John F. Kennedy Stadium (Bridgeport)

John F. Kennedy

Full name	John F. Kennedy Stadium
Location	Bridgeport, Connecticut  United States
Coordinates	41°11′18″N 73°12′13″W / 41.188357°N 73.203526°W / 41.188357; -73.203526Coordinates: 41°11′18″N 73°12′13″W / 41.188357°N 73.203526°W / 41.188357; -73.203526
Operator	Bridgeport School District
Capacity	12,000
Opened	1964
Tenants
Central High School Hilltoppers (1964–present) Univ. of Bridgeport Purple Knights (1964–1975)

John F. Kennedy Stadium is a 12,000-seat lighted stadium located at Central High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut.^[1] The stadium is designed for use for football, soccer, lacrosse games and track and field meets.^[2]

The stadium was built along with the current high school, which was completed in 1964, and named for the recently assassinated President John F. Kennedy.^[3] In addition to being home to the CHS Hilltoppers, it was home to the University of Bridgeport's football program until it was disbanded in 1975.

The final game of the minor league Atlantic Coast Football League was held at the stadium, when the New England Colonials defeated the Bridgeport Jets, 41-17, in the ACFL championship game. 10,176 fans attended the contest on November 23, 1973 -- ten years and a day after President Kennedy died, in a stadium named after him.

In recent years, the stadium served as the site of the Eastern Marching Band Association and Musical Arts Conference marching band field show finals in early November, as well as the home field for the Connecticut Hurricanes Drum and Bugle Corps, both having moved there in 2000 after several years at West Haven High School's stadium.^[4] In 2001, the stadium was the host to the first Major League Lacrosse championship weekend.

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