Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for $3.75 Million Dave Rider Center for Athletic Performance

The city of Elizabethton remembered and paid unique homage to the legendary high school coach, Dave Rider, by breaking ground for a trailblazing multi-million-dollar athletic center named after him. A ceremony was held on Thursday, in which approximately 75 members of the community gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the future Dave Rider Center for Athletic Performance.

Legacy of Dave Rider

The project is named in honour of the late Dave Rider, an iconic figure in Elizabethton High School’s sporting legacy, who passed away on Dec. 20, 2020. Rider is best remembered for his exceptional coaching stint at Elizabethton High School beginning in 1976 after serving at both J.I. Burton High School in Norton, Va., and Tazewell (Va.) High School. Under Rider’s stewardship, the Cyclones amassed a record of 173 wins and 79 losses.

Unique Bond with the Community

Among those present were Rider’s wife, Deanna, and their son, Scott Rider, also a noteworthy high school coach. Deanna expressed heartfelt gratitude for the community’s support, recounting her husband’s deep-seated affection for the school. Their grandson, Shawn Witten, currently serves as the EHS football coach and echoed his grandfather’s sentiment by underlining the significance of the future athletic center, in terms of an investment that will yield rich dividends for future generations.

Positive Impact and Cultural Legacy

The Director of Schools, Richard VanHuss—who happens to be a former player and assistant coach under Rider—proudly confessed that Rider was the inspiration behind his decision to pursue a career in teaching and coaching. He also expressed optimism regarding the potential of the facility to immortalize Rider’s legacy. He was optimistic that the Center would be a beacon for the standards set by Rider and symbolize the school’s culture of “best is the standard.”

Construction of the Athlete’s Mecca

This groundbreaking project, costing a whopping $3.75 million, was approved by the city’s Board of Education at its meeting in December of 2023. The future athletic training facility, when completed, will include an open-air canopy, connecting the fieldhouse and boasting a 30-yard-by-30-yard segment of artificial turf. An auxiliary gymnasium with a basketball court for multi-purpose activities, as well as a new, enlarged weight room, will also be part of the athletic center.

Funding and Acknowledgments

The project was made possible with the combined financial support of the city council, the Board of Education, and substantial contributions from Citizens Bank Tri-Cities Foundation Ltd, which gifted $400,000 towards the construction. In his remarks, Richard VanHuss articulated his appreciation for the unwavering support shown by all stakeholders, emphasizing that the project’s completion was indeed a joint undertaking.

Through this ceremony, it becomes evident that the legacy of Coach Dave Rider has ever been embedded within the Elizabethton community. As construction of the Dave Rider Center for Athletic Performance gets underway, his influence will continue to be a motivation for athletes of all generations to come.