Mt. Hope Municipal Stadium gets a name change

MT. HOPE, WV (WVNS) — The iconic Mt. Hope Municipal Stadium has received a name change honoring one of the small town’s sports heroes.

The stadium will now be known as the Lonnie Warwick-Mt. Hope Municipal Stadium, paying homage to Lonnie Warwick, a Mt. Hope hero and former Minnesota Vikings linebacker.

“It makes me feel great, you know? I had a lot of good times there at Mt. Hope. Especially playing at Mt. Hope High School here, and playing at the stadium where a lot of good football players came out of,” said Warwick about the announcement.

Mt. Hope mayor Mike Kessinger said it was an easy decision to make.

“Obviously we’re very proud of Lonnie and his accomplishments. [He is] coming from the small town of Mt. Hope and humble beginning and yet his hard work and perseverance paid off,” said Kessinger.

Warwick said he hopes to bring some publicity to the stadium he grew up playing in and that he would like to see some exhibition matches played on the same field he once played on.

Kessinger agreed and said there are some plans currently in the works for improvements to the historic stadium.

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