El Camino College Murdock Stadium Field to be Named “Featherstone Field”
**Story Courtesy of El Camino College Public Relations and Marketing Department**
The El Camino Community College District Board of Trustees voted at its July 17 meeting to name the athletic field inside Murdock Stadium after longtime football coach John Featherstone. The field will officially be named during a halftime celebration at the Warriors' homecoming football game on Nov. 16. The community is invited to join El Camino College students, faculty and staff at this special event commemorating "Featherstone Field." Players from the teams of the '70s and '80s will also be recognized, including members of the 1987 team that won the national championship under Coach Featherstone.
"John Featherstone is a Warrior who devoted his career to the success of students," said El Camino College President Dena P. Maloney. "Naming the field inside Murdock Stadium, where he spent so much time encouraging his players to strive for athletic and academic excellence, is a fitting tribute to this dedicated coach and educator."
To further honor Featherstone's accomplishments on and off the field, the new "John Featherstone Fund for Athletic Excellence" has been established through the El Camino College Foundation for those who wish to make a donation in honor of this legendary coach. This fundraising campaign will support athletic teams at El Camino College in order to provide the best equipment, facilities and uniforms for student-athletes.
Coach Featherstone, widely known as "Feather" to thousands of former students and supporters of Warrior athletics, is a community college football icon. He retired from El Camino College in 2015 after 31 seasons, with an overall record of 214-119-2. Featherstone retired with the highest winning percentage among active coaches who had coached for at least 15 years in the Southern Section of California, which includes 37 community colleges from Bakersfield to San Diego.
Under his leadership, the Warriors earned a national championship in 1987, a state championship in 2006, 11 conference championships, and appeared in 19 bowl games. From 2004-08, Coach Featherstone's teams made five consecutive Southern California playoff appearances, and throughout his career he led his teams to 21 nationally ranked finishes, including seven straight from 2003-09.
The beloved coach has deep roots in the South Bay, and a legacy that reaches far beyond athletics. Whether on the field, in the classroom, or in the community, Featherstone always encouraged his players to strive for excellence athletically and to pursue a college education, while representing ECC in a professional manner. After ECC, more than three dozen players went on to play professional football, countless former students are All-American athletes, and hundreds have transferred to universities to continue their education and play football.
Among Featherstone's numerous accolades, he was inducted into the California Community Colleges Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2017; he won the Mission Conference Coach of the Year Award and the National Coach of the Year Award twice; he is an eight-time California State Coach of the Year Award recipient; and was inducted into the El Camino College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 as a player and again in 2018 as a coach. In 2005, he was honored by the American Football Coaches Association as a convention keynote speaker. Also active in beach volleyball, he was inducted into the California Beach Volleyball Association Hall of Fame in 2016 as a teacher, tournament director and referee.
Featherstone was also a standout athlete, first recognized for his offensive prowess as a quarterback, running back and wide receiver at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, earning All-CIF honors as a wide receiver for the Mustangs in 1967. He also competed in track and field, baseball, and volleyball. From there, he played two years of football at El Camino College, earning all-conference honors and receiving a scholarship to play at San Diego State University. He made an immediate impact in his junior year, leading the Aztecs to a win in the 1969 Pasadena Bowl before 52,000 fans. With two touchdowns, Featherstone was named Most Valuable Player of the game, and led the Aztecs to a record of 11-0 on the season and a 12th-place finish in the national AP poll.
Featherstone's influence as a community leader is far reaching, with numerous athletes, students, alumni, colleagues, and friends all over the country supporting his work through the years and remaining dedicated to Warrior football and El Camino College.
For more information about the El Camino College Foundation or to donate to the "John Featherstone Fund for Athletic Excellence" in honor of Coach Featherstone's exemplary years of service, view https://www.elcamino.edu/foundation/featherstone.aspx or contact El Camino College Foundation Executive Director Andrea Sala at asala@elcamino.edu or 310-660-6040.