Easton Area High School lockers: a case study

After serving as home to Red Rovers football for nearly a century, The Easton Area School District in Easton, PA recently rebuilt historic Cottingham Stadium. Originally finished in 1924, the stadium was in need of repairs when the school district embarked on the project in 2018. The school board approved the $15.9 million overhaul of the stadium project in May 2020.

Photo courtesy of Reynolds Business Systems, Inc.

A Storied History

As a perennial Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District 11 powerhouse, not to mention the second-winningest program in Pennsylvania, The Easton Area football program has a rich tradition extending over the past 97 years. In the beginning, there was some concern about Cottingham Stadium losing its unique, neighborhood feel. However, through a thoughtful planning and design process, the setting has retained the same charm, while the venue itself was given a much needed modernizing facelift.

The Project

The project included a full football facility and stadium renovation with a synthetic turf field, new grandstands, roomy press box and full remodel of the field house. According to Jake Reynolds, project manager from Reynolds Business Systems, "The stadium was historic but outdated, and with Easton's football program having the 9th winningest high school football program in the country, they needed an update to the facilities." 

Upgraded Lockers

As part of the field house remodel, Easton Area purchased 192 laminate lockers to refresh four essential team rooms including 70 football lockers, 60 visitor lockers, 36 cheerleader lockers, and 26 lockers for coaches and officials.

Football lockers with helmet/shoulder pad rack.

According to Reynolds, "Before, they had very old lockers and not enough space for all of Easton football to fit in the old locker facility. Some parties used off-site facilities." Not exactly an ideal situation for a championship program and numerous student-athletes and coaches. In addition to more room and adequate storage, the Rovers were also looking for a unique touch to set their facility apart. "The customization of the lockers was a major feature," added Reynolds. "The flexibility of the two-tone laminate, decals, and matching of their school colors was key." As far as upgraded storage options, "The helmet and pad holders were a great addition as was the underneath storage cubby," added Reynolds.

Photo courtesy of Reynolds Business Systems, Inc.

The football lockers featured a recessed side design constructed of durable laminate with padded seats, custom branding, and a helmet/shoulder pad rack for each locker. Similarly, the visitor lockers came equipped with a lift up storage compartment (seat) with soft-close hinges and a hasp lock. Upper cubby storage with doors and built-in combo locks outfitted the cheer lockers, and the Rovers purchased 26 single-tier storage lockers for coaches and officials featuring a full door, adjustable upper shelf, soft close hinges and a hasp lock to secure valuables.

Coaches and officials lockers. Photo courtesy of Reynolds Business Systems, Inc.

A Positive Partnership

The Rovers partnered with Jake Reynolds of Reynolds Business Systems and The Athletic Edge for the locker room renovation portion of the project and chose to work with AE because, "The sales and engineering team was incredibly knowledgeable and flexible in assisting with our design," added Reynolds. "They quickly turned around material that we needed and they were fully available to assist us from conception to on-site support for our install crew."