The football field at SUNY Cortland officially has a new name. The school has announced the home field has officially been renamed the James J. Grady ‘50, M ‘61 Field at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex. Otherwise known as Grady Field.
The renaming is part of the school’s multi-million dollar gift from Chris Grady ‘79 in honor of his father. The gift was announced back in fall of 2022 and the formal naming ceremony will take place during the Red Dragon’s home game against Utica University on October 7th.
With the new name of Grady Field, the school has also announced the field will feature a new artificial turf playing surface, and a large video scoreboard.
Grady Field though, is not just for football. It is also the primary field for the Cortland men’s and women’s lacrosse teams and a secondary venue for men’s and women’s soccer.
“Jim Grady served in World War II, graduated college in three years, and inspired a generation as an educator, coach and athletic director at Wantagh High school on Long Island. He was honored as the winningest varsity high school baseball coach in New York state and began a post-retirement career in Chris’ investment services company as a financial planner.” Fran Elia, Sports Information Director for SUNY Cortland, said to X101 News in a statement.
“The gift will also establish the Christopher J. Grady ’79 Scholarship and the Terry Bedell Grady ’80 Scholarship, which are named after Chris and his wife. Chris said he chose to give back to SUNY Cortland not only because of his family’s history, but because he views it as a place that gave him experiences that shaped his future. It’s a life that’s so far led him to success in the insurance industry, culminating in his current position as senior vice president of sales at Athene Annuity & Life Assurance Company. It’s a company he helped to start.” Elia continued.
