The Seminole State College Educational Foundation will host a grand opening event for the Brian Crawford Memorial Sports Complex on Oct. 20 from 3 to 6 p.m. A ribbon cutting will be held at 3:15 p.m. The celebration is open to the public and will feature exhibition baseball and soccer games, as well as food trucks and music.
The BCM Sports Complex is located approximately half of a mile west of Seminole State College, adjacent to Seminole High School. The complex contains seven fields, including the Trojan baseball and women’s soccer fields. It also features an adaptive field for athletes with disabilities, made possible by a grant from the Avedis Foundation.
Following the initial ribbon cutting for the complex, the Avedis Foundation will hold a ribbon cutting for the adaptive field at 3:30 p.m.
At 3:45 p.m., several major donors to the project, driven by the SSC Educational Foundation, will participate in activities on the main Trojan baseball field. This All-Star team will take the field to cover positions in a ceremonial warm-up exercise.
Women’s Soccer Coach Dan Hill will participate in a batting challenge on the baseball field and Head Trojan Baseball Coach Mack Chambers will participate in a penalty kick shootout on the soccer field at 4:00 p.m.
Athletes in “A League of their Own,” a local softball league established to provide athletic opportunities for individuals with cognitive or physical disabilities, will take to the Avedis Adaptive Field at 4:45 p.m. At 5:00 p.m., little league baseball exhibition matches will be held.
The namesake of the sports complex, Brian Crawford, passed away following an automobile accident in 2005. He was a Prague High School baseball player. A fund was started in his honor, and his father, Kenneth Crawford, launched the Brian Crawford Memorial Foundation with the goal of creating a sports complex in his son’s honor. In July of 2017, Kenneth Crawford made a major pledge to the SSC Educational Foundation to launch the fundraising project. Kenneth Crawford currently serves as the BCM Sports Complex Operations Manager.
Plans for the complex were finalized in June of 2019 by the SSC Educational Foundation trustees. A groundbreaking for the complex was held in November of that year. Land clearing began shortly thereafter.
In October of 2020, the Avedis Foundation awarded a $250,000 grant to the SSC Educational Foundation for the construction of an adaptive field.
In the late spring of 2022, the complex had a soft opening with temporary occupancy. Throughout the summer, several little league and high school tournaments were held at the site.
Thursday’s event will mark a weekend of sports activities with the annual Trojan baseball alumni returning for events on Friday and Saturday, the women’s soccer team hosting its Sophomore Night on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m. and the volleyball team will host its Sophomore Night on Oct. 21 at 5:30 p.m.
For more information on the grand opening, visit bcmsportscomplex.com or contact SSC Educational Foundation Advancement Coordinator Kim Owen at k.owen@sscok.edu or 405-382-9506.