ALIQUIPPA, PA (93.7 The Fan) – When Ty Law went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame he asked everyone in attendance from his hometown of Aliquippa to stand up. He said the following.
“We are a community built on love, strength, struggle and most importantly that Quip town pride,” Law said in Canton in 2019. “If you can make it in Quip town you can make it anywhere. We did it Aliquippa. We are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
The saying goes ‘actions are louder than words’. On a night when his alma mater dedicated a completely rebuilt football stadium with the highest-level artificial turf surface, even a scoreboard with a video replay. Law traveled from New England to be there.
We talked as Law looked down on the field that was no longer patchy grass on an uneven terrain. No longer a crumbling concrete structure where his family watched him play.
“Overwhelmed with emotions,” Law told 93.7 The Fan. “I have such an adrenaline rush, I might go out there and play. This is the start of something new. We put so much blood, sweat and tears on this very, I can’t say this very field, but this facility.”
Law admitted with the old field, players would worry about injuries. I would imagine that fear would grow as the season lengthened. Practices and games in the rain taking its toll on the natural surface first installed years before World War II.
“We would have played on any field,” Law told KDKA Radio. “Now to be able to come out each and every home game to a field like this thanks to Heinz Corporation. Our programs have been awesome for a very long time and we played on less than sup-par facilities and have been successful.”
Instead of Carl A. Aschman Memorial Stadium, now Heinz Field is the home of Aliquippa football. A $1.5 million-dollar donation from the Kraft/Heinz Corporation paid for the rebuild as the CEO of the company made a surprise trip to see his investment. Peter Hall would stay for the whole game, to see the reactions of the students, parents and community as they enjoyed their new environment.
“I wanted to say thank you to Heinz, you showed up and you showed out,” Law said Friday. “My community appreciates it so much. This is what it’s all about, coming together.”
“We are a family, even if we aren’t blood related. We are blood related through Aliquippa. This is what we represent. I’m so glad someone took notice of who we are and what we are about. That means something to us.”
“This is a blessing from God. This is a blessing to these kids that are coming up right now to build a new legacy on his very field. I know they are going to take care of it and cherish this field. It’s truly sacred ground right now.”
“It’s Heinz Field now. It’s time to start all over and do better.”