DeKalb County High School naming its football field after longtime Head Football Coach Steve Trapp.
Under Trapp, DeKalb County’s football program achieved the program’s first-ever playoff win in 2008, a state quarterfinal run in 2019, and the program’s first-ever region championship in 2020. Trapp said the honor means a lot to him and his family to receive the honor.
“You know as a player in DeKalb County as a coach in DeKalb County, all the years I mean, about 37, 38 years of DeKalb County football that runs through my veins,” Trapp said. “So I’m still a young guy, but I am humbled and honored.”
Trapp retired after the 2025 season and finished his 21-year career with an overall record of 115 wins and 116 losses. Trapp said it was never about the wins and losses but the effort put into the program.
“We never said or talked about winning and losing,” Trapp said. “We talked about doing what it takes to get what you want and the process that it takes to get there. So ultimately in my career I’m going a game under .500 after starting 3-27. So it’s definitely about the wins and losses and like I said I don’t think they are bestowing this honor on my name because of the wins and losses. I think it’s more for the character that was showed, the work ethic that was showed, and just how much DeKalb County means to me.”
The decision to name the field after Trapp was made by a unanimous vote of the Board of Education
Trapp said he fell in love with coaching football after coaching junior pro football for several years. Trapp said the playoff runs at DeKalb County stood out to him as highlights in his career. However, Trapp said what he remembers the most about his career is how he got the job at DeKalb County in 2004 when he was just 27 years old.
“I know there was some coaching turnover and you know they didn’t have their coach and it was three weeks before the first game and I had put in an application just to be a teacher and told them I would be janitor just to get in there and be able to help. and I was called up to the central office one day and said hey we are gonna let you teach algebra, and I was like okay that’s fine I will learn it. And they just simply said what about head football coach. I said well I will help whoever you got. And they said no, I hope we are looking at him. And that’s how it started.”
Trapp said that day he made a promise that day that if they were willing to give him the position with the lack of high school coaching experience he had that he would work extremely hard to build DeKalb County into something that would be respected. Trapp said what he is most proud of is the lessons he was able to teach his players beyond football.
“we started everything with three expectations and that was great choice, great effort, and golden rule,” Trapp said. “We always told them you know, if you can leave up those three things all these standards that we have, the so called rules and processes that we have would not be an issue if you could simply live up to that.”
.The football stadium itself will still be known as the Dr. John L. Vanhoosier Memorial Stadium