Elmer Gray Stadium has been a large part of track and field history in the United States.

It’s where world-record-holders Bobby Morrow, Earl Young, James Segrest, Bill Woodhouse and Billy Olson practiced and competed as members of legendary ACU track and field squads.

It’s where coaches Oliver Jackson, Bill McClure, Don Hood and Wes Kittley performed their magic day in and day out.

And it’s where celebrated U.S. athletes such as Wilma Rudolph, Michael Johnson and Antonio Pettigrew competed.  Future NFLstandout Michael Carter set the stadium record in the shot put as a high school standout at Dallas Carter.  And future NFL Hall of Famer Darrell Green, who still owns the Lone Star Conference record in the 100 meters at 10.08 (set in 1983), clocked at Elmer Gray.

The stadium is named for the late Elmer J. Gray, a graduate of Roscoe, Texas, High School and Abilene Christian.  The former Baytown businessman was the first Wildcat student-athlete to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials (1932), and he was a two-time finalist in the halfmile at the NCAA championships (1931-32).

Gray Stadium has hosted the 1960 U.S. Olympic Trials for women; NAIA men’s national meets in 1978, 1979 and 1980; NCAA Division II championships for men and women in 1993 and 2005; and USA Track and Field southwest region championships for youth in 1997.