SANFORD — Hundreds of high school football games have been played at Cobb Stadium in Sanford, with memories created from each one of them. And while many in attendance at the first games played at the stadium 60 years ago may no longer be around, the memories of that game can now be shared with the community today, thanks to the discovery of footage captured on the day of the stadium’s dedication in 1954.

Sanford High School social studies teacher Paul Auger is a major history buff and a member of the Sanford Historical Committee. So he was naturally the first person SHS librarian Flo Larson thought of when she found a film reel entitled “Dedication Cobb” while going through storage.

“She immediately said, ”˜Oh, I know who would be interested in this,’ and she gave it to me,” said Auger, “and boy, my eyes just lit up.”

Auger said he purchased his own film projector just for occurrences like this one, and chose his father as the first person to show the video to, not knowing what exactly was on the film or what condition it was in.

“It’s amazing. Of course, when you have a film, you don’t know what you’re getting. It could be terrible, it could be black and white, all blurry,” said Auger. “It was the most remarkable color film I’ve ever seen of Sanford. It was really clear, and it showed pretty much all the events of the day in six minutes or so.”

That’s an estimate of the film’s length; in the two times he’s viewed it, Auger said he’s been too excited and enamored to actually time it.

The second viewing was with one of Auger’s fellow social studies teachers, someone who has created a few lasting memories himself at the stadium over the years.

“He came down to my room the other day, and he said, ”˜Hey, you got a minute to watch something?’” said Mike Fallon, Auger’s colleague and the former varsity football coach. “It kind of blew my mind.”

Fallon was introduced to the stadium 25 years ago, when he interviewed for both the social studies teaching position he currently holds, as well as an assistant coaching job on the football team. Rick Matthews, the athletic director at the time, showed Fallon around the school, then asked if he would like to see the stadium, which Fallon hadn’t seen before.

“We were up top, and I remember looking down, and ”¦ it just struck me. It’s such a unique set-up,” said Fallon, noting the facility’s natural bowl shape. “The next 25 years, I got to witness all that.”

Fallon won many games over the years as head coach, but it was his first victory ”“ during his second year on the job in 1995 ”“ that stuck out as one of the most memorable: In the midst of a 33-game losing streak, the then-Redskins needed a little Cobb Stadium magic to beat Thornton Academy.

“Literally on a last-second play ”“ ironically it was Rick Matthews’ son, Zach ”“ Zach throws a last-second, Hail Mary touchdown pass to Tommy Little, and we finally broke a 33-game losing streak,” recalled Fallon. “You would have just thought we had won the state championship. People poured onto the field, and there was celebration. As a head coach, it was my very first win.”

Another that stands out came the year after Sanford won the state championship, when the Redskins faced rival Massabesic late in the 1999 season. Fallon said that both teams were powerhouses at the time, and that the estimated 5,000 to 6,000 people in attendance was “probably in my memory, in 25 years, that’s the largest crowd I had ever seen.”

That crowd included Fallon’s parents, who made the drive from out of state. But they left with a couple minutes to go, with Sanford trailing, to try and beat the traffic. They didn’t get to see Sanford rally back and win in overtime. Fallon had to break the news to his father when he called the next morning.

“He was all upset. I think he felt guilty forever,” said Fallon.

Fallon said there are many more memories that he has of the stadium, and that his 25 years’ worth of them don’t even make up half of the stadium’s history.

“It’s a really cool place. It really is,” said Fallon. “It’s just kind of amazing that it’s celebrating 60 years, and I’m sure some people are wondering where 60 years went.”

The namesake of the stadium, Dr. Stephen A. Cobb, is long gone, but it was his vision and his effort that made the stadium a reality in 1954. Auger said Cobb ”“ a fixture at every football game, on the sidelines as a volunteer team physician ”“ and several other community members formed a committee to see the stadium built.

“We were at the depths of Depression here. And this stadium had been a dream for decades, for at least two previous superintendents,” said Auger. “This Cobb Stadium, this is a great example of how a community comes together to create something that will last for generations. We can’t even imagine how many people have benefited from that stadium; it’s just amazing.”

The video can be seen by the public for the first time tonight, as the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society will show the footage at its annual meeting. Fallon said he believes it will do for those in attendance what the footage did for him: Bring him back to some of his favorite times at the stadium, which he said have stood the test of time.

“I’m sure that there’s a lot of older community people in Sanford that, if they’re able to get their eyes on that six-minute video, it’s probably going to bring back a flood of memories of what it once was and the history behind it,” said Fallon.

The Sanford-Springvale Historical Museum, located at 505 Main St., is handicap-accessible. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.