By 5:00 p.m. the excitement was as thick inside Gillespie-Malone House as the heat was outside as dozens of alumni gathered in home of the East Nashville Alumni Association which sits on the campus of East Nashville Magnet High School. The special reason for the gathering Friday, September 22, 2017 was to mark the return of home games for the Eagles with the Inaugural game in the newly named J.J. Keyes Stadium.

Two hours prior to the kickoff athletes from 7 decades, their husbands and wives, former ENHS principals, coaches, and teachers gathered in the 1931 classical revival style, limestone building to commemorate  the naming of the new stadium.

The celebration included more than commemoration of the stadium.  As it often happens when teammates who battle it out together on a court or field stories were shared, memories were brought back to life and for brief moments, the team was back together in its glory. What made this event uniquely historic is it was possible the largest gathering of athletic alumni at one time and there was no denying the brotherhood that still exists amongst these men and women.

Following the party, former football players and cheerleaders gathered in the south end zone to meet at the 50 yard line to reveal the naming of the new stadium.

The Alumni event, sponsored by the ENHAA members had a chance to find their team trophies and take pictures with those trophies. In two short hours, these East Nashville grades were able to weave together the 100 year history of Nashville prep sports, and it is a grand history indeed.

Often overlooked by the growing condos in nearby neighborhoods, the alumni of East Nashville High School are determined to keep the history of their school and its accomplished readily available for any graduate to enjoy. There are regular meetings and more information can be found about the East Nashville Alumni Association HERE

History from the past was not the only history celebrated Friday night, history was also made too.

The game played between East and Branaird was played before a crowd of over 4,000 fans, many who attended the historic school and contributed to the construction of the newly named stadium. The East Nashville Band played to complete the All-American evening of high school football under the lights.

The stadium was named after the former stadium and former first principal of the school,  J. J. Keyes during a halftime celebration surrounded by the hundreds of athletic alumni who gathered to join the six generations of the Keyes family were also in attendance. Dignitaries on the field included House of Representative Jim Cooper, representative from the Mayor’s office and more than just a few MNPS central office personnel joined the former prep football players on the field.

Many Board of Directors of the ENSAA were in attendance of which Vicki Tillman is a member. She explained that the Association meets regularly to celebrate specific graduating classes, honor speakers, and engage the community of many, many alumni from one of Nashville’s oldest and most historic high schools.  Today, our association has had 29 directors.

To enter the Gillespie-Malone home Friday night was a moment in time that did not just gather a community of graduate from a school, it was a to step backwards and forwards into Nashville history through the eyes of decades of women and men who represented their school through athletics.