Schools
El Camino College Starts Construction on New Sports Complex
The new facilities will replace the stadium used for filming the 2005 remake of "The Longest Yard" and several other films.
Work is underway on a $37.2 million sports complex at El Camino College in Torrance that replaces the stadium used for filming the 2005 remake of "The Longest Yard" and several other films.
The facility replaces the Murdock Stadium, which had been a landmark at the El Camino College campus since 1949 and was named after the college's founding president, Forrest G. Murdock.
The old stadium, which has been featured in several films, only provided a field for soccer and football, which did not meet the needs of the student body, according to William Beverly, president of the board of trustees of the El Camino Community College District.
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"We hope to appeal to all different types of students and serve the entire community," Beverly said Monday.
The films that used the old stadium include the 2005 version of "The Longest Yard" starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock, the 2003 remake of "Cheaper by the Dozen," "The Lady Killers," "The Best of Times" and "The Other Sisters," according to the Easy Reader. The field was also featured in the 1980s HBO series "1st & Ten."
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The Los Angeles Aztecs of the original North American Soccer League played at the stadium 1975 and 1976. The U.S. men's soccer team played World Cup qualifying games in the stadium in 1985 and 1989.
The new complex will feature a modern locker facility and a press box, as well as football and soccer fields, according to the college. Other upgrades include a 10-lane running track and field facility for college competitions, as well as an athletic training and sports medicine facility.
The loss of the 65-year-old stadium has been bittersweet for some, but college officials said the change comes as students are looking for institutions that provide strong academics and world class facilities.
"We know we have the academics, and pretty soon we will have the facilities," said Thomas Fallo, superintendent of the El Camino Community College District.
The new complex is scheduled to be open by this summer.
--City News Service
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