In the late 1970s, construction of an even newer high school in Slatington on the site of Alumni Field meant that for two season the Slatington football team played no home games. On 25 June 1979, work began on the new high school with the removal of bleachers and some trees with a formal groundbreaking for the new high school on 8 July 1979.
2000 aerial photo showing the location of Bulldog Stadium in Slatington
Palmerton won the last game at Alumni Field on 18 November 1978 by a score of 23-0.
During the fall of 1979 and the fall of 1980, the Slatington football team played all games away. When the new high school opened on Wednesday, 9 September 1981, the school’s name had changed from Slatington High School to Northern Lehigh High School, but the athletic teams retained the “bulldog” moniker.
The first game in the new football stadium was on Saturday evening, 5 September 1981 with Northern Lehigh beating Saucon Valley 50-0.
Early view of Bulldog Stadium
The field was formally dedicated at halftime of the Friday night game against Northwestern on 25 September 1981 with Northern Lehigh winning 32-0.
The new stadium with increased bleacher seating on both the home and away sides featured an artificial turf field and a fine, all-weather track.
Current photo of the exterior of Bulldog Stadium