Bakersfield College's Memorial Stadium has some stories to tell about its 70 years as an eastside landmark

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – When Bakersfield College opened in 1913, it shared space on the campus of what today is Bakersfield High School.

College officials made their priorities abundantly clear 40 years later when BC moved to its 153-acre campus “on the hill” in 1955. The first completed campus structure was a 16,000-seat football stadium. The Renegades were scoring touchdowns in front of frenzied fans before instructors had chalk boards to write on.

Seventy years later the once modest campus has the look of a major university, thanks to continuing community investment. And Memorial Stadium, once the jewel of the new campus, is now the grand dame. The stadium has been meticulously maintained and upgraded over the years – including, in 2019, with a new artificial playing surface, whi