So where do you think Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath made his professional football debut? Shea Stadium in New York? Wrong. Fenway Park in Boston? Wrong again. D.C. Stadium in Washington? Nice try, but no.
The correct answer is George Washington High School in Alexandria, Virginia. Say what? Yes, it’s true.
On August 7, 1965 Namath and the New York Jets played the Houston Oilers at GWHS in the first preseason game of the 1965 AFL season. The game was a charity benefit sponsored by Kena Temple, the local Shriners organization, and was wrapped into the city’s annual “Alexandria Days” summer festival.
With a seating capacity of up to 100,000, a retractable roof, and a 60 yard-long HD video board amongst other amenities, the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas is something to behold.
But, when it comes to innovative stadium designs, the Cowboys have nothing on former Redskins owner George Preston Marshall.