Bill Barlow shares fond memories of stadium

SANDPOINT — Bill Barlow taught at Sandpoint High School for 24 years, and was a successful football, softball and basketball coach along the way.

He was the head football coach for the Bulldogs on two different occasions, following in the footsteps of his father Cotton Barlow, a popular coach and athletic director the generation before.

The name is synonymous with Sandpoint football, as well it should be.

On Friday, the Bulldogs will host Bonners Ferry for Homecoming, and it will mark the final game played before the 65 year-old wooden bleachers at War Memorial Field, the very bleachers Cotton helped build in the early 50s.

The Bee has been asking readers to share their favorite memories of Barlow Stadium, and Bill Barlow, a 70 year-old who now lives in Coeur d’Alene, did just that.

n Bill Barlow shares his favorite memories of Barlow Stadium.

My most memorable experience dealing with Barlow Stadium was the day after my dad passed away. We were scheduled to play West Valley at home. The administration encouraged all ex-Bulldogs and fans to show up for the game as it was going to be dedicated in memory of my father.

As I walked into the locker room before the game I was full of very mixed emotions. I said to myself ‘what do you say to your team at a moment like this?’ I then proceeded to thank them and my coaching staff for all the support they had shown me during this difficult time. I told my players not to think in terms of winning this game for me because I just experienced something that during your life time you all will have to deal with and experience.

I then told them that the stands were full of ex Dogs who because of the special circumstances surrounding this game will be reliving their experiences of playing for the Bulldogs through your performance on the field tonight. The silence was really something, so I waited a few minutes and said ‘don’t let all these Bulldogs and your fans down.’ It was a long night for West Valley.

Another moment I remember was playing Post Falls at Barlow stadium. The winner of this game would qualify for the state playoffs. The coaching staff had a feeling that for some reason the team just seemed flat and not as emotionally tuned in as they should be for a game of this magnitude, that something had to happen to change the tone and very soon.

One of the things about Barlow stadium that made it so unique for all these years is that the fans are right on top of the field and players because everything is so close to the playing field. So as we exited the locker room we did something that had never been done at that stadium: we walked past the rear end of the stadium and walked directly through the bleachers.

Upon our entry the response was instant and unbelievable. The reaction of the fans was incredible and you could hear the screaming downtown. This turned the players on and boy did they ever respond. We won the game and Barlow Stadium was truly an experience for kids to play on.

Good luck with the new Barlow Stadium.

Have a memory you’d like to share about the 65 year history of Barlow Stadium? Email it to “eplummer@bonnercountydailybee.com” for publication on the sports page.