Southeast Guilford football facility was dedicated to Bill Slayton

By doing a little research, I was able to find out the background, on the Southeast Guilford football stadium being dedicated to former SEG coach Bill Slayton….Slayton led the Falcons to a berth in the State semifinals, back in the late 60’s and then took the team to several Mid-State 3-A Conference titles, before he stepped down as coach….

Here is the word on the SEG Stadium being dedicated to Slayton and this info is from the Greensboro Record, November 1975. The info on the stadium dedication is from Tom Einstein’s(Greensboro Record) column called ’round town…..

Here we go….

Slayton Honored:
“It’s quite an honor for a boy from little old Granite Falls.”

Speaking was Bill Slayton, Southeast football coach, referring to the recent dedication of the school’s stadium to him.

The dedication was held during the halftime of the Falcons’ final football game, climaxing a project started by the Southeast Boosters Club, of which Bill McGee is president.

Ironically, Slayton missed the dedication.

“It was my uderstanding that they were going to dedicate it to all the people who put so much work in the stadium”, Slayton said…..”What happened was certainly a well-kept secret. They asked me if I could be on the field at halftime and I told them, I had to be with my players”.

“So they rushed my wife onto the field, her not knowing a thing about it, and made the dedication”.

“It’s quite an honor, something that usually doesn’t happen until you’re dead”.

“Maybe, they’re trying to tell me something,” he quipped….

Actually the stadium was dedicated to Slayton- and all the future athletes at Southeast Guilford….

“I’m just now getting to realize what it really meant,” Slayton added. “It’s staggering to know something like this has happened to you.”

The name of the stadium was not changed to Bill Slayton Stadium-but don’t be surprised if it isn’t one of these days…..

And if they knew about it, the folks back in Granite Falls, just a few miles North of Hickory, would be mighty proud of one of its successful “sons.”

Again, from Tom Einstein’s Greensboro Record ’round town column in Novmeber of 1975….Here it is 35 years later and the name has not been changed to the Bill Slayton Stadium yet….As of July 19, 2010, still no Bill Slayton Football Stadium, at Southeast Guilford High School…….