Maverick Stadium and its surrounding complex opened along with the "new" Marshall High School in the fall of 1980. For 40 years, the stadium has been an iconic fixture in the community and host for all kinds of events: memorable Maverick football games, soccer games, track meets such as the Maverick Relays, field days for MISD elementary students, MHS graduation ceremonies, and even local revival meetings in the late 1990s. The track surrounding the playing surface, renamed the Coach Emma Bennett Track in honor of the legendary late Lady Mavs track coach, also serves the Marshall community as a walking track for physical fitness.

For the first 20 plus years, Maverick Stadium was a grass surface and was one of the first fields in East Texas to have its logo painted at midfield. The original Maverick logo was hand-painted on the grass by Mr. Geoff McKay, who now serves as a freelance photographer at Maverick Football games.

In 1982, just the third year of the stadium's existence, Marshall made the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. Six years later, in 1988, the Mavs celebrated their first win in over two decades over rival Longview as well as their first district championship since the late 60s in Maverick Stadium.

That same year, the stadium hosted perhaps its most memorable game in history when the Mavs hosted legendary West Texas powerhouse Odessa Permian on a sweltering afternoon in September and upset the mighty Mojo with a 13-12 victory. It is estimated that possibly 10,000 people were in attendance in over 100 degree temperatures that day, with every possible empty space in the stadium filled with fans.

Two years later, the Mavs put the finishing touches on a dominant three-year run by winning the program's only state championship to date with a 21-19 win over Converse Judson in the Houston Astrodome. The 1990 Mavs went 14-2 on the way to the state title and won all five of their games in Maverick Stadium by a combined average score of 27-9.

Maverick Soccer was added as a sport in 1984 and has played every home game of its existence in Maverick Stadium. The Lady Mavs Soccer program was added over 20 years later and both programs now call the stadium home during the winter months.

The south side of the stadium, which is the visitor's side, was expanded in the early 1990s to increase the seating capacity of the stadium to approximately 6,000.

The grass field was replaced by an artificial turf surface in the early 2000s, which lasted until 2015 when it was replaced with a new turf. Defects in that turf began popping up and the turf was replaced once more for the 2020 season by Hellas Construction, an industry leader in turf fields that has served clients such as Baylor's McLane Stadium, Houston's NRG Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium and Ford Center.

The new turf installed in 2020 by Hellas also includes Eco-therm technology, which is a cooling system under the surface that is designed to lower the temperature of the turf by up to 30 degrees in the hot months of early fall in East Texas. Entering 2020, Maverick Stadium is the only surface in East Texas with the Ecotherm technology.

A new two-story press box was constructed in 2018 to replace the original one that had become unsafe. Maverick Stadium also installed a new video scoreboard in 2016. New lights were added to the stadium for the 2019 season as well.

Renovations for the 2020 season also include the repair and upgrade of restroom facilities on both the home and visitor side. All of the upgrades and improvements to the 40-year old stadium in the last four years have been done without the need to pass a school bond specifically for stadium renovation, which is a credit to the financial responsibility of the school district over the years.

Renovations for the 2024 season include the addition of a visiting locker room as well as a brand new entrance and home side ticket booth.

Maverick Stadium is available for use for playoff games and other events. For scheduling information, contact the MISD Athletic Department at 903-927-8809 or 903-927-8772.

MAVERICK COACHES IN MAVERICK STADIUM ERA

• Jim Stroud (1980-81)

• Ralph Harris (1982-83)

• Dennis Parker (1984-1990)

• Bill Harper (1991-2001)

• Rodney Southern (2002-2005)

• Thedrick Harris (2006-2010)

• Alex Richters (2011-2012)

• Clint Harper (2013-2016)

• Claude Mathis (2017-2018)

• Jake Griedl (2019-2021)

• Jack Alvarez (2022-2023)

• Jason Hammett (2024-present)

MAVERICK ALL-STATE IN MAVERICK STADIUM

• Odell Beckham, RB (1988)

• Alfred Jackson, DB (1988)

• Wesley Smith, OL (1988)

• Tremayne Green, LB (1990)

• Willis Hudson, DL (1990)

• Kelvin James, DL (1990)

• Marvin Jackson, DL (1992)

• Rontrez Johnson, DB (1994)

• Reggie Jones, TE (1994)

• Jackie Robinson, RB (2004, 2005)

• Mario Walker, TE (2004)

• Justin Smart, LB (2005)

• Cam Haller, ATH (2015)

• Chasen Hines, OL (2017)

• Brevin Randle, LB (2018)

• Tahj Washington, WR (2018)

• Savion Williams, ATH (2019)

• Connor Hagerty, OL (2022)

• Carson Combs, DL (2022)

• JQ Davis, RB (2022)
  
  NOTABLE MOMENTS/GAMES IN MAVERICK STADIUM

• Y.A. Tittle -- Legendary Maverick alum and Pro Football Hall of Famer attended Maverick games over the years. His last game as a fan was Marshall's 28-25 win over Longview on Oct. 9, 2015. Y.A. passed away at the age of 90 nearly two years to the day after that night in Maverick Stadium.

• Mavs vs. Odessa Permian (1988) -- On a sweltering 100-degree day with approximately 10,000 fans sitting, standing and pacing all over the stadium complex, Marshall hosted the famed Mojo of West Texas. Both teams were ranked in the top 10 during the second week of the 1988 season. Marshall grabbed an early 7-3 lead in the game but Permian rallied to take a 12-7 lead into the fourth quarter. Mavs senior QB Benny Valentine put Marshall out front 13-12 late in the game with a nifty touchdown scramble and the Mavs defense stopped the Panthers on 4th down inside the MHS 30 yard line in the closing seconds to seal perhaps Marshall's biggest win in football to that date. Mavs coach Dennis Parker would later say scheduling and beating Odessa Permian was one of the springboards to a three-year run of dominance by Marshall that ended with a 1990 state championship.

• Playoff Game vs. Klein Oak (2005) -- Marshall took advantage of a UIL rule that stipulates if a team loses a home-and-home flip for playoff site the previous year, and plays at the other team's home stadium, the rematch the next year must be played at the other home stadium. The Mavs under head coach Rodney Southern defeated Klein Oak 38-7 in 2004 at Klein Oak's Memorial Stadium, then hosted a bi-district rematch the following year in what was the first Marshall home playoff game in the history of Maverick Stadium. Marshall cruised to a 50-16 win that night on the way to a second straight trip to the state finals.

• Win vs. Longview (2015) -- The Mavs' storied rivalry with the Lobos is one of the most historic in the nation, but Longview has had its way with Marshall since the turn of the millennium. Entering the 2015 season, Longview had won 14 of the previous 15 matchups, including 14 in a row, dating back to the 2000 season. But Marshall had started the 2015 season 5-0 and hosted the Lobos on Oct. 9, 2015, and finally outlasted their rivals for a 28-25 victory. It took a clutch scamper of 30 yards on 4th and 2 by senior running back Cameron Haller with less than 2 minutes to play to seal the deal for Marshall, which went on to claim a share of the district championship and advance three rounds deep in the playoffs with an 11-2 record in 2015.

• Win vs. Lindale (2019) -- On perhaps one of the most emotional nights in Maverick Stadium's history, the Mavs closed out a tragic two-week period with a 49-35 win over Lindale in the district opener on Sept. 27. It wasn't so much the game or the score that meant anything as the events that surrounded it. Following a 38-6 loss to Carthage two weeks earlier that dropped the Mavs to 0-3, Marshall's much-needed bye week was shattered when senior defensive tackle Hayden Blalock was killed in an automobile accident on the way to practice on the morning of Sept. 18. The team attended Hayden's funeral two days after the open date on their schedule, then had to prepare for their district opener just five days later. Following a back-and-forth first half against the talented Eagles, the Mavs pulled away in the second half and dedicated the win and the rest of the season to their fallen teammate.