Dan Reaser Stadium

Plans for a new, much-needed synthetic turf playing field that meets the needs of Elyria Catholic student-athletes and their competitors have been announced. 

President Annie Heidersbach announced news of a $400,000 gift, the largest single charitable gift in the school's history, from the Dan and Mila Reaser Family Foundation during the April 22, 2021 groundbreaking amid a celebratory crowd of students, faculty, staff, friends, and Reaser family members. The conversion of the existing field to a synthetic turf system will begin at the end of May and be completed for the fall 2021 sports season. In honor of the Foundation's generosity, the stadium will be named the Dan Reaser Stadium.

The turf conversion will vastly improve the conditions of the field, allowing the school to increase field usage time significantly. Elyria Catholic student-athletes and their opponents will reap the safety benefits of the new consistent playing surface. The campus improvement will allow Elyria Catholic to attract more student-athletes, increase practice time for all teams, establish a lacrosse team, and host more CYO events. 

Dan Reaser, a 1978 Elyria Catholic alumnus, and his family have a long-held loyalty to the school. His mother, Joan (Rothgery) Reaser, graduated in 1952, and his children Danny Reaser and Shannon (Reaser) Brown graduated in 2011 and 2015. Dan's wife, Mila; his father, Cecil; Danny and wife, Bailey (2006 graduate) and their sons Beau and Hudson; and Shannon and husband, Kyle, helped break the ground for the new field. Danny, a former EC standout football player, and Shannon, a cheerleader, have fond memories of their student experience on the field. Elyria Catholic President Annie Heidersbach, Principal Suzanne Lester, Athletic Director Brian Fox, and Dad's Booster Club representative Ron Zidek ’63 rounded out the turf groundbreaking team as all dug in with shovels to mark the start of the project.
Dan Reaser, Director of the Dan and Mila Reaser Family Foundation, and co-directors Danny and Shannon, said the gift echoes the Foundation's mission of supporting education and providing a high-quality student experience. "Our Foundation is delighted to be a catalyst for this project that will motivate future stadium renovations designed to provide a modern environment that lends a collegiate feel to the Elyria Catholic campus," said Reaser. 

"We are grateful to the Dan and Mila Reaser Family Foundation for the gift, which aligns with Elyria Catholic's vision to provide students with curricular, co-curricular, and athletic facilities and experiences that support their personal development and goals," said President Heidersbach. "Dan's generous investment comes at a pivotal time for the EC community as we launch a strategic planning process that will include ways to upgrade our facilities with amenities that appeal to today's students and support their learning and growth."

The stadium was formerly known as Knights of Columbus Field. Matt St. Marie, Grand Knight, Knights of Columbus #774, supports the change, saying, "Our commitment to charitable service is one of the many ways that the Knights express our Catholic faith. We stand proud that our Brother Knights, Dan Reaser, and his father, Cecil, and son, Danny, have stepped forward to continue the legacy that we started so many years ago. Knowing that Knights of Columbus Field at Elyria Catholic will continue, albeit under a new name, to provide student-athletes with the best facilities to compete makes Dan's brother Knights smile. We congratulate Brother Dan and Elyria Catholic on this memorable day. "Loyalty that Never Dies. Hail Elyria Catholic High!" 

The remaining $192,000 of the $592,000 project will be secured through additional philanthropic gifts.