Construction begins on multi-million Coach Nell Field 

Tarkington Park, where Richard Donnell ‘Coach Nell’ Hamilton mentored hundreds of Indianapolis’ youth, championing them in sports and education, will soon bear his name as part of a multifunctional field.Indy Parks and Recreation, the City of Indianapolis, Indy Steelers, MLK Center, former Indianapolis Colts players and dozens of community members broke ground on Coach Nell Field on Feb. 25.Coach Nell died after being shot on Interstate 65 in January 2023.Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, who worked with Coach Nell and the Indy Steelers on many occasions, delivered a bittersweet message to the community. “At Tarkington Park, we break ground on $3 million worth of upgrades, which will include a new multi-use field, walking path and both a pickleball and tennis court,” Hogsett said. “The new Richard Coach Nell Hamilton field will honor the legacy of a man who gave so much of himself to our community and this community’s young people. His memory will live on in every play, every team huddle and every victory that takes place on this field. That is quite a legacy.”Coach Nell, alongside other fathers living in the Butler-Tarkington and Crown Hill neighborhoods, founded the Indy Steelers in 2004, holding some of their earliest gatherings and...