FORT LAUDERDALE – For students and fans at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Friday night football has a little more luster.
For the first time, the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs are passing the pigskin under four towering poles equipped with some serious wattage.
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"It's quite amazing to make history at Gibbons by turning these lights on," said high school senior Danny Morrill.
Gibbons never had lights so football was always played during the day. Mayor Jack Seiler remembered his days struggling to stay cool as a student there.
"All our games were always afternoon games and you had to play in the heat. In fact, the nickname for the place was called 'the furnace' back then," he said.
"It was hot," Morrill laughed.
The fight to get the lights flipped on began three years ago when the school spent $250,000 on the lights, only to be told they violated Fort Lauderdale land-use regulations.
The city was also bombarded by complaints from neighbors that the lights might be too bright.
But in January, zoning bigwigs at City Hall gave the thumbs-up.
"I think it's a great night for Cardinal Gibbons and also for the city of Fort Lauderdale because these are Fort Lauderdale residents. And they're really having a good time tonight," said Principal Paul Ott.
People who live in homes near the newly-lit field finally had a chance on Friday to experience the lights.
The verdict?
"I think it's over-exaggerated, the problems with the neighborhood," one neighbor said.
Other neighbors told Local 10 over the phone that plenty of people still don't like the lights, and they're appealing the city's decision.
Students like Morrill said the lights are a new tradition they want to keep.
"It's amazing that we finally have lights and that we're able to experience this," he said.