COPPERAS COVE, Texas — Generations have grown up hearing the same man announce the high school football games in Copperas Cove.
For 45 years, Joe Lombardi sat in the announcer’s booth, calling the Copperas Cove Bulldawgs football games.
Lombardi died earlier this year, and now some members of the community are pushing to rename this field after “Big Joe”.
”I don’t know anybody that would get more excited about a Bulldawgs touchdown than him,” said longtime friend to “Big Joe", Angea Carroll.
“Big Joe” Lombardi dedicated his heart and 45 years to calling games at Bulldawg Stadium while sacrificing time with loved ones.
”Many of birthday or anniversary or special occasion were missed because the Bulldawgs came first to Joe,” said “Big Joe’s” wife, Sherry Hoffpauir.
His commitment to the players stretched far beyond Copperas Cove.
”It started long before it was game time,” Carroll said.
“He knew all the players that were on both teams. He knew what they did, their stats, how they had been, and he was able to call it right off his head without even hesitating.”
Now family and friends from around the country are joining members of the Copperas Cove comminity in an effort to honor his legacy by putting his namesake on the field.
”We just want the grass, the field named after him,” Hoffpauir said.
“You know, call it Lombardi Field. We don’t want a building, facility, or any of that. Just for it to be called Lombardi Field.”
They said folks from all over the community,and even the country, are behind the idea.
They've been trying to bring that idea to life.
”First, we didn’t hear from anybody right away,” Carroll said.
“So, I thought, 'Next step?' — Sherry said, 'Lets do the school board',".
Their efforts have hit walls with the school district that they weren’t expecting.
”I thought he would be okayed right away, you know,” Carroll said.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of dedicated people in the community that spent 45 years with the school kids — doing something for them every year.”
District Superintendent Dr. Joe Burns sent 25 News a statement that reads; “Copperas Cove has a number of facilities that are named after individuals, this includes the radio announcer's booth in the Bulldawg Stadium press box - which is named in honor of Joe Lombardi and is where Joe Lombardi did all of the work he performed for the football program. CCISD has not named facilities after individuals in almost two decades, as the number of individuals who have positively shaped our students' experiences in Copperas Cove ISD is lengthy. We greatly appreciate the work Mr. Lombardi did to promote our community and our students.”
Those pushing for the name, “Lombardi Field” said they will not stop trying to honor the legacy of “Big Joe”.
