Art Linkletter and Paul G. Benedum at field dedication (1971)

Mercury Studio (Hamden, Mass.) · September 18, 1971

This photograph shows Paul G. Benedum and Art Linkletter at Springfield College's Benedum Field's dedication ceremony that took place on September 18, 1971. Benedum is holding a jersey and a football, while Linkletter is holding just a jersey. There is a large crowd of people in the stands behind them. Benedum was the President of the Benedum-Trees Oil Company and a member of the Board of Directors of many gasoline and oil companies in the Unites States. He served as a member of the Springfield College Board of Trustees from 1962 to 1968, and as a Corporator of the college from 1968 to 1971. Springfield College's Paul G. Benedum Field was completed in 1971. Encompassing an 88,164 square foot area and costing $415,000, it consisted of a poly-turf surface that was used for football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, physical education classes, and intramural athletics. It was one of the largest synthetic playing surfaces in the world at the time. In October of 2007, Benedum Field was renamed Stagg field in honor of Amos Alonzo Stagg (1862-1965). Stagg brought football to what is now Springfield College and coached the institution’s first team in 1891. After arriving as a graduate student and instructor in 1890, Stagg posted a notice inviting students and faculty to play football for the institution. After coaching for fifty-seven years at number of different institutions, he became the dean of college football coaches. Stagg pioneered the huddle, the man in motion, the end-around, and the Statue of Liberty play, among others. It was Arthur Gordon Linkletter, also known as Art Linkletter, who suggested that the college build a new swimming and diving facility. Art Linkletter was the famed entertainer best known for his TV series "House Party" that ran on CBS from 1952 to 1969.