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John D. Sulsberger Memorial Stadium
{Sulsberger Stadium}
{John Sulsberger} The home to ZHS football, soccer and track-and-field, the facility was opened at the end of the 1964 football season after taking just six months to construct. It was built to honor the memory of a ZHS football player who died of cancer at the end of 1963, just months after he was diagnosed. His parents, Dr. Diehl and Elizabeth Sulsberger, made a large monetary donation in their only son's memory, and the Zanesville community also raised funds to help build the Stadium. An aggressive refurbishing plan was begun in 2008, resulting in a state-of-the-art artificial playing surface, new lighting and a new track surface. Further upgrades – including new visitors bleachers and a renovated press box – are still being planned. Click here to access an external site that details what's been done and what's being planned. |
Winland Memorial Gymnasium / Don Stahl Court
Winland Memorial Gymnasium, named in 1995 to honor long-time ZHS booster "Windy" Winland, has been home to ZHS basketball and volleyball in two configurations. The first was a much smaller facility that ran east-west in what is now the south end of the current gym. It was enlarged in 1988 to accomodate a 94-foot basketball court and raise the seating capacity to about 2,800. That, in turn, made the facility a prime site for postseason tournament basketball games, from local sectionals all the way up to regional events. During the 2007-08 season, the court itself was dedicated to former Blue Devils basketball coach Don Stahl, who has been president of the ZHS Tipoff Club booster group for two decades. Three boys state basketball championship banners – 1926, 1955 and 1995 – hang on the wall. Republican Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain also made a campaign stop in Winland Gymnasium in the fall of 2008. The facility will be used for the last time during the 2009-10 school year.
Jay Payton Field
{Jay Payton} Named to honor the current Major League player and ZHS graduate, the rebuilt field sits on the same site of its predecessor, which was excavated as part of the construction of Roosevelt Middle School. The field features a crushed brick infield skin as well as two concrete-block dugouts, two batting cages and a wireless scoreboard that includes inning-by-inning scoring. The field dedication was made in May 2008, and the outfield wall includes a sign signifying Jay Payton's retired No. 2 Blue Devils jersey. During the summer, it also hosts local American Legion and Babe Ruth League games.
Softball Field
Adjacent to the baseball diamond, the softball field also has two concrete-block dugouts. Reconstructed from the same excavation needs as Jay Payton Field, it was officially re-opened in spring 2008. It also hosts games in the Muskingum Area Girls Softball League.
Soccer Practice Facility
The former practice facility became the site of Roosevelt Middle School and, after several seasons of holding practice sessions across town at Riverside Park, the Blue Devils and Lady Devils soccer programs returned to campus for their 2007 seasons. Located west of and "below" the asphalt marching band practice area, the facility includes an equipment storage building.
"The Pit"
Anyone who has played football at ZHS is familiar with "The Pit." Once home to the varsity and reserve team practices, it is now where the Blue Devils freshmen team practices as well as some local youth league teams on occasion. Located off the northwest corner of Sulsberger Stadium – and certainly below it – it's slope may be even more famous. It is where many Blue Devils have run to the top in training, always culiminating with the team's "30 Hills" fitness test just before the start of two-a-day practices. However, most of "The Pit" is being filled with material excavated from the site of the new Zanesville High School, and a new practice field will sit atop it.
