WHAT’S IN A NAME? Torbert-Allen Field

Published 3:30 pm Saturday, February 25, 2023

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Torbert-Allen Field is the home of the two time state champion Chambers Academy Rebels.

The stadium is named after CL Torbert, who was the owner of the land.

Torbert was the president of Farmers & Merchants Bank, and his mother owned a third of the land that the Tucker family owned.

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That land included where Chambers Academy is today.

Torbert inherited the land, and he donated it to Frank Jones, who helped found Chambers Academy.

Torbert was diagnosed with leukemia but was able to see the school while it was temporarily at the Ranch Motel.

Sid Mickle, one of the first students at Chambers Academy, explained how the school started out with Torbert.

“I was on the first two football teams,” Mickle said.

“I didn’t know Torbert personally. I would see him, but he was just an adult. When that field opened, we couldn’t play our tenth grade year because we didn’t have facilities. All of us started working on the football field, even us kids. When that field was ready for practice the next August, it was named C.L. Torbert Field.”

Torbert died around 1970, and he was only in his 30s.

The Allen part of the name comes from current head coach Jason Allen, who led the Rebels to their only state championships in 2018 and 2020.

Torbert’s name was added to the stadium when it was built, but Allen’s name wasn’t added until 2021.

Allen is pleased to have his name on the stadium.

“That’s an honor,” Allen said.

“That’s the greatest honor I’ve been given. That will be there until that school ceases to be a school. It means everything to me because it’s the school I grew up in and played for. I didn’t even know I would be a coach. I had no idea what I would do until it just happened. Chambers Academy gave me that opportunity as a young guy. It’s something I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams.”

Allen was humbled by the honor.

“I didn’t think something would be named after me,” Allen said.

“That’s something you feel like you never deserve. You feel flattered that they would think of you that way. I don’t think I deserve that. 

It gives me pride, and it makes me want to work harder. It definitely makes you think harder about the kind of team you want to represent that school.”