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El Paso High Stadium voted best in El Paso County

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El Paso High Stadium voted best in El Paso County

To kick off the high school football season on Friday, August 30, the El Paso Times selected ten outstanding stadiums in El Paso County based on their stunning visuals and rich historical past and put them up for online voting.

El Paso High School Stadium emerged as the clear favorite, securing a respectable 40.35% of the vote with 2,409 people casting their support. Ysleta Stadium followed in second place with 16.70% of the vote and a total of 997 votes. Canutillo High School Stadium rounded out the top three with 14.19% and 847 votes.

Other candidates were Irvin (7.27%, 434 votes), Eastwood (5.64%, 337 votes) and Riverside (5.28%, 315 votes). The SAC (Socorro Activities Complex) received 4.35% of the vote with 260 supporters, while Bowie, Del Valle and Franklin each received smaller shares of the vote, with Bowie receiving 2.41% (144 votes), Del Valle 1.96% (117 votes) and Franklin 1.86% (111 votes).

A total of 5,971 votes were cast in this poll, reflecting the community’s strong commitment and passion for high school football in the area.

More: 50 high school football players to watch in El Paso during the 2024 season

What you should know about Jones Stadium

Construction of El Paso High School, known as “The Lady on the Hill,” began in 1913. The architects were Henry and Gustavus Trost. The doors opened to students on September 18, 1916.

The “Lady on the Hill” is similar to Chicago’s Soldier Field, but offers a much more intimate atmosphere. The venue was remodeled in 1993 and is named after a long-time El Paso High School principal.

El Paso High Stadium hosted the Sun Bowl games

RR Jones Stadium holds a special place in history as the first large concrete stadium in the United States. Construction cost approximately $500,000. It was also a pioneer in Texas, as it was the first stadium in the state to have permanent outdoor lighting for sporting events and hosted the state’s first Friday night football game in 1928.

RR Jones Stadium played a significant role in the history of the Sun Bowl, hosting the first three games from 1935 to 1937.

In 2019, USA Today recognized the stadium’s iconic status by ranking it among the 16 best high school stadiums in the country in its “America’s Best High School Football Stadiums” competition. RR Jones Stadium earned a prestigious second place finish. The top honor went to Mitchell Stadium, which serves Bluefield High School in West Virginia and Graham High School in Virginia.

More: Where will El Paso’s 31 high school football teams rank in the 2024-25 season?

The stadium honors RR Jones, the longtime principal of El Paso High School

The stadium is named after Robert Randolph “Railroad” Jones, who served as the school’s first assistant principal from 1916 to 1923 and then principal from 1936 to 1943.

During his 30 years in the El Paso public school system, he was associated mostly with El Paso High School and held the position of assistant superintendent of schools.

“Lady on the Hill” added to the National Register of Historic Places

El Paso High School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The National Register application states, among other things:

“Located at the foot of the Franklin Mountains, El Paso High School is a brick and terra cotta building with a raised basement and three stories, constructed in 1916 in the Classical Revival style. …

“Solace and Consolation, an El Paso architectural firm of the early 20th century whose work was prominent throughout the Southwest for many years, is credited with the innovative plan of this educational facility, which combines the school building and the athletic field in an integral design. Constructed on the northwest corner of a square city lot, the building, elegantly decorated with classical elements, provides an impressive backdrop to the athletic field, which runs diagonally across the approximately 9.5-acre property.…

“The field is surrounded by concrete stands built into the hillsides that rise steeply on the north, west and south sides. The building sits higher than the western seating area and dominates the campus with commanding views of the field, whose long axis is aligned with the school’s monumental entrance pavilion.”

El Paso Times poll results

El Paso Times reporter Trish Long and Felix Chavez contributed to this report.

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