Newton Field’s new lights have an impressive story of their own

The term "Friday night lights" gained popularity in 1990 when H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger's book of the same title was released, chronicling the happenings around Odessa's Permian High School football team. That title didn't come out of thin air. Pick any Texas highway you want, drive down it for two hours on a fall Friday night, and you will see town after town illuminated by the bright glow around each respective high school football stadium, permeating the horizon. For Graham, Newton Field is where the glow resides on Friday nights, and that light has a story of its own. "When we were in the process of looking for new lights, I was told by a guy here in town that the Texas Rangers were changing their light out to LED," Graham ISD's director of operations David Sanders said. "He said they may just throw the lights away. A friend of mine made a phone call that led me to the guy in charge of the Rangers light change out." Through a series of phone conversations, Sanders got in touch with the person in charge of switching the lights out at Globe Life Park. He was told to bring a trailer to the stadium on a day in February to pick up 90 lights. "That was the hardest part," Sander said. "Once I got to the ballpark, they led me into the loading docks on the third base line and they started loading the trailer with lights, 30 at a time." Sanders said the lights are likely three to five years old based on the markings. A six-year-old light isn't out of the question, meaning Newton Field may now sit under the same glow that illuminated six World Series games in 2010 and 2011, along with several playoff games. For the rest of this story, pick up a copy of Saturday's Graham Leader, or subscribe to our online edition.