A field to call home

“Welcome to the first game played at Glendale College,” shouted Brian

Beauchemin over the Glendale Community College public address system.

With those words, the Vaqueros’ 2005 football season kicked off,

as did a new era in Glendale College sports.

Saturday’s game against Southwestern College marked the opening of

Sartoris Field at Glendale College and the first time in the history

of the Vaqueros program -- which has fielded a football team since

1928 -- that a home game has been played at the college.

It was a night of firsts.

Quarterback Steve Martinez’ six-yard scoring run in the opening

quarter became the first points scored by a Vaquero on the field,

coming shortly after Samuel Ledford ran for his team’s initial first

down and Martinez completed his team’s first pass.

There was a first of almost everything on the field, of course --

but a first victory must wait.

Unfortunately for the Vaquero faithful, a valiant Glendale College

comeback fell short in a 39-36 loss to Southwestern. Nonetheless, the

night served a bigger purpose historically as the beginning of a

bright future for Vaquero athletics.

“It was great to come out here and play in front of these fans,”

said Martinez, who quarterbacked his team in front of a near-capacity

crowd.

The field, which bears the name of Athletic Director Jim Sartoris,

was the centerpiece of a banner day. It began with a campus luncheon

in which the field was officially dedicated to Sartoris.

“It’s actually kind of embarrassing. Most of the time a field’s

named after someone who’s dead or donated a million dollars,”

Sartoris said with a smile. “At the same time, it’s a great honor.

I’m really proud of the fact that they’d use my name.”

Sartoris has been involved with Glendale College for 39 years,

first as an All-American football player and then, from 1972 to 1988,

as a head coach, posting an impressive 111-63-1 record. He coached 30

All-Americans during his time, but his most well-known former player

is Andy Reid, the Philadelphia Eagles head coach.

Reid’s name sits upon the field’s scoreboard -- he and his family

donated the $75,000 needed to install the state-of-the-art device.

Reid spoke by phone with Sartoris during the pregame festivities,

with the conversation broadcast to the crowd.

“For myself and my teammates, I thank you for all you’ve done for

us,” said Reid, who played for the Vaqueros from 1976-77. A humble

Sartoris was quick to remark that the day wasn’t just his -- it

belonged to all of the Vaqueros, and not just the football squad.

“It’s not just the team, it’s the whole college,” he said. “This

is fantastic. We had more students at this game than I think we ever

have.... I think this has brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to

the campus.”

The nearly $4-million upgrade to the field were paid for by

Measure G, a $98-million construction bond approved by voters in

2002.

The improvements included a synthetic turf, all-weather track,

stadium lighting and new seating. The college’s men’s and women’s

soccer teams -- along with the track and field program -- will play

at Sartoris Field. The soccer teams played their first home matches

Friday.

On Saturday, though, the football team was at the forefront.

In years past, the Vaqueros shared Glendale High’s Moyse Field

with as many as four high school teams.

“It’s night and day,” said Martinez of playing on Sartoris Field,

which has a FieldTurf surface. “At Glendale High, it was tough to

play on because the field was all messed up, but over here we have a

great field, we have great stands, we have great fans and great

facilities.”

And for the first time, the Vaqueros have a home field at home.

Glendale College Coach John Cicuto, who is starting his 17th

season at the helm of the Vaqueros, had this to say: “It was a great,

great feeling to finally play at home.”

-- Edgar Melik-Stepanyan contributed to this story.

* GRANT GORDON covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3225

or by e-mail at grant.gordon@latimes.com.