The Randy Allen Field– previously named the Highlander Stadium– opened in 1980 to give the Scots a “true” home, as before this they had played at the SMU stadium. Since 1999, head coach Randy Allen has led the Scots to many wins on that field.
The stadium went through renovations over the summer, and as a result of the many years of service Allen has given to the football team and its players, the donating families chose to rename the stadium in his honor.
“It’s hard to take in when you first hear about it.” Allen says. “And really, I didn’t know what to say when I went up to accept the naming of the stadium.”
Even though the stadium will have a new name, it will carry on the legacy of Highlander Stadium and the hundreds of games won by Allen and the football team, including Allen’s first game as a football coach.
“We were playing Garland, and we were behind,” Allen said. “It looked like the game was over with. Some of the fans had started leaving…Then we threw a pass to Sayers Brown for a touchdown in the last seconds to win that first game. It was a really exciting way to start.”
But to Allen, football is about more than just a win. It’s about community spirit, and the whole town coming together to root for their home team.
“One of the neat things about Highland Park is it’s a one-highschool town,” Allen said. “When you’re in a town where you’ve got two high schools, you got half the town rooting for one team, half the town rooting for another team. But here, everyone’s a Scot.”
Part of this spirit is exemplified by Allen himself, and his ability to keep his players motivated to go out and play their best.
“He’s an encourager,” assistant football coach Daren Eason said. “He’s positive. He has a good demeanor. He never freaks out. And that approach gives our players a lot of confidence.”
Allen’s ability to stay collected in difficult situations is what allows him to stay focused on what’s really important: the game.
“I think that he has a calm and poise about him,” Eason said. “He never gets rattled. I really enjoy that about him. I think he has made a tremendous impact on players and coaches just by the way he carries himself each day.”
Eason admires the way Allen has used these traits as a coach, which showcase what it truly means to be a Scot.
“If I had my own program I’d run it just the way he runs it,” Eason said. “If I wanna take a lot of things that I’ve learned from him and apply it to my own team, you know that I truly believe in him and what he’s done. I don’t know a day that I think of the Scots without him.”
Athletic director Jeremy Gilbert also praises the way Allen has run his program, and the culture of success he’s inspired in the football team and its players.
“He has created a culture where people want to be a part of it because it wins, but it wins by doing the right things the right way,” Gilbert said. “It’s the way he goes about it. It’s the values he’s instilled within this program.”
One of Gilbert’s favorite memories of Allen and his culture of success was a 2023 football game, where the Scots had beat McKinney with an end of game field goal.
“Everybody’s going crazy, people running on the field, it’s kinda rainy, whatever,” Gilbert said. “And there’s a moment where he and I were standing there together and he goes ‘you know, this is why we do what we do, this is so exciting and i’m so proud of everybody.” It was a cool moment at the height of the excitement, and it was just another day for him.”
At the end of the day, even though the football stadium is now called the Randy Allen Field, Allen plans to continue the school’s most important value: community.
“Something that won’t change is that our parents and our town want our student body to have the best chance to be successful,” Allen said. “They’re willing to sacrifice and give to help our programs be successful.”
