Jets Head Coach Todd Bowles attended Elizabeth High School and graduated in 1981. Watch video
ELIZABETH -- The city's waterfront football field has been renamed in honor of Todd Bowles, an Elizabeth native-turned-Super Bowl champion who has come to symbolize hope for Elizabeth's future.
During an event-filled Saturday afternoon ceremony, Bowles and his family presented the city's schools with a giant $25,000 check, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.
Todd Bowles, who became head coach of the New York Jets in January 2015, was one of several people at the ceremony who also marveled at the field itself, formerly called Waterfront Field. When Bowles played football at Elizabeth High School, he never played at this field, because it did not exist until six years ago, thanks to a community effort.
The rebirth of an unused dirt-covered landfill into this now-beloved community sports field seemed to symbolize hope for Elizabeth residents as much as Todd Bowles himself.
Jets coach Todd Bowles tells Elizabeth grads to remember their roots
"This was all dirt and grass and weeds and everything else. It wasn't a place that you could run through freely," said Bowles, who graduated from Elizabeth High School in 1981, going on to play football at Temple University before joining the Washington Redskins in 1986. "This is outstanding."
"I think everybody's doing a great job with the community they built and the field they built down here that we never had. I hope we keep going forward and keep making things happen and keep building," he told the crowd. "This place is a far better place than what it was when we were growing up."
Before the ceremony began at 2 p.m., the field was filled with moon bounces, children playing football with the police, and a practicing Elizabeth High School marching band. The fair offered free food and admission, courtesy of the city.
At 2 p.m., various officials and athletes spoke in Bowles' honor, including Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, New Jersey Sen. Raymond Lesniak, and Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer.
First Ward Councilman Carlos Torres, who helped organize the event, told NJ Advance Media that he started a football program in 2008, before he was a councilman, and he asked the mayor to help him turn the dusty empty lot into a field. Once the field opened in 2010, he asked the mayor to rename the field after Bowles, he said.
There's a metaphor in the field, its naming after Bowles, and Elizabeth's future, Torres said.
"Todd Bowles was raised right in this area, in the (former) projects across the street," he said. "He's an inspiration...He faced many obstacles. I don't know if you remember what the 80s looked like down here, but it was very challenging... I think it's a great story for these kids to see someone from their neighborhood overcome those challenges."
"(Bowles) looks exactly the same," said event attendee Sam Arcure, who attended high school with Bowles and used to drive him to football practice at a farther field. "He studied a lot, was prepared for college."
"This beautiful field opened up not too long ago. It's good for the community," T.J. Carroll, Jr., a Hamilton Preparatory Academy student and football player. "When someone (like Bowles) comes from the city, it gives all the kids someone to look up to... Dreams do come true."
Laura Herzog may be reached at lherzog@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LauraHerzogL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.