It's called Fran Rish Stadium but the venue the Richland Bombers have called home since 1945 got its start as "Bomber Bowl." Previous to the 1945 season, the Richland Broncs and Beavers played at a stadium in Riverside Park (Howard Amon Park) along the Columbia river.

The first game in the new Bomber Bowl was played on September 28, 1945 against the Hermiston Bulldogs and was also the first game Richland played as the "Bombers." The first game of the season they were known as the Richland Beavers but with the ending of World War II and the revelation of the secret plant at Hanford, the Richland Bombers were born.

The visitors side of the stadium as seen today was the original home side of Bomber Bowl. Before games and at halftime, both teams would saunter up the hill to the locker rooms in Art Dawald Gym. Late in 1979 construction started on the new "home" grandstand on the east side of the field. The new grandstand featured state-of-the-art locker rooms, weight room, training room, restrooms, and a large concession stand. The overall seating capacity raised from about 4,000 seats to over 9,000. 

The first game played with the new grandstand was on September 27, 1980. A 54-0 victory over the visiting Columbia River Chieftans from Vancouver. With the new stadium's capacity there were several games in those first few years where attendance was estimated at over 9,000 with fans filling both sets of bleachers and more camped out on the grassy area on the visitor's side.

Along with the new stadium came an even more impressive run of success for Richland Football. The 1980 team made it all the way to the state semifinal game but the 1981 team (Class of 1982) made it all the way to the show, winning the Kingbowl in a thrilling 7-6 victory over Kentridge. The Bombers repeated the feat in 1999 and again in 2017 where the Bombers completed their first undefeated season going 14-0 on their way to victory in the state championship game in Tacoma against Woodinville.

1982 saw the change from Bomber Bowl to Fran Rish Stadium. Starting in 1974 with the opening of Hanford High School, the stadium served as the home of both the Bombers and Falcons. The conrtroversy had raged quietly since that time but came to a head in 1982 and a compromise was made. In exchange for naming the stadium after long-time athletic  director and coach, Fran Rish, Columbia High School was allowed to change its name to Richland High School, thus keeping the Richland Bombers intact, and allowing the Falcons to play in a stadium that didn't remind them of their cross-town bretheren. Of course, after a renovation of Richland High School, giant letters spelling out BOMBERS now graces the south side of the gym so whoever plays at Fran Rish knows exactly what school is attached to the stadium. But we digress.

Fran Rish Stadium had a problem, though, two if you count age and mold. No, the real problem was the natural turf field. It was really pretty for the first few weeks of the season but after both Hanford and Richland varsity, junior varsity, and freshman games and countless band practices, and by the time late October and November arrived, the grass was unplayable specifically for playoff games. Due to state mandates, all playoff games were required to be played on artificial turf fields. So, starting with the playoff against Central Valley on November 13, 2015, the Bombers played all of their home games in either Neil F. Lampson Stadium in Kennewick or Edgar Brown Memorial Stadium in Pasco.

After a few years of this, the good people of Richland passed a bond issue that included money to rebuild Fran Rish Stadium and install an artificial surface. The same bond also included a new artificial turf field at Hanford High School with new grandstands and restrooms.

Due to scheduling, even though the bond issue passed in 2017, the renovation of Fran Rish Stadium was not completed until the fall of 2022. The Bombers christened the new field on September 3, 2022 with a win over the Southridge Suns.

Along with the previous renovation of the visitors grandstand and pressbox areas, Fran Rish Stadium is and should be counted as one of the finest high school stadiums in the State of Washington.

Important Fran Rish Stadium and Bomber Bowl Facts and Dates

• September 28, 1945: First game played at Bomber Bowl vs. Hermiston. Bombers win 7-0
• 1949 Bombers first conference title
• 1951, 1952, and 1954 YVAA Championship games played at Bomber Bowl, all Richland victories
• 1955 YVAA Conference Champions
• 1957: Lights installed at Bomber Bowl, YVAA Conference Champions
• September 18, 1958: Bomber capture their 100th overall win vs. North Central. This was also the first night game at Bomber Bowl.
• 1961: YVAA Conference Champions
• October 4, 1963: Fran Rish captures his 100th victory at Kennewick (KHS Stadium)
• 1975: First conference championship since 1961
• November 14, 1975: First playoff victory at Bomber Bowl since 1954 against Lewis & Clark from Spokane
• November 21, 1975: First State Semi-final victory at Bomber Bowl vs. Kennedy
• November 4, 1979: Bomber capture their 200th overall victory and 100th at Bomber Bowl against Davis
• November 27, 1981: Bombers win State Semi-final game v. Clover Park for the right to play Kentridge in the Kingbowl.
• 1982: Bomber Bowl renamed to Fran Rish Stadium; Col-Hi officially renamed Richland High School
• September 7, 1984: J.D. Covington wins his 100th game v. Moses Lake
• 1994: Bomber capture 300th overall win at Pasco (Edgar Brown Memorial Stadium)
• 1999: Coach Lonnie Pierson captures his 100th victory in a State Quarterfinal game against Shadle Park at Lampson Stadium
• September 18th, 2009: Bomber capture 400th overall victory at West Valley (Yakima)
• September 10th, 2010: Bomber capture 200th victory at Fran Rish Stadium v. Hanford
• September 10th, 2021: Coach Mike Neidhold wins his 100th overall game v. Hanford
• October 1st, 2021: Last game played on grass at Fran Rish Stadium v. Chiawana