Raiders donate $250K to repair of Bay Area high school football field damaged in fire

By Tim Fang

A high school in the Bay Area has received a six-figure donation from the Las Vegas Raiders, which is going towards repairs of its football field after it was damaged in a fire over the summer.

Officials with the Mount Diablo Unified School District said the NFL franchise pledged $250,000 to help cover the cost of repairing the turf field at Mount Diablo High School in Concord.

“As a lifelong Raiders fan and past season ticket holder, I couldn’t be more pleased with their generous contribution,” district superintendent Adam Clark said in a statement. “With the help of Mark Davis, owner of the Raiders, we have restored the field to its original state!”

The district said the donation by the Raiders will cover the cost of the insurance deductible, which the district would have paid out of its own funds towards the total repair costs of nearly $350,000.

On Aug. 24, school officials learned the field was damaged the night before. Surveillance video showed a group of people setting off fireworks on the field on Aug. 23, which authorities believe may have ignited the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A third of the field was damaged in the fire, including the school’s logo on the 50-yard line. District officials previously said the field was installed earlier this year at a cost between $1 million and $3 million.

Mt. Diablo played its first three games of the season on the road as crews brought in by the manufacturer repaired the damage. The school’s logo, which had to be special ordered, was installed earlier this month.

District officials said the school is set to play its homecoming game against crosstown rival Ygnacio Valley High School at 7 p.m. on Friday.