Hare Field opened in 1965 when the Hillsboro High School baseball team started using the baseball stadium. The field was named for civic leader and former state legislator William G. Hare. The first football game was held on September 9, 1966, when Hilhi played Gresham High School. Hilhi won that game 7-0 and would become the season’s state champions. From 1948 to 1965 school football teams had used Goodman Field, located on the north side of NE Lincoln Street to the east of the high school building. With the addition of Glencoe High School in 1980, that school also began using the facilities at Hare Field. In 1991, coach Rich Brooks held the Oregon Ducks spring scrimmage at the stadium drawing 5,183 spectators. The football stadium was used in 1997 for a memorial service to Hondo, a police dog killed in the line of duty and namesake for the city’s dog park. Century High School became the third school to use Hare Field in 1997, but moved to the new Hillsboro Stadium when it opened in 1999. The following year, the facility began a multi-year renovation that was funded by private money, including a controversial deal with soft drink maker Coca-Cola that raised $1 million. The total cost for the project were $3.5 million and included the installation of an all-weather surface for the football and soccer field, a new track surface, locker-room improvements, and upgrades to some seating areas among others. As a result of the sponsorships, the artificial turf has Coca-Cola logos in both end zones, and it became the first all-weather high school football field in Oregon. Following the installation of AstroTurf in 1998, the facility was used to host OSAA state playoff games that year. Hare Field hosted the Oregon State Beavers football spring game in 1999, the first year under coach Dennis Erickson. In 2003, The Oregonian newspaper named the football stadium as one of the ten best places to watch a high school football game. The Hilhi versus Glencoe football series was selected in 2007 for the Great American Rivalry Series. The all-weather playing surface was scheduled to be replaced with a new all-weather field in 2009. Hilhi boosters began renovations to the baseball diamond in 2014, which were completed in 2015.
Facilities
Hare Field consists of Craig Ruecker Stadium that includes locker rooms and a covered grandstand. The football field is also used for soccer, and a track surrounds the field. Other track equipment and open fields also make up the western section of the facility. The track is named the Elden Kellar Track. On the east side of the complex is Ad Rutschman Baseball Stadium, with a portion of the south part composed of ticket stands and paved parking. There is a jogging track around the perimeter of the complex. The complex hosts home football games for both Glencoe and Hilhi, along with home soccer games for Glencoe and home track meets for Hilhi. Oregon School Activities Association state playoff games for football are also held at the stadium. Hilhi uses the baseball diamond for their teams. Hare is also home to the annual Elden Kellar Invitational amateur track meet, while occasionally hosting high school district championship meets. A weekly all-comers track meet is held during the summers. In addition to athletic venues, Hare Field houses and hosts other items and events. The facility serves as the staging ground for parades such as the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the annual Fourth of July Parade. Hare Field’s grounds also house an air quality monitoring station owned by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The school district also receives revenues from a cellular phone communication tower located at the site.
Glencoe-Hillsboro rivalry
Since opening in 1980, Glencoe High School has maintained a close rivalry with cross-town Hillsboro High School with a football game taking place nearly every year between Glencoe and Hilhi. The rivalry has been featured on the Great American Rivalry series presented by the US Marine Corps. Glencoe has won 25 rivalry games, while Hilhi has won eleven. As both schools are tenants of Hare Field for football, the winning school gets to call Hare Field "their home field." Scores from each game
