Merv Habenicht Field

In a wonderful testimony to his tremendous contributions, at the May 21, 2012 regular school board meeting, the Bettendorf School Board unanimously voted to name the football game field within TouVelle Stadium after Coach Merv Habenicht in honor of his remarkable achievements as the head coach of the Bulldogs from 1971-99. 

In a statement released citing board policy guiding the naming of school facilities, the Board of Education recognizes the official name selected for a facility is a vital factor in the public image of the community: “It is the intent of the Board to name schools and other facilities within the district in a manner that evokes pride in students, school employees, parents/guardians, and the community.”

Habenicht spent 29 years as coach of the Bulldogs, compiling a record of 229-70-1 during his career, winning five state championships and 10 conference titles and going 30-10 in his 15 trips to the playoffs. While leading the Bulldogs, he coached 70 all-state players and was inducted into the Iowa High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 1988.

On Friday, August 31st, 2012, before the home game versus Davenport Central, Bettendorf held its ceremony to officially rename the ground, “Coach Merv Habenicht Field” which not only honored Coach Habenicht’s accomplishments, but also recognized the love the community had for their one-of-a-kind icon. At the ceremony on his behalf were numerous family members of Coach Habenicht including his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. That night Bettendorf players donned decals that read “HAB” on the back of their helmets en route to defeating Central, 35-14.

Habenicht’s legacy rings true to the fact that his goal wasn’t to live forever, but to create something that will.