The Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach is a multi-use stadium with a capacity to hold 3500 people. Home of the Myrtle Beach Seahawks, the stadium is used for football, soccer and track and field. The stadium was built in 1968 behind the Pepper Geddings Recreation Center and renamed in honor of the long-time Myrtle Beach High School football coach Doug Shaw, who died suddenly on November 11, 1994, at the age of 52. Doug Shaw was one of South Carolina's oldest and most loved coaches for 25 years. Under him the football team recorded a commendable 223 wins, 77 losses and two ties. They won four state championships and 16 conference titles and competed in the playoffs 23 of his 25 years. His death was front page news across the state. The collapse of the bleacher at the high school field near Oak Street and 12th Avenue North prompted a $200,000 community fund-raising effort for the new stadium. The stadium was originally to be called Memorial Stadium but on September 12, 1995, City Council approved a resolution renaming the facility in Doug Shaw's honor. The Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium is hardly ever used for outdoor concerts due to the existence of the BB&T Coastal Field for the purpose. It is no longer the largest stadium in Horry County for rectangular sports as it has been dethroned by the Brooks Stadium. Nevertheless, the Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium, with a FieldTurf field surface, remains the country's premier track and field venue and is mainly used for rectangular sports.
Under a $3 million improvement plan, the Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium is soon to be jointly owned by Myrtle Beach and the Horry County school district. The plan includes a new artificial turf field and an eight-lane rubberized track.
