For Jack Stanford, the old Oak Street football grandstand at UTC’s Chamberlain Field was a place to experience playful and fun times on the inside and more rugged and serious times outside.

The former Baylor School basketball coach and retired independent school headmaster in Memphis played for Coach “Scrappy” Moore’s Mocs in the late 1940s and early 1950s and caught a 64-yard pass against Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 1952 on a tackle-eligible play.

However, he also lived during his entire time as a student in the Oak Street structure in one of the nine dorm rooms on the second floor.

“I have fond memories of Room No. 7,” he recalled recently.

Memories of the old grandstand are likely to be a little more sentimental for all former players and students now, as the structure, which has not been used for UTC football games since 1997, is closed and mostly fenced off.

A new UTC library is under construction adjacent to it, and the school has sought approval from the State Building Commission to tear down the Oak Street grandstand – also called the South Stadium in more recent years.

However, slightly more than memories will still be preserved.

“The university plans to preserve as many of the architectural elements and materials as possible from South Stadium for possible re-use in an architectural gateway,” said Cindy Carroll from the UTC university relations office recently, adding that a definite razing date has not been set.

“The plan is for it (the gateway) to be located at the opposite end of the field from where the new library will be located.”

Mr. Stanford, who now stays active running a headmaster search consulting business, said he had come to the University of Chattanooga in 1948 and first roomed with Rufus Evans, Bill Edwards and Frank Irwin in a room with two sets of bunk beds.

The Vine Street stadium/dormitory, which was torn down in 2005, opened when he was a student and some players moved over there, but he stayed in Room No. 7 his entire time, he said. Later roommates included Buck Stamps and Earl Dukes.

All of his roommates have since passed away, with two dying recently.

Assistant coaches Frank Grigonis and Russ Skall, who was a backup to 1947 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack at Notre Dame, also lived in the grandstand during Mr. Stanford’s time there, he recalled.

For him, the building was just a fun place to enjoy college and take breaks. Of course, with college football players involved, a little rambunctiousness and mischief were also involved.

Mr. Stanford remembers holes being accidentally made in the walls on occasion during some innocent horseplay. And, as a budding artist, he recalls painting some cartoon characters on the walls of his room.

As fate would have it, Coach Moore saw what he had done.

“He walked into the room one day and could not believe I had painted cartoon characters all over the wall,” Mr. Stanford said with a laugh.

The building’s Commons area -- which was visible from the dorm room closets across the hall – also holds many fond memories for alumni.

“Many students spent hours socializing over Cokes, making dates for weekend functions, and in many cases, meeting future mates,” recalled former student LaVonne Jolley, who also remembers studying Latin there with some law students.

“It was a vital part of UC in my days as a student.”

Mr. Stanford has similar memories. “Between classes everybody gathered there,” he said

He also remembers his wife, Jody, playing bridge there with some of her girlfriends in between classes.

“She is still playing bridge today with a lot of the same people,” he added.

The brick and collegiate Gothic style Oak Street grandstand with so many fond memories for alumni dates to 1927, but the field was first used in 1908 and initially featured a partially covered, wooden-style grandstand.

The field was originally named for university trustee Capt. Hiram Chamberlain, but later also honored his son, Morrow Chamberlain, who was also a trustee.

Baseball games were also staged at Chamberlain Field during the early years, and the Baylor-McCallie football games were held there from 1908-40, and from 1973-81 after the rivalry was renewed in 1971.

The Vine Street stands across from the Oak Street building were supposed to run the full length of the field, but because of money, the project was scaled back. As a result, the stands ended up running only from midfield down to the goal line, giving the stadium an unbalanced look.

The Oak Street grandstand was dedicated in a game against Vanderbilt on Sept. 24, 1927.

Vanderbilt at that time was one of the football powers of the South under coach Dan McGugin and easily defeated by a score of 45-18 the Mocs and their coach, Frank Thomas. Coach Thomas later led Alabama to a national title and coached Paul “Bear” Bryant.

The loss was a little easier to take because of the fact that the star player for the Commodores was Bill Spears, who had gone to McCallie and was later a longtime Chattanooga attorney.

Fans of the University of Chattanooga – as UTC was then known -- would later enjoy some happier moments sitting in the old Oak Street stands.

Among those special times were victories over Ole Miss in 1945 and over University of Louisville and quarterback Johnny Unitas in 1952. Watching Joe Morrison’s outstanding teams of the late 1970s was also a treat for Moc fans.

Also from those Oak Street stands, local fans saw Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich and Heisman runner-up Charley Trippi in home games against Georgia in the 1940s, and future Heisman winners Paul Hornung and Steve Spurrier in high school while they were playing against E.B. “Red” Etter’s great Central High teams.

Fans also saw the great Tennessee teams of coach Robert Neyland during Vol visits in 1932 and 1939, and future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw of Louisiana Tech in 1969.

In 1993, Moc fans jumped up and down in the Oak Street stands – the official home side – after watching future NFL great Terrell Owens put on a show in a 33-31 upset win over Marshall and future Georgia coach Jim Donnan.

They also stood in those same bleachers and watched and saluted “Scrappy” Moore as he won his final game in 1967 after a 37-year career at the helm of the Mocs.

The field itself was saluted in 1997, when a scrappy UTC team defeated Wofford, 20-17, on Oct. 4 in the last game at Chamberlain Field before the move to Finley Stadium. A touching moment was when the UTC band played “Auld Lang Syne” at halftime as a tribute.

Now Chamberlain Field sits idle, and overgrown weeds and plants stand where fans once did.

The bleachers in all likelihood will soon be gone, but they certainly will not be forgotten.

And Mr. Stanford is at peace with that.

“I know that land for the university is very important and as buildings get old, you have to make those kinds of decisions and I understand – even though I have a lot of fond memories,” he said.

Jcshearer2@comcast.net