Victory Stadium Victory Stadium was an American football stadium located in Roanoke , Virginia . History . Victory Stadium was constructed in 1942 . The name was meant to be a rallying cry for Allied victory in World War II . The stadium seated approximately 25 , 000 , which made it the largest football stadium in Virginia when it opened , and regularly hosted games with large crowds during the first decades of its existence . Most famously , Victory Stadium hosted an annual Thanksgiving Day game between Virginia Military Institute , or VMI , and Virginia Tech , then known as VPI , until 1969 . The game was part of a day of festivities which included a parade from downtown Roanoke to the stadium . From 1958 to 1969 , Victory Stadium also hosted an annual game , typically featuring VPI , known as the Harvest Bowl . From 1946 to 1950 , the South ' s Oldest Rivalry between the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina was held at the stadium . Roanoke ' s now closed Jefferson High School attracted large crowds in the 1950s and 1960s and won the state championship in 1957 . In 1971 , Victory Stadium hosted the Virginia High School League Group AAA state football championship in which T . C . Williams High School of Alexandria , Virginia defeated Andrew Lewis High School of Salem , Virginia 27 - 0 . T . C . Williams ' season was depicted in the 2000 film Remember the Titans although Andrew Lewis was replaced with another team in the film ' s championship game . In 1973 , Roanoke ' s Patrick Henry High School won the Group AAA state football championship , defeating T . C . Williams , 9 - 0 , at Victory Stadium in a semifinal match . In 1996 , Victory Stadium hosted the Group AA , Division 4 state football championship in which Salem High School defeated Sherando High School of Stephens City , Virginia 20 - 12 . In 2004 , Roanoke ' s William Fleming High School defeated Magna Vista High School of Henry County 13 - 8 in a Group AA , Division 4 state football semi - final at Victory Stadium en route to a state runner - up season . From the 1970s through 2005 , Victory Stadium primarily served as the home football field for Roanoke ' s two high schools , Patrick Henry and William Fleming . Other special events were held at the stadium such as an annual 4th of July concert and a Dave Matthews Band concert in 1998 which attracted the largest crowd in Victory Stadium ' s history . Franklin County Speedway owner Donald " Whitey " Taylor staged several stock car races in the stadium in 1991 and 1992 ; races had also been run during the 1950s and 1960s . The stadium ' s location next to the Roanoke River resulted in the field being flooded several times . The last serious flood occurred in the fall of 2004 and forced many home football games that season to be moved to other schools . Concerns about the stadium ' s structural integrity caused engineers to close off upper levels to fans in 2005 . All home football games for the 2006 season were scheduled to be played at other schools in the Roanoke area before the stadium ' s fate was decided . The final game played at Victory Stadium was a 42 - 16 William Fleming victory over Alleghany High School . Controversy . The future of Victory Stadium was on the city of Roanoke ' s agenda from the early 1990s until 2006 . Some residents favored the stadium ' s replacement with another facility or facilities to provide home football fields for the city ' s high schools and to provide a venue for outdoor concerts and events . Arguments in favor of this alternative were that the stadium was far too large for high school football games , which rarely drew more than a few thousand spectators after the early 1970s , and was ill - suited for concerts . The site had few parking spaces and is vulnerable to flooding , which necessitated costly clean - ups and repairs . Proponents of the stadium ' s renovation cited the stadium ' s contributions to the city ' s history . They also argued that a venue of Victory Stadium ' s capacity was a relatively rare asset for a city the size of Roanoke , which does not have a major university , and could regularly have drawn large events , such as the Dave Matthews concert , with aggressive and creative marketing . Other alternative events suggested were hosting a biannual football game between VMI and The Citadel and hosting gravity games . Some also alleged that the city wants to transfer the property to Carilion , a Roanoke based company which operates nearby Roanoke Memorial Hospital and is also establishing a biomedical institute and small medical school in the area . Both sides promoted their alternative as being more cost effective . The matter was controversial in part because debate about the stadium often widened in broader disagreement about economic growth or the lack thereof , the preservation of historic structures , and the resistance to or acceptance of change in general . A generational divide between older Roanokers who remembered when the stadium was filled on a regular basis and younger ones whose experience was only with occasional large crowds for special events and small crowds for high school football games provided another dimension to the disagreement . In the early 2000s , Roanoke ' s city manager Darlene Burcham supported a proposal to build a hybrid stadium near the Roanoke Civic Center which would have served both as a football stadium and a concert venue . Ground was broken before supporters of Victory Stadium ' s renovation persuaded Roanoke ' s city council to halt the project . Momentum appeared to shift towards a renovation until the 2004 flood resulted in an increase in support for replacement . In 2005 , a proposal emerged to build small stadiums on the campuses of the two high schools . Whether or where an amphitheatre for concerts would be constructed was not specifically addressed . This proposal met generally positive receptions , although some residents who live near Patrick Henry High School opposed the construction of a stadium there because of concerns about traffic and other disruptions . Demolition . The question of what to do with Victory Stadium was by most accounts the foremost issue in Roanoke ' s May 2 , 2006 , municipal election . A slate of three Democrats , running on an independent ticket dubbed " For the City " against the nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties , won seats on Roanoke ' s city council in the 2006 election . This slate supported the two stadiums proposal , which also had the support of Roanoke ' s mayor Nelson Harris . Supporters of Victory Stadium ' s renovation pointed out that the other candidates for council received more votes in total . The election rapidly set in motion the process of demolishing the stadium even before the " For the City " slate , which included two non - incumbents , was sworn in on July 1 . On May 15 , 2006 , Roanoke ' s city council voted 5 - 2 to begin the search for a firm to demolish Victory Stadium . In late May , the city accepted a low bid of $ 486 , 714 , well within the city ' s $ 1 . 2 million budget allocation , from S . B . Cox , Inc . , of Richmond , Virginia to tear down the stadium . On May 31 , 2006 , a citizen ' s group opposed to the stadium ' s demolition dropped its lawsuit against the city . The basis for the suit had been that the Norfolk and Western Railroad stipulated in its deed transferring the land to the city that a stadium be built and maintained on the site . Norfolk Southern Railway released the city from this requirement . However , a separate lawsuit by one other citizen remained pending . Nonetheless , demolition began on Monday , June 26 , 2006 at 7 : 30 am . Heavy rains resulted in minor flooding at the site on June 27 . Demolition of the stadium was completed on July 5 . Several thousand bricks were saved from the stadium ' s facades . The remaining debris was transported to a landfill , except for the steel rebar which was recycled . The city made the bricks available on July 8 and July 13 . The distribution on July 8 was limited to city residents who drove to the distribution center near the stadium . Each car could take up to four bricks ; pedestrians were not allowed in the line . Traffic backed up about one mile from the distribution center . The remaining bricks were distributed on July 13 . City residents again received first preference , but non - residents were allowed in the line . After the experience of July 8 , the distribution process was much smoother on July 13 . However , that night , some persons broke into the demolition site and removed other bricks that had not been designated for the distribution . Within a few days , at least one brick was placed for sale on eBay ; bricks have also been sold on Craigslist and at yard sales . Many Roanokers have had their bricks engraved to commemorate the stadium . Some bricks have also been set aside for a stadium memorial . The site of Victory Stadium now has several athletic fields , which has added fields to those at the nearby River ' s Edge sports complex . However , the city council voted in June 2007 to build an amphitheatre on the site . New stadia . Patriot Stadium opened on the campus of Patrick Henry High School for the 2007 season . The field was dedicated to former coach Merrill Gainer , who led the team to its 1973 state championship . Both Patrick Henry and William Fleming used Patriot Stadium as their home field for the 2007 and 2008 seasons ; William Fleming ' s on - campus stadium is scheduled for completion for the 2009 season . Ticket sales at Patriot Stadium are limited to 3 , 000 as a concession to neighbors ' concerns about traffic .