Memories of Vets Stadium

Erected in 1950, Long Beach Veterans Memorial Stadium was intended as a memorial to World War II veterans, particularly those who didn't come home. During this same period the VA Hospital opened and Long Beach State College acquired and began developing its present campus next door.

More than just a parking lot used for a popular swap meet, low rider shows and motorcycle meets, the stadium has been the center for several standout moments as well as Long Beach Poly, Long Beach City College and Long Beach State football and community sporting events.  

Every summer, long-term residents near the stadium recall the annual Fourth of July fireworks show that after 54 years its shows ended in 2011, replaced by amateur illegal activity in nearby neighborhoods.  

One of the more memorable movies of 1979 was the popular Bette Midler flick, “The Rose,” which earned several Oscar nominations. Loosely based on the career and life of Janis Joplin, the film contained several performance scenes, the most dramatic of which was filmed at the stadium.  

A casting call went out for extras to fill the stadium for that filmed concert on July 14, 1978, and in accordance with the plan, 10,000 extras, fans and locals, many in 1960s dress packed the venue. The crowd was instructed to chant “drugs, sex, rock and roll” in unison as Bette Midler appeared on-stage for a one-song concert.

In the film's final sequence, Rose is dying while singing “Stay With Me.” It's said that after three takes of “Stay With Me,” Midler was told they needed another take; she jokingly pretended to collapse on the stage.

The movie was a major success. For several months after the filming, the distinctive dark red “Rose” logo and title could be seen on the scoreboard from the street.  

On Sunday, July 20, 1980, the first KLON Blues & Gospel Festival was held on a pickup truck flatbed stage at Veterans Memorial Stadium. This inaugural event was a one-day festival featuring an unusually impressive lineup for a first attempt:

Big Joe Turner hollered and George Harmonica Smith blew the blues, the Chambers Brothers gave gospel and psych spin on the blues, the William Clarke Band got to blues basics; Pee Wee Crayton’s guitar played the blues, Prince Dixon shouted the gospel blues, along with Margie Evans, Lowell Fulson, C.C. Griffin, Blind Joe Hill, Hollywood Fats Band, Doug MacLeod Band, Night Owls, Finis Tasby, Phillip Walker and Smokey Wilson.

The Los Angeles Times later reported that only about 800 tickets were sold. Other histories give the attendance as approximately 700. The festival reportedly lost $7,000.

In 1981, the event and KLON moved to the North Athletic Field at Cal State Long Beach. It became the Long Beach Blues Festival. It gradually grew into a major Southern California blues festival. By 1989, the festival was attracting more than 15,000 people, and by 1990 the Los Angeles Times was calling it an established annual event. It ultimately lasted 30 years, with the 2009 festival at Rainbow Lagoon being the 30th.

On Monday, June 16, 1986, 76-year-old Mother Teresa came to Veterans Memorial Stadium for the second annual Rosary for Peace. About 10,000 people filled the stadium. She entered the stadium in a stretch limousine at about 5 p.m. and was escorted around the track by children in plaid Catholic-school uniforms, priests and members of the Knights of Columbus before reaching the podium. The program included a choir from Artesia and a hospital chaplain. Long Beach Mayor Ernie Kell presented her with a key to the city.

Then there was football. George Allen had been away from college coaching since 1956. By the time Long Beach State hired him, he had coached the Los Angeles Rams and had taken the Washington Redskins to Super Bowl VII. He had never had a losing season in his 14 years as a professional head coach. When Allen accepted the job in December 1989, it was regarded nationally as a remarkable coaching hire. The Los Angeles Times called rebuilding the program essentially the “toughest in America.”

The 49ers went 6–0 at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Four of those home victories were decided by a total of only eight points, with three winning scores coming in the final two minutes.  

On November 17, 1990, when the 49ers defeated UNLV, 29–20, to finish the season 6–5, the players carried Allen off the field while the crowd chanted his name. His players dumped a bucket of ice water/Gatorade over Allen. It was a chilly, windy night, and Allen remained on the field in his soaked clothes for some time while talking with reporters. He then reportedly remained wet on the trip back.

Allen subsequently said he hadn't felt well since, helping to create the later legend that the soaking had killed him. Contrary to urban legend, Allen’s death at age 72 was not connected to being soaked. It was caused by ventricular fibrillation, a fatal cardiac arrhythmia, not pneumonia or a cold.  

The next year, Long Beach State dropped its football program, followed by its closest rival, Fullerton State in 1992. As for high school football, Long Beach Poly’s final game at the stadium on Aug. 28 ended with Yorba Linda defeating the Jackrabbits, 30-13.

Next: stadium demolition.