The562’s coverage of Jordan Athletics is sponsored by former LBUSD superintendent Chris Steinhauser.
It was a special morning on the North Side as Long Beach Jordan hosted their ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil their brand-new, long-awaited stadium on Saturday.
After years of planning and coordinating practices and home sites for the Jordan teams, the Panthers have their new home.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Long Beach Jordan principal Keisha Irving-Holder said to the those in attendance. “And the North Long Beach community deserves this.”
Jordan was the last campus to get their football field redone, but it has one unique feature that differs from the rest of the Long Beach Unified School District that received new stadiums – a blue field.
“This field, it’s more than a field,” LBUSD superintendent Jill Baker said. It’s a huge commitment to the North Long Beach community that really builds on a lot of the district’s efforts to elevate and uplift the North Long Beach community. It stands as a beacon of what we believe in the North Long Beach community. It’s more than a field. It’s our commitment to both excellence and equity for our students and actually for the community at large.”
Along with Baker, the ceremony brought out the Jordan community and alumni who are excited for what this means for the future. Ortege Jenkins, Long Beach Jordan legend, spoke about what this means to bringing back a winning culture and pride on the North Side.
“Seeing this process, seeing the field and the whole evolution of the school, it’s just amazing,” Jenkins said. “I have a lot of sense of pride in that and us as a community, we got to make sure that we come out and support all of the student athletes. Because it’s important to show your support for the kids that we have.”
While the stadium will serve as a new home for Jordan athletics, Long Beach councilmember Joni Ricks-Oddie talked about what impact this has on the youth now and for generations to come.
“Sometimes we underestimate how important it is for our children to feel seen, support and invested in,” Ricks-Oddie said. “This is more than just a field, it’s a symbol of opportunity and investment in our youth. We’re witnessing a new chapter in the legacy that is Jordan High School.”
Among the speakers to take the podium was John Ross who was a prolific athlete for the Panthers on the football field and on the track. Ross went on to play at the University of Washington before having a 6-year career in the NFL.
Ross talked about how impressed he was of the new stadium and campus but also how it was bittersweet leaving the campus before the new upgrades were in process.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling because I’m a generation hater,” Ross said with a smile as he looked at the blue turf. “I’m tier one when it comes to hating. But in seriousness, this is really good to see. It looks amazing, like I wish I was still here playing on it. That’s how good it looks. It resembles a college field.”
Jordan will have plenty of time to break in their new field this year and in the future. The football team will be back for when they open their season against Crenshaw on August 29th at 7 p.m.
