Murdock Stadium is more than just home-field advantage for the Warriors.
It also has a Hollywood tradition to go along with the historic sporting events that have taken place there since the stadium opened in 1949.
The stadium is named in recognition of Forrest G. Murdock, the first EC president.
The first game played at the venue was against East L.A. College on Thanksgiving in 1949, which happens to be the same year current football coach John Featherstone was born.
Featherstone is a former EC student-athlete, playing football for two seasons from 1967-68.
“I played wide receiver here, then went on to San Diego State and played receiver and running back,” Featherstone said.
Murdock Stadium also has features that no other community college facility possesses. The tunnel that leads on to the field is second to none.
The only other stadium in Southern California that has a tunnel that leads on to the field is the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the University of Southern California hosts its football and soccer games.
“I love that tunnel, it gets me pumped up as soon as I walk through it,” sophomore fullback Tony Sekona said.
Other distinct features are that Murdock Stadium is shaped like a horseshoe and it has no track around the field, which is also unusual for a community college football field.
The stadium has a seating capacity of 12,500, which makes it one of the largest venues of any community college in the nation.
Events other than sports are also hosted at Murdock, such as concerts, commercial and movie filmings, EC graduation and Fourth of July firework shows.
“My most memorable concert I attended was a Beach Boys concert in the eighties,” dean of the Fine Arts Division Dr. James F. Schwartz said.
In 2004, the stadium was used to film the Paramount Pictures movie “The Longest Yard,” starring Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds and Chris Rock. The college was compensated $500,000 for the use of the stadium.
There are additional movies that have been shot there, such as “Cheaper by the Dozen,” “The Lady Killers,” “The other Sister” and “The Best of Times” along with countless commercials.
The main attraction of the stadium to movie producers is the open-ended horseshoe shape.
Coaches and players alike feel that Murdock Stadium is a home away from home.
“We really love playing at home,” Featherstone said.
When the Warriors run out of the tunnel onto the field, the tunnel walls read “championships are won between the walls,” referring to the stadium.
“The way the stadium walls are set up, it reminds me of vice grips. That’s what we do to our opponents, put the squeeze and pressure on them,” Featherstone said.
Two years ago, there was a proposal to tear Murdock down and build a new stadium, but the cost was too expensive.
Since then, a decision has been made to renovate the stadium within the next few years and bring it up to code.
“The one improvement I feel that needs to be made is to make the field more level. I think it would make it easier to run on,” Sekona said.
Once the renovation starts, there will be a new weight room, a locker room and bathrooms built, along with new concession stands and a field house.
While there has been an attendance dropoff over the last few years, officials believe attendance will improve once the renovation is complete. Home games have recently been averaging 3,000 spectators.
Since the arrival of Featherstone in 1985, the Warriors have gone 103-37 at Murdock Stadium.
With a handfull of conference and state championships along with a national championship in 1987, Featherstone has made the Warriors football team a perennial powerhouse on the community college level.
“We really love playing at home,” Featherstone said.
Murdock Stadium is also used for high school athletic activities, such as the CIF championship football games. The Lions game, which is the all-American high school all-star football game featuring the top football players in the nation, come to showcase their individual talents at Murdock.
“There have been so many memorable games played at Murdock Stadium, I don’t have a favorite game that stands out to me,” said Schwartz.
“My most memorable game was last seasons’ conference championship game against Cerritos College, when we stopped them on the one-yard line with three seconds to go in the game,” Sekona said.
The Warriors would win that game against Cerritos 35-32, earning the National Central Conference championship.
“My most memorable game at Murdock came (in 2008) when we played a close game against Compton College. That’s when I played line backer, I had some good hits in that game,” sophomore fullback Charles Wolfgramm said.
The Warriors defeated Comtpon 39-27 for their third straight win to begin the season.
The Warriors are a confident football team away from Murdock Stadium, but playing there they are virtually unstoppable.
“When we come to the horseshoe, we are all business, it feels more family-oriented than just playing a football game,” Wolfgramm said.