 years at MC as both a player and a coach.

In 1968, MC football coach Joe McDaniel installed an underground watering system and crowned the field for $15,000. The College also erected a new press box and scoreboard, sharing the costs with the MHS booster club.

In 1981, a few weeks before the lease was to expire, there was a fire under the bleachers, causing close to $57,000 in damage. After insurance, MC paid $17,578. The College decided not to renew the lease and on July 15, 1981, the city deeded Don Drumm Field over to the Marietta Board of Education.

Marietta City Schools, with the help of the Tiger Athletic Booster Club, put in an all-weather track in 1993. The eight-lane track was later named Bob Annasenz Track.