The community came together Thursday at Odessa College to break ground on the James Segrest Stadium named for the college’s legendary track coach, and officially launching the $6.5 million capital campaign for the new complex, which will replace the current OC outdoor track area
Segrest, who lives in Granbury, Texas, and several of the athletes that ran for him were present at the site just outside the Sports Center, along with city, OC, chamber officials and other community dignitaries.
Segrest served as the Odessa College track and field coach from 1973 to 1987 and from 1994 to 1995. He was also OC athletic director from 1987 to 1994, Vice President for Student Services Kim McKay said.
For gallery click here.
Odessa Mayor Javier Joven read a proclamation marking Sept. 30 as James Segrest Day.
Phase 1 of the project will include replacing the track with an eight-lane blue track, replacing the grass field with a turf multipurpose field, Vice President of Administrative Services Ken Zartner said.
“We plan to close the track starting Monday, Oct. 11 so that construction can begin and plan to complete Phase I by March 2022,” Zartner said.
Phase II will include grandstands that can seat up to 400 people on each side, a grand entrance with a box office and concession stand, new fencing, restrooms and a scoreboard.
Zartner said the facility will allow Odessa College to bring back a competitive track and field program.
“It will allow us to host UIL, NJCAA track and field meets, youth football, soccer games and so much more,” Zartner added.
Zartner said it was a pleasure to meet Segrest.
“From the second I stepped on this campus, one of the first things that I saw were all those banners and that’s where I really learned of the legend of the coach,” Zartner said.
“This was the place where Friday Night Lights first began in Odessa, Texas, at the old W.T. Barrett Stadium, which was built in 1948; the largest stadium at the time between El Paso and Abilene. A cinder track was installed in 1950, making it the only one of its kind in West Texas. W.T. Barrett Stadium was located on the Odessa College campus from 1948 to 1982 when Ratliff Stadium first opened,” Zartner added.
The stadium was removed and sold to Leander ISD in 1983, he added.
OC opened the Sports Center track in 1984 and has been home to some of the greatest NJCAA track athletes.
The Sports Center serves 7,000 students, close to 8,000 this fall and more than 2,000 community members, McKay said.
“This outdoor track is a popular venue for local sports organizations, families and fitness enthusiasts to walk, run, train and practice. The college plans to incorporate community health, wellness and fitness into the new strategic master plan, Vision 2030+. This plan includes new campus walking trails. This morning, we celebrated the transition to Wrangler trails, a 1/3 mile loop in the heart of the Odessa College campus. It will include outdoor fitness stations, is ADA compliant, is accessible from both the north and south parking lots and will provide a safe, well lit walking trail for all of our walkers. Wrangler Trail is open today. And there are signs on light poles and sidewalks that will help you find your way,” McKay said.
About $2 million of a $7 million donation OC received in June from MacKenzie Scott will be used for the new venue.
Athletic Director Wayne Baker said he first had a chance to meet Coach Segrest in the 1980s. Baker said as a young man kept hearing about the college athletic program and Segrest.
“When we talk about athletics, we’re talking about a program with over 60 national championships and counting, many of them coming in the recent few years,” Baker said.
Segrest engineered 11 national titles in six years.
“So it ended up with indoor and outdoor track, they won 11 of the 12 national titles in that one six-year span, which is unparalleled in the history of the NJCAA that someone would win that many titles. Beyond the 11 titles, we couldn’t even talk about how many conference and region championships the track and field program won. But I know they had well over 400 All-Americans; to the latest count, they have well over 100 individual national champions, have produced multiple Olympians, multiple national champions and some that set world records and today still have records that are in the top five or 10 in the world in their individual event, including John Drummond, who had many of those while Coach Segrest was here,” Baker said.
“Coach Segrest has also had the position of athletic director, which I now have … so I know that I followed in big footsteps there that I had to come into and look at,” Baker added.
He said he’s excited that OC will be able to bring track and field back.
When he got to OC in 2009, Baker said President Gregory Williams had a vision to make OC’s athletic department and facilities the best athletic program in the United States for two-year colleges.
“… This is just another step in what we talked about clear back in 2009 to becoming the best athletic program in the United States for two-year colleges; and guys, we’re getting there. We need to get back to the legacy of track and field that Coach Segrest produced,” Baker said.
Vice President of Advancement, Business and Governmental Relations Jacqui Gore announced that ICA Properties has donated $250,000 to the stadium project.
“This brings us to 35% of our $6.5 million capital campaign goal. This amount joins MacKenzie Scott’s special gift that we received back in June. We earmarked $2 million to this project …,” Gore said.
She added that there are naming opportunities from $1,000 up to several million dollars to place your name on the project.
Williams said naming the stadium for Coach Segrest couldn’t happen to a better person.
“Some of you have known him for a number of years. I know his track athletes have known him for a few years and he’s probably a little nicer now than he was back then,” Williams said.
He added that he heard about Segrest dropping track athletes somewhere and having them run back to campus.
“… And guess what, it worked. My God it worked …,” Williams said.
He met Segrest in the 90s as a young OC employee.
“And he had all these banners and he had all these awards. He had all these honors. And he treated me like I was special. And I was just a guy showing up on campus trying to do a job. But he treated me and everyone else the same way. He loved everyone; very supportive. … He’s a gentlemen, husband and father,” Williams added.
Williams noted that Segrest was a wonderful athlete himself who could win entire track meets. He added that when people are on the track, it doesn’t matter what race, religion or gender they are.
“… That’s why we love athletics so much. It’s you vs. the other person; it’s you vs. the clock. That’s what it’s all about and that’s what we stand for in America. That’s what we stand for in Texas, and certainly that’s what we stand for in West Texas,” Williams said.
Segrest, who just lost his wife about two months ago, said having the stadium named for him was a tremendous honor. He later said he wished she could be there with him.
“… Any success I had was due to her support,” he said. “… She went on most of the trips. She was the wind beneath my wings and I miss her dearly. Most of all, I want to thank my Savior, Jesus Christ,” Segrest told the audience.
He later said having the track named for him was hard to believe.
“It’s such a great thing,” Segrest said.
Ricky Santiago, who was on the track team from 1976-1979, said he and his fellow athletes live here so they see each other a lot.
“But seeing Coach Segrest, that brings back a lot of memories; a lot of good feelings; hard workouts. … He would drop us off long distances over there by that overpass going toward Andrews … He would drop us off and then we would run all the way to here. And then we still had to do 24 200s. Or, he would take us out on that road going to Goldsmith and he would drop us off and say OK, see you guys in a little bit,” Santiago said.
They weren’t terrified they wouldn’t be able to make it back, but they wanted to meet Segrest’s expectations.
“He never raised his voice. He always talked in a fatherly tone. I’ve never ever seen him, never heard him raise his voice. … He would get as nervous as he would in the meet. He would start throwing up because he was so nervous. But it was good,” Santiago said.
