Football Stadium History

SCC’s original stadium was the last remaining remnants of the “upper deck” from the original Tulane/Sugar Bowl Stadium, which you know was the birthplace of the Saints in 1967. After the introduction of the Superdome in 1975, the Sugar Bowl stadium was demolished in 1979. It was at this time that part of the Saints’ past became the future of SCC football. A section of the "upper deck" was salvaged, barged up  the Mississippi River, and reassembled by parents and community members as our home side football stands. Even volunteer welders from local fabrication shops completed the reassembly process. The section relocated to SCC served us well  - - a second lifespan of 40 years.

At its prime, the Sugar Bowl was the largest steel structured stadium in the world. The architect was none other than Tom Benson’s great uncle, Herbert Benson. This great stadium played host to Tulane’s football program since 1926, the year before Tom Benson was born in 1927. The first Sugar Bowl game was played in 1935. Besides being the home of the Saints, the stadium was also the site of three of the first nine Super Bowls. The “upper deck” became famous as tens of thousands of Saints fans routinely stomped their feet on the steel decking to the point of shaking the entire stadium. Those were the original Who Dats.

The stadium was officially named the Thomas J. Dupuy Stadium.   The pressbox was named the David Lowry Pressbox.  

In 2019, St. Charles Catholic High School was selected for a $50,000 General Field Support Grant from the NFL Foundation Grassroots Program. The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program issued grants totaling over $3 million for the renovation and construction of football fields located in NFL communities nationwide. The school’s request was selected from the many highly qualified applications received.

The New Orleans Saints have included the NFL Grassroots Program as one of their community relations initiatives, and it is through the generous contributions of the NFL teams that this program is possible.   The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation generously donated an additional $100,000 to the stadium project at St. Charles Catholic High School.  

In 2019, SCC removed the historic “upper deck” and replaced it with a new grandstand and pressbox.    The stadium is officially named the Thomas J. Dupuy Stadium, and the pressbox is named the David Lowry Pressbox.  

With every Friday night kick off, expectations are high, and everyone is a member of this team. While the players are on the field, they do not do battle alone. The student managers, cheerleaders, starsteppers and drumline, together with the players, make up 50% of SCC’s total enrollment. The positive impact from SCC’s storied football program has lasted for generations, and those Friday night traditions will continue.

In 2022, the football field was officially named the Frank Monica Field in honor of SCC's long-time Head Football Coach and Athletic Director.