George Blanton Memorial Stadium

The family of the late George Blanton, Sr. presented a challenge gift to the people of Shelby to build a modern football stadium. The people met this challenge and in 1961 the first football game was played in the new stadium. The stadium was named after George Blanton, Sr. who, during his lifetime was actively interested in various sports. Mr. Blanton was a successful business man and a civic leader who always had time to talk a little football. As a student in high school, he played semi-organized football and after enrolling at Wake Forest, he captained the Wake Forest team. After leaving Wake Forest, he retained his interest in Shelby High football that remained with him through his life.

In 1969, about two thousand seats were added to increase the seating capacity to seven thousand. The running track was paved in 1974. In 1976, new lights were added along with a new addition to the press box. In 1985, a complete new lighting and sound system were added. In 1988, an underground irrigation system was added to make George Blanton Memorial Stadium one of the best high school football stadiums in the area.

In September 2002, the field was officially dedicated as the "Pearley Allen Field" at the Shelby-Burns football game in honor of the later Gerald "Pearley" Allen.

GBM Stadium