Honoring a Giant: Columbus East Launches Campaign for Permanent Tribute to Coach Bob Gaddis
By Jeremy Giggy | April 16, 2025
Columbus East football has always been about more than Xs and Os—it’s been about culture, commitment, and community. No one embodied that more than Coach Bob Gaddis. Now, the program that flourished under his leadership is calling on the community to help cement his legacy—literally—with a campaign to fund a permanent sign at the newly named Stafford Field at Bob Gaddis Stadium.
For over two decades, Coach Gaddis wasn’t just the face of Olympian football—he was its heartbeat. From 2001 to 2020, he led the East program to heights most schools only dream about: 212 wins, two state titles, 17 consecutive Hoosier Hills Conference championships, 11 sectional crowns, and a culture of class and consistency that echoed far beyond the sidelines. Add to that his 330 total career victories in 42 years of coaching, and you’re talking about a true Indiana coaching legend.
But Gaddis’ impact can’t be summed up in numbers alone.
He was more than a football coach—he was a mentor, a leader, a father figure to hundreds of young athletes, and a pillar in the Columbus community. As athletic director from 2006 to 2015, he ensured that every student-athlete across all sports had the resources they needed to succeed. He still gives back today as the Executive Director of the Indiana Football Coaches Association, helping steer the game he loves into a bright future for all schools statewide.
Now, after the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation School Board voted unanimously in December 2024 to rename the stadium in his honor, the community has a new opportunity: to help fund a lasting physical tribute at the venue. The permanent stadium signage will serve as a beacon—reminding players, fans, and future Olympians of the standard set by a man who lived the values of perseverance, humility, and leadership.
And this effort isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about legacy.
As Coach Gaddis himself said when the stadium renaming was announced: “Without a doubt, the best honor I have ever received.” Those words, spoken through tears of gratitude, carry the weight of a career built on doing things the right way—for the right reasons.
The fundraising initiative is now live through the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation, where donations of any size are welcomed and appreciated. Whether you played under Coach Gaddis, coached alongside him, cheered from the stands, or simply respect the game and what he stood for, this is your chance to be part of the legacy.
Coach Gaddis didn’t just win games—he built men, molded futures, and gave Columbus East a football tradition second to none.
Now, it’s our turn to give back. Let’s finish the drive and put the final stamp on a Hall of Fame career with a tribute as bold and enduring as the man himself.
To contribute, visit: https://www.bcsfstars.org/fundraisers
Because at Columbus East, the scoreboard eventually goes dark—but legacies like Bob Gaddis’ shine forever.