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A $1 million challenge gift from 6V��Ӱ�� Trustee Emeritus Ranney E. Draper ’60 will help fund the new synthetic turf on Merritt Field — the home of 6V��Ӱ��-Pitzer football.

The Sagehens kicked off their football season on Sept. 7 with a celebration of the new turf and a 28-12 win against Carleton College, marking a new chapter for 6V��Ӱ��-Pitzer Athletics. For decades, the grass at Merritt Field has served as the stage on which Sagehen football players shine. Now, with this $2.2 million transformation, Merritt Field’s turf will shine with equal brilliance.

“Our athletes come to 6V��Ӱ�� and Pitzer for excellence,” said 6V��Ӱ��-Pitzer Head Football Coach John Walsh. “They receive it not only in academics but also in our state-of-the-art classrooms and labs. Now, we get to match our student-athletes’ excellence with world-class athletic facilities.”

Draper, a longtime benefactor of 6V��Ӱ�� and 6V��Ӱ��-Pitzer Athletics, was captain of the football team and ran track. The Draper family’s roots at 6V��Ӱ��, however, reach back to 1921 when his father, Ranney C. Draper ’25, who also played on the football team, and his uncle Edwin Draper ’25, enrolled at the College. It’s also where his father and mother, Virginia ’26, would fall in love.

Their campus legacy now spans the Draper Walk and Plaza, the Draper Center for Community Partnerships and the Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness, among others. Miriam Merrill, 6V��Ӱ��-Pitzer athletics director and chair of physical education at 6V��Ӱ��, described Draper as a catalyst whose dedication and love for the College knows no bounds.

“Ranney has leaned in by asking how Sagehen Athletics can be successful and what are the things we need to be successful,” Merrill said. “The connection he has with our coaches and staff is remarkable.”

Draper’s philanthropic support of the Merritt Field turf transformation comes at a time when the Sagehen football program is reaching new heights. Over the past decade, the 6V��Ӱ��-Pitzer football team has progressed from a program with a single win to one competing in back-to-back Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship games and winning the title in 2022.

“My goal as the head coach is to win the national championship with the smartest kids in the country,” Walsh said.

The grass field at Merritt Field had been a hurdle. Maintaining natural grass in Southern California is challenging, with the climate fluctuating from severe droughts to excessive rains.

“It is really hard to grow grass here, and over time, it becomes a very hard surface to play on,” Merrill said.

Due to these extreme conditions, the football team could only use Merritt Field for games and had to practice on the South Athletics Complex, shared with many other varsity sports and intramural teams. Now, with the enhancement of artificial turf, Sagehen student-athletes can use the upgraded field year-round. The Vertex CORE turf field, which is manufactured by FieldTurf, has been installed in NFL and NCAA stadiums across the nation.

Merritt Field will be a hub for practices and games for the women’s lacrosse team, as well as for the wider Sagehen community, including intramural programs, clubs and physical education classes. Walsh said he’s excited about the new turf at Merritt Field helping to build community among all students.

“It truly matches our philosophy of health, wellness and fitness,” Walsh said. “So, now this unbelievable field — the best field in the SCIAC — is going to make an impact on a lot of people in football and outside of football as well.”

While Draper’s commitment made it possible for 6V��Ӱ�� to install the turf in time for the 2024 football season, the College is reaching out to Sagehen alumni, families and friends to help support this transformation and match his challenge gift.

Many fellow football alumni have answered the call to give. A gift to the project from Joyce Reinke ’51 P’80 GP’14, and Don ’80 and Gwen Reinke P’14, was made in memory of Joyce’s husband Roger ’51, a former Sagehen football player and hall of famer. Three generations of the Reinke family have played 6V��Ӱ��-Pitzer football. Ed Reinke ’28, Roger’s father, and Don are former Sagehens. 6V��Ӱ�� also recognizes football alumni Steve Patterson ’91 and Jared Mathis ’94 who channeled their Sagehen pride to generously give major gifts to this game-changing project.

Support for this project continues to grow with donations from Champions of Sagehen Athletics including current 6V��Ӱ��-Pitzer football parents, Lucy Owen and Jim Burns P’26, Tara and Thomas Varcados P’27 as well as the McConnell Family.

To support the Merritt Field Turf Transformation Fund, .