many were sold to the school district by county residents who hauled them into town from their farms in order to earn a little bit of extra money.
Descendants of some of those farmers continue to proudly call Cherokee County home.
The name“ Tomato Bowl” was selected as a tribute to the agricultural roots of the community – Jacksonville was known as“ The Tomato Capital of the World” at that time.
Desperately needing a face lift and some repairs, the Tomato Bow went through a $ 15 million renovation project in 2018-19 after voters approved a bond issue to modernize the venue.
Many amenities such as an artificial playing surface, new stadium lights, new dressing rooms, new concession stands and ticket booths, a new scoreboard with a video screen and chair back seats were added to the Tomato Bowl.
One thing remained the same and that was the red iron rocks – a symbol of local pride and tradition-- that have been a key component of the Tomato Bowl since its inception.
The Tomato Bowl continues to be recognized as a state-wide treasure.
In 2019 the stadium was voted as the Best Public Improvement for a city under 50,000 population by the Texas Downtown Association.
This past summer the Tomato Bowl was selected by Dave Campbell’ s Texas Football as the No. 1 High School Football Stadium in Texas.
The facility is also a member of the Texas Football Stadium Hall of Fame.
The 8,343-capacity stadium is the home of Fightin’ Indian football and soccer teams as well as Fightin’ Maiden soccer.
Jacksonville High School’ s annual graduation ceremony is also held at the Tomato Bowl.
In the past, concerts, youth soccer tournaments and even a stage play have been featured at the Tomato Bowl.
The Jacksonville community formally commemorated the Historic Tomato Bowl having been named as the No. 1 high school football stadium in Texas for its first game of the 2025 season.
The award was determined by the number of votes cast in a contest sponsored by Dave Campbell’ s Texas Football during the summer.
A few minutes prior to the kick off of the Fightin’ Indians’ season opener against Center, state Sen. Robert Nichols, along with Mayor Randy Gorham and City Manager James Hubbard presented Jacksonville Independent School District superintendent Brad Stewart with several awards noting the achievement that was bestowed upon the stadium that will turn 85-years-old next month.
To wrap up the festivities, a skydiver from East Texas Skydiving out of Gladewater descended from the skies and made a perfect landing on the Indian logo at midfield, all while carrying a large American flag.
In the late afternoon, the party got started with tailgating, games such as cornhole and super-sized Jenga, face painting and food trucks in front of the Tomato Bowl entrance along Austin Street.
Many in attendance said they faithfully voted for the Tomato Bowl in the poll and that they were thrilled to learn the facility had beaten out 63 other stadiums in Texas to win the honor.
One of those taking part in the fun was Dave Anderson.
Fall 2025 | Jacksonville Progress 29