Moehl Stadium

History of Moehl Stadium
John F. Moehl, for whom Oregon Tech’s stadium is named?

Moehl was a member of the original OIT booster club and foundation, groups that were looking for ways to better the school and came up with the idea of building a football stadium, since the Hustlin’ Owls were playing home games at Klamath Union’s Modoc Field at the time.

Working closely with Walt Badorek, Moehl and others worked countless hours to build the stadium that housed OIT football until the sport was dropped in 1992 when Tech’s athletic department was gutted following the passage of Measure 5, when each of the state’s seven universities were given specific amounts that had to be trimmed.

OIT, with an interim president when Measure 5 passed, basically dropped its athletic programs except for men’s basketball and softball.

With football gone, the facility was reworked to serve the revived track and field program as OIT slowly, methodically, added to its athletic programs.

Badorek, an athlete himself and owner of a metal business, was able, with Moehl’s help, to get a significant portion of the materials for the stadium donated and it was built on what, then, was OIT’s baseball field.

When completed, the OIT Foundation recommended the facility be named John F. Moehl Stadium.

Modoc Lumber made a major monetary contribution toward the project, and did so to honor Moehl, the company’s general manager. Moehl, however, died before the stadium project was completed and never saw the finished product. The gift reportedly was offered if the stadium was named for him.

The facility has served, since it was converted into a track and field facility, to host Cascade Collegiate Conference championships, as well as the league’s decathlon and heptathlon competitions. Several high school track and field meets, including the Sterling Invitational, also are contested at the stadium.

John F. Moehl Stadium also hosts other community events and OIT’s graduation ceremonies in June.

“The Foundation voted to name the stadium after (Moehl), due to his heavy involvement with … coordinating the donation of a large portion of the materials to the stadium,” former OIT athletic director and coach Howard Morris said.

“But,” Morris said, “this project could not have been possible without the hundreds of hours donated by many of those involved at the time. It was a real community effort. During daily doubles (at the start of the season), there was a dedicated time when the kids helped build their own stadium.

“It brings back a lot of memories.”

Morris said Southern Oregon, Eastern Oregon and Western Oregon all followed with their own stadiums, or improvements, all paid for by the state. No state money went into the building of John F. Moehl Stadium, however, one of several venues in the area developed without state funding.