LBCC celebrates the history of Veterans Memorial Stadium and marks the start of construction on its upcoming transformation with a groundbreaking in Long Beach on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Associate Dean Kal Stewart speaks during LBCC’s groundbreaking celebration for the Veterans Memorial Stadium transformation in Long Beach on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
LBCC celebrates the history of Veterans Memorial Stadium and marks the start of construction on its upcoming transformation with a groundbreaking in Long Beach on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
A rendering of LBCC’s new Veterans Memorial Stadium expected to open summer 2029 in Long Beach on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Vice President of Administrative and Business Services Dr. Candace Jones speaks during LBCC’s groundbreaking celebration for the Veterans Memorial Stadium transformation in Long Beach on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)CNG)
District Board of Trustees President Uduak-Joe Ntuk speaks during LBCC’s groundbreaking celebration for the Veterans Memorial Stadium transformation in Long Beach on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
A rendering of LBCC’s new Veterans Memorial Stadium expected to open summer 2029 in Long Beach on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Dean of Business Education and Health Services Dr. Paul Creason leaves a message at the Veterans Memorial Stadium during a groundbreaking celebration in Long Beach on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Associate Dean Kal Stewart speaks during LBCC’s groundbreaking celebration for the Veterans Memorial Stadium transformation in Long Beach on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
President Dr. Mike Munoz speaks during LBCC’s groundbreaking celebration for the Veterans Memorial Stadium transformation in Long Beach on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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LBCC celebrates the history of Veterans Memorial Stadium and marks the start of construction on its upcoming transformation with a groundbreaking in Long Beach on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
LONG BEACH — A historic venue is being reimagined for the next generation of student-athletes at Long Beach City College.
Veterans Memorial Stadium’s 76-year history was celebrated at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new stadium, arena and athletics complex at LBCC Wednesday afternoon.
Construction on a state-of-the-art complex will begin this fall at LBCC’s Liberal Arts Campus, supported by local Measure LB. The estimated completion date for the $250M project is Summer 2029.
Officials said they will recycle the concrete from the old stadium and use it to build the new stadium.
“We are not only celebrating our past by saying farewell to Veterans Memorial Stadium but really building energy, excitement and enthusiasm around our new stadium and athletic complex that’s been built,” Long Beach City College Superintendent-President Dr. Mike Muñoz said. “Currently, our athletic complex is spread across two parts of the campus. … This new complex with the design has been intended to create synergy by co-locating those two spaces together adjacent to one another. There will be much more activation in the central core of this design to create opportunities for students and the community to gather.”
Long Beach City College Superintendent-President Dr. Mike Munoz on impact of the school’s new $250 million Veterans Memorial Stadium, arena and athletic complex, which is expected to open by Summer 2029. pic.twitter.com/rSRF45ekUp
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 10, 2026
The ceremony honored the legacy of Veterans Memorial Stadium, originally conceived by 17 sailors and soldiers from Long Beach who fought in World War II. The venue opened in 1950. According to school officials, the City of Long Beach operated it until it sold it to LBCC for $1 in 1987.
Rick DuRee’s father, Stan, was one of 17 service members who originally advocated for what became Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“From a personal perspective, it means a ton,” said DuRee, who is an at-large member of the Long Beach City College Foundation Board. “My father being one of the original 17 servicemen that wrote that letter back to the citizens of Long Beach back in 1945. To see us recognize their efforts at that time and to see this new stadium come to fruition, it’s a continuation of the effort that those people put into it so many years ago.”
DuRee added that it will be important for LBCC’s new facility to maintain the Veterans Memorial Stadium namesake.
“All those individuals who signed that letter so many years ago, they’re all passed,” DuRee continued. “They’re all gone. Their heirs, their families still live and reside in the Long Beach area, and I think every time you go by it, you look up there and see that sign that says Veterans Memorial Stadium. It brings back that memory of where our parents were during World War II. It’s a long-term lasting remembrance. It’s not something that you can just toss away.”
Rick DuRee is the son of one of the 17 service members from Long Beach who originally proposed the idea of Veterans Memorial Stadium to honor those who fought and died in World War II in the 1940s.
DuRee said it is extremely important that Long Beach City College keeps the name… pic.twitter.com/TQsZSth5eL
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 10, 2026
In addition to being the home stadium for Long Beach City College’s football team and the Long Beach State football team until 1991, it was also home to the nationally prominent Long Beach Poly High School football team, which has produced dozens of NFL players.
It was also a well-known local venue for countless high school graduations.
Officials said the new project will be a state-of-the-art facility for outdoor sports like football, track and field, and cross country, and indoor sports like basketball and volleyball, while paying homage to the original Veterans Memorial Stadium by maintaining its signature look.
The facility will also include a new sports medicine center, a student-athlete weight room, and a student-athlete success center.
“This is going to be literally a game-changer for student-athletes,” Long Beach City College Associate Dean & Director of Athletics Kal Stewart said.
Stewart believes the new athletic complex will help recruit and retain local student-athletes in Long Beach.
“What we hope to engender here is a sense of pride in local community. … We hope people will see the value in staying home not just from an athletic standpoint but an academic standpoint as well,” Stewart explained.
The LBCC football team is 0-2 this season and will play the rest of its home games at the nearby St. Anthony High School Athletic Complex on Clark Avenue in Long Beach. The Vikings were defeated 41-7 by Riverside Community College in the final game at Veterans Stadium on Aug. 29 and will not be able to host on-campus home games until 2029.
“We’re doing everything in our power to ensure that they have the best experience that they can have in this transition period,” Stewart added. “We’ve partnered with St. Anthony High School to make sure that they still have a top-tier experience.
Meanwhile, LBCC suspended the school’s baseball team for the next two seasons while the program’s facilities are being renovated. Those renovations are separate but are on a similar timeline. The baseball field is expected to be ready before the 2029 season.
Long Beach City College Associate Dean & Director of Athletics on the school’s new $250 million stadium and athletic complex being a game changer for recruiting student-athletes. pic.twitter.com/fhXB5qenFK
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 10, 2026
Long Beach City College held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $250 million stadium, arena and athletic complex on Wednesday afternoon. The new facility is estimated to be completed by Summer 2029 to replace the existing Veterans Memorial Stadium that opened in 1950 and closed… pic.twitter.com/u84972OCaC
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) September 9, 2026